Back to Business? Here are 4 Questions You Need to Ask

When strategising for going back to business it’s important to consider the following:

• How will your strategies change?
• Communication with clients
• Discovering new clients
• Are you visible in search engines
• Get support

On Sunday, Boris Johnson addressed the nation in his latest update about the lockdown and the government’s “conditional plans” for the coming months.

The update means that businesses that aren’t able to allow employees to work from home will now be encouraged to resume operation. Those who are able to work from home, however, will still be encouraged to stay indoors.

The way your clients are interacting, and are going to interact with, your business and your digital marketing is likely to have shifted significantly since the beginning of the year, meaning you’ll need to start thinking about whether you have everything in place to ensure success and safety when the time comes to get back up and running.

This presents an important opportunity for you to review your digital marketing strategy when it comes to safely communicating with your customers, streamlining your digital processes and marketing with social distancing in mind.

Before you consider when your business will resume any of its services, ask yourself these 4 questions as part of your plan.

1. How will your digital marketing need to change for social distancing?

While many businesses are operating from home, businesses that will be resuming operation in the coming weeks will still need to ensure social distancing measures are in place to ensure the safety of staff and clients.

These guidelines apply to your business – but clients are likely to feel safer with more procedures in place to protect them as well as your staff. This means that the more accessible you make interacting with your business, the better.

This could involve implementing webinars, adding clearer calls to action on your website, simplifying the user journey and clearly communicating your different procedures in relation to COVID-19. For example, you could place your policy in clear view on your website or within your email signature.

Clarity is also important here. It’s important to clearly state exactly what your business is doing to improve safety, including dates where possible. To do this, it’s a good idea to invest in quality copywriting services as well as proof reading to get an outsider perspective.

2. How are you communicating with your clients and contacts?

We all know that regularly communicating with clients and contacts is a must for marketing and brand awareness. Now, it’s more important than ever to keep your audience in the loop about how your business is operating, as well as providing information and assistance on any questions they may have.

Social distancing has changed the way we do meetings – and that’s not a bad thing. With more of us turning to social media and video chats to stay up to date, it’s a good idea that your business follows suit. Ask yourself – does your business have a list of contacts that have agreed to your marketing communications? If so, use it!   

Regular email campaigns can help you identify those who are looking for more information about your product or service, and keeping these emails relevant and engaging can help you get more clicks and more eyes on your website. Also, simply becoming more active and reaching out to contacts on social media will allow you to provide another point of contact for anyone looking to get in touch.

3. How are you reaching out to potential clients?

Yes – networking events are great (we should know, we host them!) but face-to-face meetings, events and physically socialising with potential clients are absolutely not the only way to do business.

Social distancing, of course, means remaining apart physically, but social media can allow you to build relationships with your audience. For example, simply joining a group on Facebook or LinkedIn can help you to identify those who may benefit from your product or service.

Not only can you create compelling and targeted ads through social media, but you can also get involved in discussion with those that have similar interests to what your business offers. This is where its hugely important to have a social media expert on hand that can identify conversations and hashtags to get involved with, and drive users to your website and business as a result.

4. Is your business visible in search engines?

Relying on word-of-mouth alone might not cut it within a time of social distancing and altered business practices. People are still going to need services like yours, but if you’re not appearing in the places they’re looking, then you need to review your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy.

Are you guest-blogging on other websites? Are you building more links to direct to your own website? It’s a good idea to consult an SEO expert to perform an audit of your website, allowing you to identify what you could change and what you could be doing better to improve your visibility within search engines in the long term. If you’d like to learn more about guest blogging, talk to us.

Free 1-Hour Consultation

You’ve heard it all – it’s an uncertain, unusual, strange and bizarre time for the world right now. At EDGE, we’d like to help make it all a little less mind-boggling.

If you’re looking for help with your marketing, getting ready to re-open your business or just need pointing in the right direction, we’re just an email or phone call away. We’re offering a 1 hour consultation, free-of-charge, with a Creative Director or Account Manager to discuss your requirements.

We can also help devise a solution that suits your business’s current budget or financial situation.

Just give us a call on 0121 355 8092 or email info@edge-creative.com to talk to a member of our team about your requirements or any questions you might have.

In the meantime, take a look at some of our other blogs for advice on marketing and increasing your visibility online.