When you invest in online marketing such as social media, your hope is to go viral to reach as many potential customers as possible. But with the coronavirus still hanging around, some changes have to be made for the safety of customers and staff. There’s no doubt that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has had an impact on how businesses are run. While your goal was to draw customers to your physical location in the past, now the focus has shifted to helping them shop online for delivery or pickup. Read on to learn more about the impact of the current virus on the online marketing landscape, and some changes you can implement now and in the future.
Stay-At-Home State of Mind
When customers reach your website through search engine optimization (SEO), they often want to see what’s available before heading over in person. However, you can use friendly messaging to encourage your customers to stay home and let a delivery driver to the work.
If you’re putting money into paid ads, then the message should follow suit to inform people how to get the delivery of goods from your business.
The message shouldn’t be heavy-handed. However, it needs to stress the importance of physical distancing for customer safety, and how delivery is a convenient option.
Modifying Websites
If your website doesn’t already have a sales checkout, now is a good opportunity to add one. That might mean adding a feature to your site that allows people to pay for an item in advance, and then choose delivery or pickup options. These features need to be easy to find and navigate.
You also have to make sure that your e-commerce website is mobile-friendly, as many people shop from their mobile devices. Social media stores should also be easy to use.
Add some calls to action in your website content or ads to help ensure people know about their alternate options – and more importantly, to use them.
Leverage Social Media More
More people have been using social media since the beginning of the lockdowns, and this is an opportunity for effective social media marketing.
For example, to reach more people on social media, you can run a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. These types of campaigns only charge you a fee when someone actually clicks on the ad.
Social media is also another way for you to engage with customers in a safe manner, rather than answering their questions in person. You may have to dedicate more resources to social media in the future to ensure inquiries are handled in a timely manner.
Online Marketing Is Here To Stay
There’s no questioning the popularity of digital marketing, whether it’s a paid ad on social media or an e-commerce website. However, the coronavirus has caused some changes in how marketing is approached, and these changes may be indefinite.
Be sure to contact us today to learn more about how we can help boost your online marketing strategy.
