Covid-19 shook a lot of industries in previous months, but things are beginning to settle. It’s time to start looking for ways to increase your marketing output and bring in new/returning customers.
With the online world at your fingertips, and the relaxing of movement in and out of stores, making sure your customers come into your business and feel safe inside is of paramount importance.
The following article will detail a number of simple methods you can use to get control of the reigns as lockdown reduces. Using these, your business will be able to power on forwards with little to worry about.
Switching up the Internal Signage and Wayfinding
As lockdown procedures relax, that old covid-19 signage and wayfinding isn’t going to cut it. You’re going to need to switch it up and change the wording to align better with the thoughts people are having when entering your business.
This means you’ll need to make sure the signage in-store is welcoming and friendly, letting people know that you are following procedure and that they have nothing to worry about when coming in. The most durable and eye-catching are the wall mounted acrylic sign holders, like these. As they have a wide range of sizes and styles, you’ll definitely find the one that works best for your store.
This is also a chance to add some colour and varying typology. We’re not saying that you have to go out of your way to grab attention with a large, colourful building wrap. What we are saying is that you shouldn’t be afraid to add some attention-grabbing designs to your arsenal.
Additionally, as customers will have to navigate around your store safety, setting up directional cues and signs to guide them is a good way to improve the customer journey.
All-in-all, getting the in-store elements of your marketing game on-point is essential in the early stages. Once you’ve nailed this, moving into outbound tactics is only natural.
Doubling Down on Membership Plans
With Covid-19 decreasing conversions for new business, it’s important businesses take this as a hint that they should be investing in lifetime value, opposed to first-time purchases.
Sure, optimising for average order value is important, but ensuring you’re also optimising the backend of the business is just as important. You should squeeze as much potential as possible from existing customers. One way to do this is through membership plans.
Getting people into a continuity plan increases their lifetime value and keeps them paying money into the business.
In times of hardship like Covid-19, having a list of continually paying customers can really help cushion the blow during periods of uncertainty.
Software is available that allows stores to setup membership plans with products, allowing customers to pay monthly and receive products throughout the year without having to fill-out account details every time.
Used correctly, this method can be an effective way to market your business.
Building an Online Presence on Social
Social media is a crucial element for any business. We shouldn’t have to hit this point home with you. However, despite this, many businesses still don’t know what they’re doing on social. Yet with a bit of knowledge, this could be a fantastic way to break back into the market in full force.
With the cheap impression Facebook offers to advertisers, you have no excuse not to set up an ad and offer a ‘welcome back’ bonus to get people into your store. Something like a free sample, large discount, or something similar is a good starting point for getting people back in and purchasing.
With the list of people you’ll get, you could start a retargeting campaign, creating more social profit as your ads will target highly engaged individuals.
Remember to stay personal and show real people in your ads. It makes them more relatable. Also, video ads are magic for engagement, so don’t be afraid to jump on the camera and talk to your potential customers directly.
Entrenching Yourself in the Local Community
If you have a more local setup, getting heavily involved with the community can be a good way to cement your impact and help people out.
This could be as simple as being more active on your personal Facebook account, adding relevant members of the community, and being a selfless individual. You could do local business meetings, organise free events, and share useful tips to the community regarding your specific industry and the knowledge you hold.
The larger you can expand your reach and network, the better you’ll be at getting referrals and surviving uncertain times in the distant future.
Analysing Trends and Staying on top
With Covid-19, many industries saw a decline in business. Look at the travel sector for example – they took a huge hit with the arrival of the virus.
However, where some industries tanked, others rose. These include healthcare, home fitness, media, and much more.
People who saw this jumped on to the trends inside these industries, such as resistance bands and face masks. The people who saw these trends made a fortune and are still reaping the benefits today.
Take this as a sign of how important it is to stay on top of trends. If you catch a wave at an early stage, investing could be a quick way to make some substantial profits.
Tools like Google Trends help to keep people in the know about when certain industries and products are on the rise. With a little patience and with your ear to the grindstone, you’ll be able to catch new emerging trends as lockdown begins to relax.
Summing it all up
Businesses suffered a lot during the pandemic and they’re still feeling the burden now. Making sure you come out swinging is important; you need to build the transactions now to make the biggest impact possible.
Following these simple tips above, you should be able to create some motion and burst into your market with an optimistic outlook.
