The COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak will be causing a lot of people to shop online who normally wouldn’t. In our last blog we covered why it’s important for small businesses to have an ecommerce website in times such as the global health crisis being caused by this virus. Here we’re going to go over a few effective marketing strategies to help you reach those customers who normally wouldn’t be shopping for your business online, but because of COVID-19, have been forced to turn to the internet.
Effective Marketing Strategies to Reach New Online Customers
Up Your Local Game
People who would normally be walking through your front door may be forced to visit you online. Help them find you by taking full advantage of local search tools like Google My Business and Google Local Service Ads. Optimizing your free Google My Business listing is considered one of the most valuable local marketing services available. In addition to optimizing it, you can use it to update potential consumers with any information regarding whether your business operations or hours have or have not been effective by the virus.
Get Social
Take full advantage of your social followers. If you are not actively posting on social media, now’s the time to start. Share updates on how you are being affected by this virus and what you are doing to help your community. This is a great opportunity to engage your biggest fans and advocates. Give them something worth sharing and use them to help spread your message and reach new online customers.
Fill Their Inbox
Just because you have their email address, doesn’t mean they are an online shopper. Emails can be collected at many different points including point of purchase in store or to sign up for newsletters or discounts. Reach out through your current customer list and let them know all their options for doing business with your during this time. Be sure to provide an easy link to your online store and consider adding an incentive for making an online purchase.
Get Listed
Directories play an important part in local SEO. Plus, they are a great way to establish credibility, especially for people less familiar with the internet and online shopping. When it comes to choosing a directory, quality is far more important than quantity. Look for a directory that is both relevant to your industry and trusted with a strong public brand image. Be as thorough with your listing as possible and provide the same contact information across the web. Never use a directory that requires a link back from your website. This is a site and SEO tactic you should avoid.
PPC
Launch a strategic pay per click campaign with these new users in mind. This can give you placement at the top of the page, ahead of local and organic listings, making it even easier for new online customers to find you. The most important thing here will be using the right keywords for these customers to find you. Put some thought into what words they would use to find your products or services. Google’s Keyword Planner can help you come up with right words and give you an estimate on cost. Then you’ll want to send them to a landing page that uses the same keywords, so they know they’ve found what they were looking for.
Online Marketing Solutions
There is already evidence that fears over the coronavirus are changing how people shop. Self-quarantines and rising worry over public places will no doubt hurt brick and mortar stores, but it will also provide an unprecedented opportunity for ecommerce to thrive over the next few months or longer if this causes a permanent shift in consumer behavior. The true lasting effects are still unknown, but what is clear is that an online presence with ecommerce capabilities is necessary. If you need any help preparing your business for the future, please contact us. We’ll help you establish a new ecommerce presence or improving upon the one you already have and increase your online sales with effective online marketing solutions for your business. To learn more, contact our Legit Click team online or call us at 414-465-2285 and request a free marketing analysis.
