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COVID-19 has been affecting everyone in the world. We are all experiencing significant changes in almost all aspects of our lives. And, it is this pandemic that impacts most companies, if not all of them.
Reality hits every part of the economy. Global markets are likely to slow down, and it would be impossible to sustain cash flows. It all looks pretty grim at the moment, but if you want your company to come out of it in good working condition, it’s time to start playing a strategic game.
In this article, we’ll discuss different ways on how to improve your business through your website by providing the following:
- What you need to change on your website
- What you need to improve on your website
- How this applies to any business who has a website
1. Add an Informational Banner/Pop-up
Adding an informational banner or pop-up is a great way to inform your audience of how your company is operating during this time. Inform them of your operating hours during this pandemic and if your company is applying a work-from-home scheme. Remember not just to position the information on your homepage, because not everyone will arrive on your homepage. That’s why it’s better if it’s a banner or a pop-up so that your website visitors will be able to see it.
Adding a banner/pop-up is not only useful during this pandemic. You can also apply this, in any event, i.e., if you have an on-going sale. Or, if you have an upcoming webinar or event, you can also let your website visitors know by using banners or pop-ups.
UX & SEO Warning on Pop-ups
Be careful when adding a pop-up (especially an interstitial) to your website. Pop-ups or interstitials can affect your website’s SEO and User Experience.
In terms of UX, pop-ups are just annoying. It’s as simple as that. So, make sure that your pop-up is relevant or necessary. Does it provide important information? Does it give anything to the visitor? If yes, then put it on your website.
For SEO, Google penalizes websites with “intrusive” pop-ups or interstitials. First of all, it affects SEO because it affects UX to begin with. Google favors websites that have excellent content and excellent user experience. They always want to show the best websites to its users.
So, how can you not get penalized for putting pop-ups in your website? Here are a few ways to not get penalized by Google:
- Don’t show the pop-up immediately when a visitor comes to your site. Let them browse for a few seconds before showing the pop-up.
- Show the pop-up once or twice only.
- Make it easy to close the pop-up.
- Avoid interstitial pop-ups. Use a mild pop-up that doesn’t cover the whole page.
- Make the pop-up simple and relevant.
2. Integrate a Chatbot
As more people are spending time online, expect a rise in your website traffic. Integrate a chatbot on the site to make communication efficient to these visitors. The popularity of chatbots is steadily increasing because of its effectiveness. It provides 24/7 online assistance, boosts online sales, and can quickly answer customer inquiries.
With a chatbot, your customers don’t have to wait for a representative to get back to them if a chatbot can answer their questions. Because of this, your potential customers who have doubts about the product or service will be able to go straight to signing up or purchasing with the help of the chatbot.
Chatbot integration is not only helpful during this time, but it can also help at any time of the year. Check out this list of chatbot builders to help you get started!
3. Introduce Cheaper Products or Services
As we all know, it is tough to spend money during this time. Many individuals have lost their source of income mainly due to prevention initiatives introduced in various countries. It is not wise to splurge on things that aren’t essential right now. So, it is best if you can add cheaper products or services for your customers. This is also a good time to utilize a downsell.
For example, if you are a retailer of coffee beans who usually only sells half-kilo or kilo packs, you could introduce a new variant of the beans on a smaller packaging like 200-250 grams per package. With this, people wouldn’t have a hard time deciding whether or not to buy your coffee beans because of its lower price.
Apple Introduces Cheaper Phones
Another real-life example is what Apple did this month; they announced that they are going to release a new model of iPhone, which is 40% cheaper than the cheapest iPhone 11 released these past few months. This is good news for Apple fans who want to get a new phone but want to spend much less than usual.
How About Luxury Brands?
Be careful when introducing cheaper products if you are a luxury brand. The example about Apple shows that they introduced a cheaper phone, although it is still much more expensive than the average smartphones like Oppo or Lenovo.
If you are a luxury brand, you might lose your class and exclusivity when too many persons can get a hold of your product. Think about how introducing cheaper products or services can affect your brand.
With this, you can continue selling your products and services during this pandemic. Don’t worry, if your product or service is worth it, customers will still come back for more!
4. Create a Landing Page for All COVID-Related Info or Posts
You can create a single page for all your COVID-related information. This is great for both your visitors and yourself! Why?
This helps your guests, as it would be quicker for them to find details relating to COVID-19 on your website. Talk about how your company is operating during this time. Let your website visitors know what your operating hours are, if you are operating at all. You could also add a short paragraph on how your company is reacting to this pandemic and assure everyone that your employees and yourself are all safe and sound.
This is also a great page to talk about why you are open to giving a discount to your products or services. Let people know that you are tackling the obstacle head on as a company and that you are with your customers to get through this.
5. Review All Automated Marketing Activities
Every person should always be sensitive to our current situation. Review all your automated marketing activities, such as emails, posts, or ads. Don’t get me wrong; automated marketing activities are useful for your company. BUT, you have to make sure that your emails, posts, or ads, are related and sensitive to our current pandemic. So, to be safe, check ALL your automated marketing activities!
For example, your company sends out automated emails to nurture leads. Now might not be the best time to do some hard-selling. It will turn-off a lot of potential customers. Most, if not all of us, are still thinking about the uncertainty our situation presents. Let’s be sensitive enough to the situation.
6. Focus on Discounts & Promos
If you can’t introduce cheaper products or services, you may want to consider giving out substantial discounts to your current products or services. Remember that almost all persons do not want to risk putting out money for things that might not be too valuable for them at the moment.
As a business, take in whatever you can get. It will help your business stay afloat during this pandemic. If you are sure that you have a valuable product or service, customers will always come back to you. So, just take the small hit today for a better tomorrow!
Although, just like introducing cheaper products or services, giving too much discounts for a luxury brand might have more cons than pros. Just remember that if you are going to give a lower price, it should still cater to your company’s buyer personas or target market. If you only target rich people, stick with it.
7. Increase Social Media Activity
As more people are staying at home, there is an increase in their time spent on social media platforms. Social media platforms play an essential role in giving out information to people (and keeping us sane during these trying times!). Now is the best time to reach out to your customers online. Know their wants and needs during this time. Just keep in touch with them; let them know that you are still there to help them out. Anticipate the wants or needs of your customers and use those things to create posts that can answer their problems.
You can also create posts that have an uplifting or inspiring message. This will be great for your brand awareness because people will be able to relate that uplifting feeling with your brand. This is a critical time to produce content that is “shareable” to reach more people, which will benefit you in the long run.
8. Start Creating High-Quality Content
Although other companies in your industry are reducing or totally stopping the creation of content, keep producing content at this period. But, make sure to go for quality over quantity!
Go all out on your content marketing. Create blog posts, videos, or other social media posts, that talk about your services/products or other vital questions that would answer your customers’ questions.
And if they may not be willing to avail of your services or goods right away, at best you’re more likely to be on people’s minds than other companies. Keeping constant communication with your customers is key to increasing your chances of getting more sales in the future!
9. Adjust Your Messaging to Saving Money Instead of Making Money
I can’t stress enough how important it is to be sensitive during this time. Right now, a lot of people are going through all kinds of struggles. It is off-putting if your messaging focuses on making money. It is better that instead of making money, adjust your messaging to saving money.
For example, you are selling software that helps people create videos easily. Instead of advertising it as something that could help them make money faster because users can create more videos daily, show them how using the software can save you money by doing more work in less time. On top of saving money, they will also save time, which can’t be replaced by anything!
Just remember always to double-check any email, post, ad, or any other content that you are about to send out. Make sure that your messaging takes into consideration the on-going pandemic, which is causing a lot of problems worldwide.
10. Focus on Improving Your Search Rankings
Search Engine Optimization never yields results immediately. This is something that takes a lot of time and effort to see excellent results. This is why you should focus on improving your search rankings right now! While your competitors are not doing anything, you are starting to improve your rankings slowly but steadily. By the time they decide to resume their marketing activities, you will be far ahead from all of them.
So why is it important to get high rankings? It’s because online searches have always been rising every year! SEO is always an excellent investment (if you are doing it right! If you need help, we offer SEO Services). It’s as simple as “higher search rankings = more traffic = more leads = more sales.”
11. Evaluate All Texts and Images
In relation to being sensitive and adhering to the current situation, evaluate all texts and images that your company shows to the public. Check your website first if you have any texts that might be inappropriate during this time, such as asking people to sign up for an event or to go out and go jogging. (If you are a sports website, maybe?)
For example, if you have upcoming events, instead of giving a seminar physically, you could just make it a webinar. With this, people do not have to gather but will still be able to get the information that you’ll share in the seminar. Another thing to evaluate is the imagery that you use for your content. It is not advisable to use fear as a hook during this time. People are already thinking about a lot of things; let’s not add to their worries.
12. Update Your Website Info
During these times, people are uncertain of what is going to happen. So, at least let them be sure of the status of your company. Let them know if you are operating, changing schedules, or if you are closing. Even if they know you are closed, it will give them the impression that they could check back again soon.
Why is it important to update your website info? Well, because doing so would avoid wasting the time of your website visitors. For example, your business is not operating. But, you didn’t put it on your website. What if someone orders your product then doesn’t receive anything after ordering? It will be a bad impression. That person would certainly not come back to you.
13. Update Your Social Media Accounts
Other than your website, it is also important to update your social media accounts. More people are spending their time online; it is a great way to keep in touch with your customers. Let them know your operating hours or at least tell them what your company is up to during this time.
Use the high-quality content that you’ll create (like we talked about earlier) to post on your social media accounts. Give your customers great content that they could consume to keep them company while we are all stuck at home.
Just remember to keep your language and imagery appropriate. You do not want to cause irreparable damage to your company’s reputation. So think before posting!
14. Reach Out to Your Current Customers
Remember that your current customers are the reason why your company is where it is right now. Take time to message or email them to update them of your company’s situation and how it may or may not affect them. Bear in mind that they’re probably worried about a lot of things right now, and it’s better if the message is more reassuring than offering more things to fear.
Talk about how the pandemic affects your products or services. If you can’t deliver products, let them know so they won’t wait for nothing. Or, If your services are affected, inform them how it is affected. Provide answers to all possible questions that are in your customers’ minds.
Just keep in touch and let them know that you are still here. They will appreciate it as long as you make the emails personalized. Don’t send out generic messages that will only fill up their inboxes with useless information and irritate them.
15. Continue Your PPC and Social Media Ads
Are you utilizing PPC and social media ads? If not, you should! Even during this pandemic. More people are spending time online, and there is also a surge in search engine searches. Invest in your PPC and social media ads to reach your target audience now.
Even before the pandemic, marketing efforts have been switching to digital! So, creating effective PPC or social media campaigns will always yield good results for your business.
Another reason why it is a good idea to continue your PPC and social media ads during this time is that most of your competitors are cutting or reallocating their ads budgets. Because of this, cost per clicks is lower, while impressions are higher!
Conclusion
These are just some of the things that you should focus on during these trying times to keep your business relevant. What we marketers need to do is adapt to a new, post-pandemic environment with revised tactics and buyer personas. Make moves always to keep improving! Now is the time to learn more things while we have some downtime. And lastly, stay at home and stay safe always!
If you need help doing any of these things, fill out our contact form to get a call from our business growth specialist.
