I’ve talked to many businesses during this unprecedented time. There’s one common thread for all of them. They’ve seen a tremendous decrease in business in the past few months. There’s varying degrees of optimism or sense of being overwhelmed that accompanies these conversations.
With limited interactions, that means limited business. It has meant less overall traffic to websites. But now as things start to stabilize and the economy begins to open, many are hoping for an immediate return to business. But unfortunately, that’s not the case.
The good news here is that while your traffic is down, so is everyone else. Times are tough for just about everyone. Many just don’t want to venture out to risk their health. When the virus hit, customers immediately had to change their behavior. And we’re still trying to figure out how to interact with one another at this time.
It’s a weird time for everyone. But just because time is tough, it doesn’t mean you can’t still get website traffic and potentially more customers. This is not the time to take your foot off the gas. People are still looking for products and services. Many people have stopped their marketing services. The consumer loyalty and mindset has completely changed and NOW is the time to reel in those new customers.
COVID Promotions
We’ve seen several phases of promotions during this pandemic. First was due to the uncertainty of it all. Many restaurants waved their delivery fees. Many companies sent out emails offering to help during this time. Then it moved into reminders that we all need to stick together. They showed messages of hope and understanding. And now we’re into a new phase as some restrictions start to loosen.
COVID-related promotions are doing incredibly well. These are attempts by companies to jump start their business and start to get more customers back in the door. This pandemic has hit everyone in one way or another. People are being more cautious in their spending. Everyone faces some sort of uncertainty. And as people slowly start to venture out, that means you can gear your messaging towards wanting to help those in your community. Having a COVID promotion means people can still get your services, even at a slightly discounted rate, which can make a world of difference to those who are struggling.
Even if your company can’t afford to offer big discounts right now, change up your messaging around an existing promotion. Show people that you understand the difficult circumstances they currently face. Showing you care, perhaps offering a discount, and targeting your messaging can make a huge difference in bringing back or bringing in new traffic to your website.
Update Your Website
I’m not saying your website needs a facelift because of the pandemic. But changing up some of the messaging, the content, and the imagery, can bring in new attention. Google likes to see new content. The algorithm tracks updated keywords and content. If it recognizes that you’re regularly updating your site with new and current content, that puts you ahead in the SEO game. Better SEO for your website can mean more eyeballs and more traffic wanting to learn more about your business.
But beyond SEO help, updating your website can show how you work during this time to help your customers. This is a good place to add a banner that shows your COVID promotion. If you have a lot of images with people who are close together on your website, that could send a message that could make your customers very nervous right now. You need to have messaging and imagery surrounding safe business practices. Customers who aren’t sure who to turn to right now will trust your business more if they see that you can safely take care of your needs.
Again, you don’t need to update every single aspect of your website. You can change a few images and post a few blogs and updates that talk about how you’ve pivoted because of the pandemic. This messaging can help you bring in new customers at this time when they don’t know who can take care of their needs.
Video Demonstrations
Think about your daily social media scroll time. Think about how many videos you see as you go through. Very rarely do people just post pictures or a thought anymore. Snapchat and now TikTok have made it easy to create your own video content. And those brands that have caught on to how to market using these simple little videos are leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.
With the brands I talk to, many think any video content they create needs to be a huge production, and that’s not the case. Throughout your website, sprinkle in little product videos. You can just shoot them on your cell phone or with a point and shoot camera if you have one. Of course there’s a place for high value productions. But today’s society likes a genuine feel from a business. With these short videos, you can talk about how your services work, or perhaps give a little product demonstration. Show people how you’re taking care of their needs, especially during the pandemic environment. Or just talk a little bit about your business expertise. People will respond to that personal connection to the business and the products you offer.
The key with videos on your website is how you tag them. You need to create meta tags and good descriptions so that Google knows what to index. These tags tell Google’s algorithm about the content and what the video contains. Then it can help you rank higher. Post these videos on social media too to get a greater following, and then link back to your website. Combined, these little videos can bring in a lot of traffic to your website.
Keep on Marketing
It can be tempting at this time to take your foot off the gas and stop things you worry might not bring in any traffic. Things like marketing. Especially when people aren’t spending money, it can be tempting to just turn off all marketing. What’s the point right? Nope! That’s the opposite of what you need to do.
Every business is fighting that same temptation. That means your competition has likely turned off their marketing. That means no one is out there talking to your potential customers. Especially when things are down economically, that can be one of the best ways to get new customers. People still need things. They still need to get their cars fixed. They need to get a pipe repaired. They’re still looking for businesses that can solve their problems. And if you turn off your marketing, they could find your competition. Keeping up efforts like SEO, PPC, content marketing, and more, allows you to stay relevant as people keep searching for your expertise. And even if they’re not ready to buy, they will remember your business and what they saw when the time comes to make the purchase.
Bottomline, marketing keeps your business relevant.
We know it’s a difficult time right now. We know businesses are struggling as we try to navigate this new world of COVID-19 and beyond. Consumers are trying to figure things out too. And we sympathize with all the difficulties happening right now for the small businesses we service. But these few ideas can help you get more site traffic even when things are down.
The market will rebound. It might take a little longer than we all would have liked. But business will resume. The point is to not give up and keep working to get all the traffic you can in the meantime. And if you need help with your website, reach out to us here at Boostability!
