media update’s Nakedi Phala takes you through some methods you can use to promote your business during the crisis.
 
Digital marketing has never been more important for your business than now. This is because, during the coronavirus pandemic, audiences will be spending most of their time indoors and will be using their leisure time engaging with content online. 

So, why not turn your marketing strategy into a digital one? If your business wasn’t utilising digital marketing before, there’s no better time to start than now.

Here are four ways to optimise your digital platforms: 

1. Personalise everything

From your website and mailing list to social media, you need to build a strategy that will make your brand stand out from your competitors, as most businesses are using digital platforms to promote and sell their products or services. 

You can do this by:  

Modifying your email newsletter 

Keep your message brief and simple; remember, it’s not business as usual, it’s about staying in touch with your audience. Try not to add content that reminds your audience that they’re experiencing a disaster; rather, include content that can be useful for their current situation. For example, including tips on how to work remotely during COVID-19 can help your audience adjust to their new working space. 

Improving the posts that go out on your social platforms 

It’s important to capitalise on trending topics and to see how you can synchronise them with your brand’s objectives. For example, if you are in the business of manufacturing TV sets, you can share helpful information on how your audience can utilise other features that will allow them to enjoy your product even more; for example, streaming video services and components that allow users to interact their smart devices with your TV set.

Adding flavour to your website 

With audiences being indoors, there’s a high possibility that your page will get more visits than before, as audiences are now living with limited options of entertainment. 

Here are a few things you can do to try and improve your website: 
  • Rearrange your call-to-action (CTA) strategy to fit in with the current situation. For example, enhance your CTAs to make them easy to find and communicate special offers clearly; and be careful not to bombard people with too many CTAs. Being subtle is key.   
  • Increase engagement by communicating across all channels. With all the time available, you can be even more responsive to comments, whether it’s on your website or on your social platforms. 
  • Relook at your SEO strategy. Try to use current and relevant keywords that will be picked up on searches. For example,  add interactive content that synchronises with the current situation and make sure to use words that are keyword-rich.    
  • Share information about your brand that can help you improve the relationship. For example, create a quiz or fun fact. 
When you strive to personalise your page to adapt to the current CVOID-19 crisis, it proves to audiences that your business moves with the times and that it is solution-driven.

2. Start competitions

For a long time competitions have been known to improve brand awareness and attract new audiences. And through digital platforms, there are many ways in which you can host competitions.

For example: 
  • You can run competitions on social media platforms that allow contests. For example, on these platforms, you can share interesting information about your brand and even ask questions like “In which year was our business logo rebranded?” The follower who gets the answer right could win a prize deliverable after the lockdown. 
  • If your business is a restaurant, pub or venue, you could, for example, ask your audience about their best moments at your outlet. The consumer with the best story could win a voucher, which they could later use at your establishment. 
  • If your business is subscription-based, you could run a competition on your website or social media platforms. The prize? A month or two of free subscriptions if they can get you more subscribers. 
Competitions are a good way to keep your consumers engaged and entertained, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Audiences are always looking for ways to keep busy, so it's vital to create contests that are designed to be fun, educational and captivating. 

3. Utilise a monitoring tool 

To acknowledge that your digital media strategy is working, you need to track the success of your social media activities. Doing so will help you gain real insight about your marketing efforts. 

Here are some key points to consider: 
  • Monitoring your content on digital platforms helps you detect what works and what doesn’t. 
  • Keeping an eye on all your social media content by using a social media tracking service such as amaSocial,  which can provide you with valuable insight into your content.  
  • Digital monitoring can also help you understand bounce rates to see whether you’re reaching your desired number of visitors and the time that they spend on your website. The data you gather can also help you see how your site rankings are being affected. 
Using analytics and monitoring tools can help you understand more about your customer preferences and behaviours. This way, you’ll be gaining vital information that will allow you to develop your digital marketing strategies. 

4. Build conversations

Make your audiences feel a little bit more special and have a chat with them. What have you got to lose? Start a conversation with your consumers, which can help you develop your brand by listening to consumer trends and being armed with topics of interest. 

Here are some important points to note: 
  • When interacting with your audience on social media, exchange ideas and listen to your consumers in terms of how you can improve your brand and the value it adds in their lives. 
  • Create a discussion forum. This creates an open discussion that allows you to see what consumers may be missing from your brand. For example, If consumers enjoy your product but can’t get a hold of it, they can be advised on how to get it, i.e. via courier services. 
Interacting with your audience on positive and negative matters offers you the opportunity to learn more about the corners of your business that you never knew existed. 

Which of these tactics will you be using in your digital marketing strategy? Let us know in the comments section below. 

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Now that you’ve learned a few tricks on how to optimise your digital strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, find out how to Marketing your business on LinkedIn in 2020.