Learn how to Market your Small Business during this Corvid-19 Crisis.
The past few months have been really tough for most Small Businesses. There isn’t a blueprint to guide business owners through these unprecedented times, leading to a lot of blind decision making with unknown consequences. Most small businesses have had to really slow down and in some instances close down completely, which has a huge negative impact on economies since SMEs account for about 90% of businesses in Africa.
As a business owner, you’ve had to make multiple decisions with little or no knowledge of their short or long term impact on your business. One of the main decisions has obviously been whether or not to continue with your brand’s Marketing and Communications? And even if you got past the point of simply deciding yes or no, you probably still struggled with figuring out how and to what extent?
In this article, I’m going to take you through some of the Dos and Don’ts for Small Business Marketing during a crisis. This should help you with making some of the most basic decisions for your marketing and communications plan, and at the same time, advise briefly on what kind of approach to use as you try to reach your target audience and effectively communicate with your customers.
So let’s do this!
The Dos
Do create an online presence for your business
This one is a no brainer. I honestly hope that your business already has an online footprint. If it does, please just read past this so you don’t hear me scream. If it doesn’t, then allow me to say this to you again, (in my screaming voice) GET YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE!
If you never used to see any reason to do it, I really hope this crisis’ lockdown has given you a good one. Unfortunately, we can’t interact with our existing and potential customers the same way we used to. You can’t hand out flyers and brochures at intersections. What you can do is take our business where your audience is, and that is ONLINE!
Do stay connected to your customers on online platforms
Simply getting your business online is not enough, but kudos if you already took that first step. The next thing you have to do is connect with your customers and audience regularly on your online platforms. I know your customers might not be purchasing as much as they used to, but the relationship they have with your brand is as important to them as it is to you.
Now just to be clear, when I said get your business online, I meant get a website for your business because the number of daily google searches has greatly increased over the past few months. I also meant get your business some presence on social media platforms, where you can directly interact with your customers.
Since that’s cleared up, you’ll need to actively migrate your customers to your online platforms where you will keep them engaged with various types of content. If you have a service based business, you can even offer these services (for free or for a price) through these platforms. A good example is personal trainers who are now offering home workout classes online.
The important thing is to not go radio silent on your customers because if you are not available for them during this time, they will find someone who is, and who’s to say they will ever find their way back to you? It’s therefore key to build honest and authentic relationships which can outlive any crisis.
Give value and ensure your clients and partners know you care
Marketing and Communicating in a caring and empathetic manner during times like these is important in creating real connections with your customers, the kind that will outlive the current pandemic like I just mentioned.
In your communication with your existing and potential customers, make sure you make it clear to them that you care about them, their health & safety and that you are grateful for the value they bring to your business.
I know you are not a big business and you don’t have large sums of money at your disposal to participate in big Corcid-19 response programmes. Chances are, the basic monthly commitments like salaries for your staff and rentals for your premises are giving you a headache right now. There are however a lot of different ways you can show your customers and communities that you care.
One way to do this is to pivot your marketing from just selling to your audience to sharing relevant and accurate information about what’s going on around us. Instead of asking them to buy your product at full price, offer them a discount and tell them it’s because you understand that they are also going through a really tough time.
I totally get that the “discount” one might not be popular with already struggling small businesses, so here is another good one. Use some of your social media accounts to spread messages of hope and unity the same way Coca-Cola is doing. The giant is reminding customers that “staying apart is the best way to stay united.” Not only does this show how much they care about their customers, it also keeps their brand alive and engraved in our hearts and brains.
There are a lot of other things you can do for your customers without spending money and all these efforts show a clear care for customers and an obligation to serve on your part as a business.
The Don’ts
Don’t quarantine your business’ marketing efforts
The worst thing you can do for your business right now is stop creating content and stop connecting with your customers altogether. In other terms, it’s putting your business in quarantine and it is a foolish thing to do (sorry, but I said what I said).
As a small business owner, the biggest excuse for not marketing your business properly has probably been not having enough time. Well now most of the world is in lockdown, which means you probably have more time to dedicate towards coming up with a proper Marketing and Communications Plan for your business, that’s if you decide to do it yourself.
It is however important to keep in mind that your marketing strategies should not ride on people’s fears. Consumers are already stressed out because of the uncertainty of the situation the world is in, so they definitely don’t need you taking advantage of them at this point. According to Marketing Weekly, 74% of consumers have a belief that companies should not exploit the situation. So instead of scheming to exploit, be empathetic in your approach and offer value.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Finally and most importantly, do not be afraid to ask for help. It’s quite impressive if you already wear all the hats in your business and you are still keeping it together, bravo! There comes a time however, when you might need to ask for help from people who are more experienced in the field so they can provide some guidance.
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. ~ Chinese Proverb
Happy Marketing!
And be on the lookout for more tips and resources on Marketing your Small Business.
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