How COVID-19 Changed Small Business Marketing

How COVID-19 Changed Small Business Marketing

Nov 8, 2021 | Content Marketing

small business marketing needed for owner suffering from lack of customers due to pandemic

How COVID-19 Changed Small Business Marketing

By now, I think it’s safe to say that we’re all sick of talking about the pandemic. Most of us would gladly go back to a simpler time where there were no masks requirements, where businesses and restaurants were open for business as usual — and you could go about marketing your small business as usual.

But we still are living in crazy times. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes to advertising, marketing, and promotional campaigns for small businesses around the globe.

From brick-and-mortar, mom-and-pops to international brands, companies have needed to re-evaluate their approach to marketing to adapt to the ‘new normal.

Not to mention the minefield of policies that small businesses now face in the arena of paid promotion; The FTC, CFPB, and FDA have all honed in on unfair and deceptive business practices to protect vulnerable consumers, monitor bold marketing campaigns, and terminate COVID-19 scams from online platforms.

Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Marketing

Adapting to Change

Small businesses should be up to the challenge: thinking about innovative marketing strategies and practices that don’t alienate their customers by appearing tone-deaf.

Further, ensuring operations are seamless and campaign planning is flawless in a new commercial world of uncertainty and promoting products and services that meet your customer’s new needs & desires in a post-pandemic world.

More crucially so, with the States condemned to a rollercoaster of opens and closes, advertising spending has decreased dramatically in 2021 as physical stores shut their doors and deliveries come to a halt.

So what does marketing look like for a small business nowadays?

Social Media: More Important than ever

Your budget for marketing your small business should directly reflect the shift in the way customers shop and find you online. As restrictions were put in place across the US – public and print advertising came to a near-instantaneous halt.

In the meantime, in-home media usage went up, including:

  • TV viewership
  • Streaming services
  • Social platforms

And per a study by GWI, 45 percent of global consumers are devoting more time to social media, and video streaming has increased by 25 percent. Why is this data crucial to the survival of small businesses?

It’s critical that a small business now seeks to optimize its marketing practices to better reflect this rise in the online presence of its customers, digital transactions, and entertainment choices. If you know your demographic has been using Facebook more during the pandemic, you know how your Q3 & 4 2021 marketing roadmap should look. Further, the number of consumers using online food delivery services and essential goods delivery solutions has risen dramatically. Customers are online, now more than ever – because it’s essential.

Being Human has never mattered more

Consumer demand for empathy on behalf of businesses and brands is at an all-time high during the COVID-19 pandemic. The small businesses that will continue to thrive in 2021 will be those that try their best to promote in a human manner and communicate with customers on an emotional level, understanding their pain points.

Yes, if you’re like many, you may be growing tired of hearing about COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean your small business should ignore it. In a survey conducted by Kantar, 77% of consumers said they now want to see online content from businesses to show ‘how you’re helping people get used to the new everyday life.’ But how can we achieve this with our small business marketing?

  • Seek to build long-term trust.
  • Educate customers about your own struggles as a small business.
  • Engage with your audience through more personal means than simple ads.
  • Entertain your audience when they need it most!

Email at the forefront

small business marketing can be achieved through emails

If emails don’t currently form a part of your small business marketing strategy, now is the time to change that. If you’ve established a keen database of current/past/potential future customers, email marketing is an incredibly cost-effective, powerful tool to market your business during the pandemic. No leaving the house, no physical locations – just old-fashioned digital. Plus, email marketing historically provides some of the most asymmetrical positive returns in the business world. It’s too cheap and too effective.

As we said, we can’t ignore COVID-19. While updates are important, they shouldn’t be the only focus of your emails (especially if it’s sent to customers you want to sell to!)

Here are some COVID-19-friendly email campaigns to add to your mix in 2021.

  • Newsletters – Want a laid-back, friendly way of keeping your customers in the loop about your business? Newsletters are the way forward. Think: promotions, deals, one-time offers, discounts – and virtual/physical event dates to grow your business. On top of that, you can tick the ‘human’ box by doing a few simple things; Feature local news stories, share social media updates, and get customers involved in quizzes and prize surveys.
  • Offer help to your customers – Depending on the nature of your business, you might be able to offer your help to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you have connections in the business space that can help your customer? Are you running a fundraising campaign for local equipment/vaccine centers? If you can provide any support to your audience, you’ll want to set up email campaigns to reflect these plans.
  • Business as usual emails – Strike the balance between being COVID-friendly and Business-friendly emails! Remember: you’re running an operation here, and it’s probably your livelihood. Just exercise caution with the language you use in marketing your small business: people want empathy this year and sympathy for their current circumstances (and they still want you to sell to them!)

What’s stayed the same?

Yes, COVID-19 has caused a seismic shift in small businesses marketing. But there remain some consistencies to approach. Don’t just start over from scratch after this article!

Your Customers Still Like Your Ads

Earlier, we mentioned a study on sentiment done by Kantar. Per the same brand’s other COVID-19 Barometer survey, 8% of consumers believe that brands should stop advertising during the pandemic. As we said, it’s a minefield out there, and some businesses are concerned about offending their customers or community. But this data gives you the green light to go wild.

This will also resonate well with the market because people want normalcy back. They want the ‘old way of life back pre-COVID-19, and that means ads. It means billboards, great TV ads, and physical shopping.

Data is still King

Data hasn’t changed. If your business isn’t paying attention to data to drive decisions and establish marketing strategies, you’re missing out on a great deal of money and growth.

You can collect data in their CRMs to create better visions of your customer and create powerful marketing campaigns using social media content and ads. Using what information you generate with those campaigns, come back stronger with an even more resonant message.

The customer is still at the heart

How many emails have you received from small businesses, companies, or brands that start with ‘During these difficult times’ or something similar? It’s getting old. Business customers are blind to empty words like this and are finding it harder and harder to connect.

You still need to put the customer first. The pandemic is no longer a shock or something to transition into: it’s reality. Deliver helpful, meaningful, and engaging content. Solve the customer’s issues by talking to them and finding out how you can help.

Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a majority of small businesses as having little-to-no marketing strategies. If you’re one of them, that’s great – you won’t have to start fresh. If you find yourself shouting at the wind with no success, it’s time to build a pandemic-friendly marketing strategy that resonates with an audience that’s gotten to grips with a new world. Finally, there’s never been a greater opportunity for small businesses to engage with customers at such an intimate level.

Do you need help marketing your small business? Fill out this form so we can reach out to you!

Small Business Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Work

Small Business Marketing Strategies Guaranteed to Work

Jun 11, 2021 | Content Marketing, Facebook Advertising, Reputation Management, SEO, Video Marketing

Small Business Marketing Strategies

Small business owners are busy people. You’re running your own company, and you’re also a jack of all trades for the employees that do not have a specific skill set. Your time is valuable, and we know how difficult it can be to find the time to market your small business, or develop  small business marketing strategies. That’s where JVI Mobile Marketing comes in!

We provide professional marketing services for small businesses of all shapes and sizes. From social media management to traditional advertising, our team has experience with every industry under the sun. We work with clients from coast-to-coast who need help to get their message out in front of their target audience. When it comes to smaller companies promoting their business, it can help to understand where you can compete with the “big guys”.

Small Business Marketing Strategies #1 – Paid Ads

No one has a traffic problem. As long as you are willing to pay for the traffic. Facebook and Google are two of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to get your marketing message out. These networks have a lot of features that small businesses need for their campaigns.

In order to run a paid campaign, you need a combination of 3 elements:

Target Audience – Be crystal clear on whom you want to get in front of with your message.

– Make sure to include their demographic, age group, and location.

– You can also target by interest or behavior with Facebook Ads Manager Predefined Audiences, Custom Audiences from your email list on Gmail or Google Analytics data in Adwords.

Pro Tip: Use the Facebook suggestions for other targeting options you might not have thought of while selecting your audience

Landing Page (Destination) – This is where you want the person to go when they click on your ad.

It can be a website, Facebook page or another type of social media site.

– Choose the landing page wisely because it will have an impact on conversion rates and your return on investment for the campaign.

Pro Tip: If using a website for a landing page, it should not be your home page. Instead, create a landing page with one focused “Call-to-action” (CTA).

There are several great landing page builders out there. Some of the ones we use are:

  • SwipePages
  • Brizy
  • ClickFunnels
  • Landingi
  • Instapages

## Offer – What valuable chunk of content can you offer in exchange for the user’s contact information?

This is called a lead magnet. Some great examples of lead magnets are :

– an e-book

– a free trial of your SaaS product with no credit card required and full cancellation rights

– video training course on how to use the software or service you offer in exchange for their contact information. This is also called “content marketing” or “inbound marketing”. It’s all about providing valuable content that educates people, so they will reach out to you when they need help.

Small Business Marketing Strategies #2 – Business Reviews

Write a paragraph about the importance of getting your customers to leave a review or feedback for your business and making it public on Google.

Business reviews are crucial for small businesses. Reviews have the power to make or break your reputation, which is why you need to make sure that they’re good ones! The best part about hosting a review system on Google is that it’s so easy and accessible. It’s as simple as opening up the Maps app on any internet-connected device in order to leave your feedback of a local business – and then sharing with all your social media followers at once.

There are also plenty of websites out there where customers can read others’ reviews before deciding who to buy from – these sites include Yelp, TripAdvisor, Glassdoor and Angie’s List just to name a few! Nowadays even big banks like Wells Fargo will ask their clients for reviews. We feel that reputation management is a cornerstone small business marketing strategy!

There are also software solutions that can help you collect reviews from your customers, share them with Google, and build up a library of feedback you can use on your website.

Pro Tip: Use a software program instead of doing this manually.

In all transparency, we built our own software to accomplish this for you. For more information, check out our brand new SaaS (Software as a Service) called Local 5 Stars. www.local5stars.com

Small Business Marketing Strategies #3 – Live (and recorded) Video

Video marketing is more important than ever. Take a look at the Facebook Live feeds of brands like Red Bull, GoPro, and other companies to see what we mean.

Here are some ways you can get in on the trend:

– Create Newsletters with Videos

– Shoot Short Video Ads for Your Website or Social Media Pages

– Host a Webinar

– Be Creative! People love original content that they’ve never seen before!

Use video to solve you audiences problems. Don’t talk all about your products and services. Instead, show people how your services can solve their issue and speak to them.

Pro Tip: Host a webinar or use video where you are answering questions that people are already asking about online. Two great places to find out what people are asking are Quora and Answer the Public.

– Host your videos on YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and other platforms that will help them rank high in search engines like Google.

Don’t forget about newsletters! Use videos for an installment series where they get notified every time the next one is released. And don’t forget to use calls to action at the end telling people how they can contact you if they have any further questions. It’s important not only to show information but also give viewers a way to interact with it as well.

In conclusion, there are a ton of small business marketing strategies out there. Use what you are comfortable with. This is not anywhere near a complete list.

For more tips and strategies to market your small business, follow our sister website, HowTo.Agency.

6 Winning Content Marketing Strategies for Local Business

6 Winning Content Marketing Strategies for Local Business

Aug 29, 2017 | Content Marketing, General, Social Media Management and Optimization (SMM, SMO)

Effective Online Marketing

As a small business owner, you know that effective online marketing plays a significant role in the success of your company. The competition for internet users’ attention is fierce, and if you want to make your company stand out from the competition, you have to stretch your marketing budget as far as you can. You might not have the money to take out Google ads or even to pay for Facebook advertising, but that doesn’t mean that you have to accept lackluster marketing results. Content marketing is a major piece of any online marketing strategy.

Content Marketing strategies for your local business
“Content isn’t just words on a page, it’s everything you put out there on the web to engage your audience.”

Content marketing is the key to help your company succeed. When you make the effort to create unique and valuable content to share online, you can let what you create speak for you without having to spend a lot of money. The kind of content you create, as well as how and when you share it, are both important when it comes to spreading the word about your company. With that in mind, let’s look at 6 content marketing strategies that you can use to help increase traffic to your website and grow your business.

1. Concentrate your content creation efforts on evergreen content. Evergreen content is content that isn’t likely to feel dated anytime soon. For example, a blog post about a current event would not be considered evergreen; a post that defined some industry terms and jargon would be considered evergreen.

The key is to find topics that will interest your current and future customers for some time to come. Some examples might include how-to guides, tutorials, frequently asked questions, and posts addressing problems that are common to your customers. For example, if you own an apparel store, a post about dressing different body types could have a long life online because it will always be of concern to the people who shop at your store. You can and should re-post evergreen content periodically, and make updates as needed.

2. Concentrate your SEO efforts on getting high-quality backlinks and using local keywords. If you know anything at all about search engine optimization (SEO), you know that it’s a broad topic and one that is constantly changing. In the early days of the internet, all a webmaster had to do was stuff websites with keywords to get a high rank on Google. Today, search algorithms are very sophisticated. Keyword density is only one small piece of the puzzle.

Content Marketing for Google and SEO Results

Ranking for top keywords will be difficult, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t think about keywords. For local companies, the best option is to focus on long-tail keywords with a geographical component. Instead of aiming at a keyword like “video games,” you might decide to try to rank for “buy video games in Forest Grove.” It’s a longer keyword, but one that local customers are likely to use when looking for a local retailer. The same is true of backlinks. The number of backlinks you get is less important than the quality of your backlinks.

There are certainly sources where you can buy back links, but that’s considered a “black hat” SEO practice and is just as likely to earn you a penalty from Google as it is to bring traffic to your website. Instead, look for guest blogging opportunities on websites that are relevant to your business. Also try to get your site listed in industry directories.

3. Use social media wisely. A lot of small companies make the mistake of looking at Facebook (or Twitter or Instagram) as a way to advertise themselves. The problem with that it is that it completely leaves out the social aspects of social media. The people who follow you on social media are not doing so because they want to be at the receiving end of an endless stream of promotional messages. They do it because they want to be entertained, engaged, and informed. This is one of the most misunderstood content marketing methods.

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” At least 80% of your social media content should be aimed at providing value to your followers.” That means that for every five things you post, four of them should be entertaining, relevant, and devoid of any overt sales pitches. The other one can be a direct marketing appeal, but even then, you should make sure to include something of value for your followers.

JVI Mobile uses the LENS method for social media posts. Listening (L) posts are designed to begin a conversation and create engagement (like, comment and share). Educating (E) posts are facts, trivia, do-you-know, or how-to posts designed to teach the reader. Networking (N) posts are written to share other people’s content while tagging them and building online relationships. Selling (S) posts are where you promote your products and/or services and should be used the least (20% of the time). Using the LENS method, you will develop a clear, 20/20 vision for your social media presence.

Content Marketing - JVI Mobile - Content is King4. Encourage readers and followers to share your content. The whole point of content marketing is to bring new visitors to your website and ultimately, to your business. For that reason, it isn’t enough simply to create compelling content; you must also make that content interesting enough to share, and provide people with the means of sharing it.

To make it interesting, write a great headline – many people who write online say that they spend as much time on their headlines as they do on the rest of their content combined – that includes numbers or compelling words like tips, tricks, ways, ideas, lessons, or facts.

It’s also important to keep your headline short. No more than 65 words so that the whole title can be viewed on a list of Google search results. In terms of making it shareable, you should embed social sharing buttons on your website and blog, and actively encourage your followers to share your content. You won’t want to do it on every post, but on something that you think is especially likely to attract new customers, come right out and ask people to share what you’ve created.

5. Find ways to make your content visually compelling. The average internet user is exposed to hundreds of pieces of content per day. You can make yours stand out by adding compelling images – originals are best, since many stock photos are generic and not very exciting – infographics, or videos are even better. An infographic can be an especially good way to share a large volume of information or data. It’s easier to read and absorb than an article would be, and infographics are highly shareable, and videos are naturally more engaging for visitors than reading a lot of text.

6. Submit a Press Release. Don’t underestimate a well written PR, it’s like a news nugget that online search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing love as well as it attracts local press. It’s an easy way to boost your online visibility, and marketing your business at the same time. Once you’ve submitted your PR online – contact your local news media and ask if they would publish it too – you may be surprised!

Whether you do it yourself through directories like PR Web or PR Newswire or hire marketing agency to create and submit it on your behalf, press releases are a great content marketing strategy for any local business.

If you use these six strategies, your content will always be compelling, entertaining, and valuable to your followers. The more value you provide, the more likely it is that one-time customers will become repeat customers and that new visitors to your website will end up buying from you.

Learn more about digital marketing by visiting JVI Mobile Marketing or by contacting us!


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