The COVID-19 lockdown has been a difficult time for many. With businesses forced to shut up shop, or work from home, financial implications are far-reaching.
As lockdown starts to ease, companies are cautiously taking steps back to the ‘new normal’, But, whilst being careful with the health and safety of your staff is important, tiptoeing with your marketing won’t help you get back to where you need to be.
Importance of Marketing During Uncertain Times
Many companies tend to retreat during times uncertain times. They cut budgets, reduce overheads and to try to ride it out.
But research has shown that businesses who refocused their marketing efforts during this time, rather than tightened their belts, are more likely to succeed once out on the other side.
To support this, research conducted by IAB UK and YouGov in June 2020, stated that people have been more attuned to brands’ actions since the start of the pandemic and say they are more likely to purchase products from companies they feel have reacted well to the crisis.
With this in mind, it is now more important than ever to make your company stand out. The government is keen to keep businesses moving, so let’s take a look at how they can help.
Government Financial Support
The government has provided a number of financial support packages to help businesses get the boost they need.
Not sure what financial support schemes you may be eligible for?
Click here to use the business support finder.
Business rates relief
To see if your retail, hospitality or leisure business is eligible for business rates relief, click here.
Check to see if your nursery is eligible for business rates relief here.
Business Support Grant Funds
To see if you’re eligible for the coronavirus Small Business Grant Fund, please click here.
Check to see if you’re eligible for the coronavirus Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund here.
To apply for the coronavirus Local Authority Discretionary Grants Fund, click here.
Support for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
To apply for the coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, click here.
If you want to apply for the coronavirus Future Fund, click here.
For more information about the coronavirus Bounce Back Loan, click here.
Support for Large Businesses
To apply for the coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, click here.
Want to know more about the COVID-19 Corporate Financing Facility? Click here.
Further Help
There’s plenty of other options for support. To view them all, head over here.
Digital Marketing Quick Wins
So, you’ve secured your funding. Now how should you spend it?
Well, we have a few ideas for that…
With many people now working from home, it has become harder to target them with traditional marketing efforts. Gone are the days of cold calling, sending direct mail or turning up onsite for the chance of a quick meeting.
Plus, businesses are looking for quick wins, rather than a search engine optimisation campaign, which can take 3-6 months to generate results.
This is where digital marketing quick wins are great!
They’re cost-effective, easy to set up and can deliver speedy results. If you’re looking for a good return on investment, digital marketing quick win strategies come out on top.
This can include:
Social Media Advertising
According to Statista, in March 2020 there was an 40% increase of users spending more time on social media and messaging services.
With a large audience already at your fingertips, now is a great time to share your business news, special offers and industry comment online with them.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
PPC allows you to pay a small fee for someone to view and click on your displayed advert.
This quick ad method allows you to ‘buy’ a top spot on search engine results pages, instead of relying on SEO for your page to show up over time.
Remarketing
Remarketing allows you to target users that have visited your site.
They might not have been ready to purchase or get in contact at the time of their visit, but a gentle reminder later on in the days or weeks after might be the push they need.
Email Campaigns
If you have a good quality, cleansed database, then why not use it? Communicate with customers and prospects directly to get your business out there.
To learn more about digital marketing quick wins in greater detail, you can read David’s latest blog here.
If you want to speak to us about any of the above, please get in touch. We’re in the same boat as you, so we’ll be more than happy to help answer any questions you may have.
