We know that video goes hand in hand with a great digital marketing strategy. In this blog post, Helen from Rapport Digital talks us through 5 key ways to tailor your marketing strategy to the current climate.
Now that some of the lockdown measures are beginning to ease, business owners across the South West will be looking for new ways to adapt their marketing strategy and to promote their companies effectively during these challenging times for business.
There are always winners and losers in every situation, and it is true to say that not every business will lose out. The coronavirus pandemic has presented some unexpected opportunities, in addition to the challenges.
Some firms will be looking to increase their marketing efforts to maximise the opportunities presented by social distancing measures. There have been extraordinary levels of demand for certain products and services – demand for garden and leisure products, trampolines, hot tubs and exercise equipment has reached record levels, and services such as IT, communications technology and digital marketing are also experiencing a boom.
On the other hand, many firms are negatively affected by the business challenges brought to bear by the pandemic, and they will need to look for new, more innovative ways to promote their products and services… or perhaps even look to completely new market sectors if they are to survive.
It is now increasingly clear that if you want your brand to be found, it’s going to happen online, and you can bet your bottom dollar that in the rush for mind-share things are about to get fiercely competitive.
With that in mind, here’s what you need to right now to raise your digital marketing game in these uncertain times:
Your website
Without doubt, you’ll need a decent website to stand any chance of cruising through the pandemic, and it will need to be as engaging to mobile visitors as it is to desktop users.
An antiquated website that doesn’t have secure server certification (SSL), or isn’t mobile-friendly, quite simply won’t be found.
Check if your messages and content are relevant in the current climate; if not, then you’ll at least need to review and amend.
If your site is no longer cutting it, replace or update it – there’s no better time to invest in your online presence.
Adding video to your website will not only make your messages more engaging, compelling and easy to understand it will also help boost your SEO and help your website to be found on Google, but we’ll come onto that later.
Your social media
With networking events, most print-based media and all face-to-face contact off the table, social media will almost certainly play a more prevalent role in the marketing mix.
Social media platforms are reporting exceptionally high visitor levels, and it stands to reason that those businesses with an established social media presence will probably have a headstart over the others.
We predict a mass onslaught of activity in this space as many thousands of businesses scramble to get onboard, some believing it’s an easy and cheap thing to do. This is why the quality of content and creativity of approach used in your social media will be vital to success.
Using creative video content for banners and posts will really help your message to stand out, and animated infographics and other types of banner graphics will bring your posts to life.
Effective social media advertising will be essential, and using video as part of these campaigns delivers greater results.
PPC and SEO
Focussing on your website is one thing, but it simply won’t work for you if it can’t be found. It’s a bit like displaying your goods in a shop window that nobody can see.
Engaging in paid search (PPC) will offer you quick wins; however, organic visitors usually lead to much higher enquiry rates, but this type of customer takes longer to achieve.
In an ideal world, during the pandemic you should consider investing in paid search to attract fast results, whilst simultaneously developing an SEO strategy that will work for you in the long term.
Using video ads can help you broaden the awareness of your brand to capture new audiences, while it will also help to accelerate your SEO content.
Email marketing
If you have a clean and up-to-date client database, then communicating with your customers and prospects via email can yield great results. But using a dull, blanket approach isn’t good enough.
Don’t be tempted to resort to trying to send large volumes of email using Outlook either – not only will it look bland, but it’ll likely end up in a junk folder.
Use a professional email tool to create personalised, visual and relevant email campaigns that will provide insightful content to engage your customers and prospects. Many professional email templates can be adapted to include video, to enrich the content and make it that bit more engaging.
Content
Make no mistake, content plays a mission-critical role that is central to all marketing activities, and all of the tactics mentioned in this post simply will not deliver results for you without relevant and engaging content.
Webinars, podcasts, blogs, infographics, downloads, white papers, live feeds and guides are all examples of the modern content mix. And let’s not forget video – they say a picture paints a thousand words. In fact, a recent study by Forrester Research suggested that it was closer to 1.8 million. Food for thought?
Marketing hasn’t really changed – at its very core is about creating conversations, and you’ve guessed it… developing rapport with your prospects. Here at Rapport Digital we do just that! We provide expert marketing services for busy businesses, helping to sky-rocket engagement with existing and future customers.
We plug into your business where and when you need it most. Whether you’re looking for a new website, someone to run your social media, or manage the whole marketing shebang – you’ve come to the right place! So, quit your yakking, let’s start chatting!
Rapport Digital is a full-service marketing agency equipped to deliver all elements of the marketing mix – our secret sauce is in how we guide our clients to a result-driven combination of tactics to drive conversations that move the dial! We work closely with our friends at Life Media UK to incorporate engaging video content into the marketing mix, to help your company tell its story in a more compelling way. To find out more, get in touch at [email protected]
Want more?
Reassure your customers that you’re back to business and operating safely with a great health & safety video, and communicate your ‘new normal’ in an engaging way with a smart video marketing strategy.
