If you’re like most people, you are probably a little weary about everything that is going on with COVID-19 and all the associated closures to keep the virus from spreading. This is a pretty uncertain time in our world, and it is completely normal to feel a little worried about what comes next.
In times like this, it’s more important than ever to reflect on all aspects of your business. When it comes to your marketing strategy, as the eCommerce pros, we’re here to help you evaluate, plan, and put together a strategy that allows you to move forward.
So, here’s the good news. Now is actually a fantastic time for online brands and eCommerce stores to market themselves on social media and other paid channels. Why? With most physical retail stores shutting down temporarily, most people are turning to the internet. Our CAKE team has put together this brief guide to help you understand.
Why You Shouldn’t Stop Your Digital Advertising During the Coronavirus Crisis
Even though we’re all stuck inside practicing our social distancing, there’s never been a better time to stay connected during a crisis. Just about everyone has access to the internet at home—either through a smartphone or a computer—and most people are looking for things to occupy their time. In many cases, this means scrolling through Facebook or Instagram to help keep themselves occupied.
As an online brand, now is an excellent time to capitalize on this! If you have products that you know your customers love, make sure you’re putting paid ads in front of them. Not only will a bit of sweet retail therapy allow them to make a purchase, but it will also help keep your sales closer to where you want them to be.
Top Tips for Marketing to Quarantined Customers
Of course, we have a few top tips to help you market to quarantined customers. These are just a few of the many ways you can continue to digitally market your business while still staying connected to your target customer base:
- Provide Special Offers: Send out an email to your top customers with a special Coronavirus shopping offer. This is a great way to let everyone know you’re still open and able to send out products accordingly.
- Offer Facetime or Skype Shopping Sessions: If your business is both online and brick-and-mortar, offer customers the opportunity to virtually shop at your store. Schedule Facebook of Skype Sessions where you give the customer individual attention by walking around the store, showing off items they might love, and taking payment over the phone or online. From there, you can either ship the items to their home or deliver to their car when they arrive at your store.
- Build Your Social Media Following: If anything, most of us have a ton of time to scroll through social media channels. Build your following by posting often, taking advantage of paid ads, and even going live on Facebook or YouTube. Interact to gain likes and follows that could create sales when the crisis has fully calmed down.
- Consider Offering Payment Solutions: Make it a little bit easier for your customers to shop online by offering payment solutions that allow them to pay off their purchases over time. Apps like Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm give customers the option to take control of their payments, the scheduling of them, and there are no hidden fees.
Our CAKE Team is Working from Home and Here to Help
Like most companies, CAKE is taking special precautions to help the cause and improve social distancing. This includes encouraging our employees to work from home. Thankfully, our industry is one that allows us to really offer the same level of productivity in this new format that we offer when we are at the office.
If you have questions about how to market your online brand or eCommerce business, we are more than happy to assist. We would love to schedule a strategy call to discuss your plans for the future and goals during this unique time period for our society. Please get in touch with us today to discuss things further.
