How to help your business thrive online

With the UK on lockdown, what else is there for people to do whilst staying inside except to constantly be on our phones, scrolling through social media and browsing online shopping?

It is a strange time for everyone at the moment, but if your business can still operate, you should be taking advantage of the fact that the whole country is online 24/7.

Most eCommerce websites and online businesses have seen a rise in conversions, especially those selling resources that people want and need during this troubling time and some companies have been able to thrive through this crisis. There also seems to be a trend at the moment, with people supporting small businesses, as small businesses are likely to be impacted the most. People are showing their support by buying from these businesses rather than large corporate companies, who will be financially better off.

An example of an online business or business that offers a digital service who have made the most out of the current situation is Zoom.

Physical distancing has been a blessing for Zoom. Since people have been isolated it has been used for work meetings, family catch-ups and birthday parties. Zoom has been heavily advertising their service and people have shared screenshots of their Zoom calls across social channels, which has further increased brand awareness for the company.

But what about businesses that can still operate but are not fully embracing the online world? One great example we have seen is local farmers and food wholesalers, who didn’t really have an online presence, embracing the world of social media and their whole business now relies on reaching customers through Facebook with shared posts, new followers and engagements.

All businesses should embrace marketing their business on social media and there is no better time to update your website to keep up with increased website traffic.

Plus, when everything gets back to normal, you need to think about where your business will be, and without continuing to increase your marketing and online presence, you will have to start from scratch. It’s so important to continue your strategy now, especially as your competitors have probably put a pause on theirs.

So, we wanted to share some tips of how you can do that right now, ready for when everything returns back to normal.

Your marketing strategy tips:

• Put out messages and content on your social accounts of how you can help your community or those in need.
• Let your followers and customers know the precautions and safety measures you are taking following the government guidelines. This puts trust in your company and puts customers’ minds at rest when purchasing from you.
• Consider keywords you would search for if you were searching for your own business, compile a list and implement the keywords within your website copy.
• Keep promoting your brand, whether it’s through tips for staying active inside or how to look after your mental health while staying inside. We are all in this together, so brands sharing tips will be appreciated and it helps your brand stay in people’s minds.
• Run brand awareness campaigns to get your brand noticed.
• Reassess your current marketing spend and focus on digital marketing platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads as they will reach a more targeted audience who are spending a lot more time online.

Tips for updating your website:

• Update your blog with relevant content to engage your audience.
• Continue posting work you are doing / have completed to show your users what you are capable of – even if people don’t convert now at least they can see your work continuously throughout this time and it may sway their decision to use your business in the future.
• Invest some time into working on your SEO strategy and rewrite your website copy to rank you higher on search platforms.
• Create Ad specific landing pages on your website to get the user directly to where you want them to be and convert on your website.
• Add a COVID-19 or coronavirus page or pop up to your website to allow your users/customers to know your stance on the situation and how you are operating around it.

If you’re thinking about starting a business and you’re unsure about what to do in these uncertain times, now would be a perfect time to gather your thoughts and start planning your new venture. Given we now have a lot more time on our hands due to being on lockdown, now would be a beneficial time to put some energy into your new business and get some of the specifics finalised, ready to launch once we are back to normal.

What you could plan for your new business at this time:

• Conduct some industry research to see what other businesses in your sector are doing and work out how you can improve upon these.
• Evaluate your target market and work out how you can appeal to them.
  Finalise your business plan.
• Get your business processes right – if you do this now whilst you have more time, they will definitely help you push your business further in the future.
• Prepare your new brand for its launch, gather your research and inspiration and work with a brand designer who is still working remotely to create your brand. Communicate with them digitally and have them present concepts to you via conference call, screen sharing or in a digital presentation document.
• Have a website designed and developed. Web Designers/Developers are working remotely and are still available to work on projects, work with a team that you can communicate well with and use email, conference calling and screen sharing to get ideas across.
• Plan a social media and ad strategy to advertise your business and link back to your website to push conversions.

Use these tips to implement a strategy to increase brand awareness and conversions during this time, and when we all come out of the other side, your company will be right there waiting for your customers.

If you need any further advice on your marketing strategy, website or branding, please get in touch, we would be happy to help.