- Connect With Your Customers on Social Media During a Critical Moment
We’re all handling the impact the coronavirus outbreak has had on our lives whether you’ve tested positive or not. We’re all taking precautions. We’re locked in our homes and our youngsters aren’t in class . We can’t visit our friends. We can’t erode our favourite restaurants or leave to the films . Sure, all minor conveniences but jarring nonetheless. this is often a time to actually show empathy to others and help where you’ll . this is often a time we all got to be sensitive — and not too salesy or pushy — but it’s an excellent opportunity for your brand to face out during a difficult time. More people are on social media now while stuck reception , scanning for updates and trying to remain connected during a suddenly isolated nation.
Also, use your business to contribute to area food banks or assist the elderly with their grocery shopping. And promote your good deeds with social media marketing to assist build your brand.
It’s a singular opportunity for brands to unite together! said Thrive social media manager Savannah Keck. Our communities need one another now quite ever. People need support, understanding, education, resources. Social media can provide just that and may be extremely powerful if it’s done correctly.
- Make Sure Your Business Can Be Found Online
In case you haven’t noticed, more people are online immediately than in their cars or walking the sidewalks. Search traffic has increased significantly over the past week and can still climb as we hunker down. We’re all glued to our computers and phones trying to find updates within our community. We’re also trying to find entertainment and ways to pass the time. For many, that has shopping online.
Anything online immediately are going to be consumed quite ever before. this is often not the time to be hidden online. you ought to be using program optimization (SEO) strategies to climb to the highest of Google’s program results pages (SERPs) so your business are often easily found. this is often not a time for a business to travel into a shell and extend your head every few days to ascertain if the sun has begin .
People still place orders and wish things even when reception , said Thrive senior SEO manager Carlos Rosado.
“A lot of individuals still contact companies during work hours, which isn’t getting to change simply because they’re home. Your competition may adjust but that doesn’t mean you’ve got to prevent everything and lose sales.”
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising is a Smart Move Right Now
With more people reception ahead of their screens, it’s an excellent opportunity for businesses to use PPC marketing to attach with their customers and gain a competitive advantage. Oh, and it’s an excellent chance to save lots of some money within your digital marketing budget. on the average , cost-per-clicks have decreased by 6 % across all verticals since last week, consistent with Thrive senior PPC manager Jacob Wulff. And CPC is probably going to still decrease within the coming week, reducing the quantity of cash an advertiser pays a publisher for each ad click. that provides your business another opportunity to scoop that lost market share from others pulling back during this point .
It’s an excellent time to continue your digital marketing as other advertisers may go offline at this point , said Thrive PPC manager John Powell, “and businesses can capture traffic and conversions due to reduced competition. we’ve clients’ best interests in mind and work to supply solutions to take care of exposure while prioritizing budget spend during these uncertain times.
- Stay Ahead or Jump In Front of Your Competition
SEO helps your business increase organic traffic to your website and move past your competition. you would like to get on the front page of the Google SERPs — and at the highest of the list — in order that when your customers look for certain keywords you’re the corporate they find yourself calling. To climb to the highest of the SERPs takes time and strategic optimization strategies. If you don’t still optimize your website and content daily, you lose valuable ground within the search results and your freefall could cost your business thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
It’s important to remain before the curve and do whatever is feasible to stay your website updated and optimized, said Thrive senior demand generation manager Alan Muther. the extent of competition within businesses will probably increase within the near future and it’s also important to stay competitive together with your digital marketing strategy to assist your site rank above competitors.
What you don’t want to try to to is halt an SEO campaign. which will be a critical mistake for your business. Your leads and revenue will suffer. But if others prefer to pull back on SEO, it’s also an ideal time for your business to push even harder to surpass your competitors.
Competitors could also be stopping their campaigns due to their fear of what’s ahead or their current situation, said Thrive SEO manager Cesar Zambrano.
“this is often an excellent time to strengthen your campaign so as to enhance your rankings and potentially outrank competitors.”
- . Prepare Your Business For the Bounce-Back Surge
As we noted earlier, the coronavirus outbreak should fade (just because it has in China) after a couple of months. That’s when normalcy returns and consumers’ spending habits stabilize. you’ve got to recollect that SEO is more of a long-term strategy. What you are doing today for your SEO campaign will affect your organic search traffic two months from now. Pausing your SEO campaign now could have a detrimental impact on your revenue potential two months from now when the coronavirus starts to become a foreign memory.
As SEO professionals, the work we do today will affect the results months from now, said Thrive SEO strategist Dan Casey. If you stop the momentum now when the market starts to rise you won’t see the results you would like . Anticipate the low times, prepare and press now while others are letting up. The results are going to be in your favor once you will need it.
- Unique Circumstances Provide Opportunities for a Special Offer
During this uncertain period of time , you’ve got the chance to point out support for your customer base by offering special discounts which will keep your revenue flowing. Identify your product-market fit and make a special offer. many of us are reception browsing, trying to find discounts to save lots of money during a time of unrest. It’s an excellent thanks to engage together with your customers and keep a gentle stream of revenue which will keep your doors open. you’ll obtrude your special offers through pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and social media.
Be prepared to leap into action with new strategies to assist your brand come to a ‘healthy market,’ said Claudia Cruz, Thrive’s link building manager. The preparation should start today.
- Local SEO is now More Relevant; So Are Your Online Reviews
We’ve all reduced our travel and are staying on the brink of home. within the rare times once we do leave our house, we’re trying to find nearby destinations for services and supplies. So you would like to form sure your business is using local SEO strategies to optimize your website for “near me” searches. you would like customers in your geo region to be ready to easily find you online in order that they address you initially . At a time when we’re all trying to find more convenience, this provides your business an opportunity to supply assistance during a critical time for families.
Another way to spice up your local SEO during this point is to not ditch the importance of adding positive reviews. During the coronavirus, online reputation management is as important as ever because this is often an excellent time to actually connect together with your audience during a chaotic time. to supply the proper service or product for people during a stressful time like this — once they need it most during this COVID-19 pandemic — is probably going to be rewarded with a glowing review.
Even though Google My Business (GMB) has temporarily suspended publishing online reviews, you ought to still push to urge reviews submitted in order that they publish when GMB returns to normal. a method to spice up your brand during a crisis is address knowledgeable online reputation management company like Rize Reviews to assist you together with your review responses.
Companies have an incredible opportunity to enhance their Google review profile during this point of crisis, said Tim Clarke, Rize Reviews’ senior reputation manager. Many businesses won’t add reviews due to closures and lack of attention, so some companies can create a competitive advantage with a proactive approach.
This is also the right time to start out an Amazon marketing campaign to require advantage of the eCommerce surge.
Now is an ideal time for eCommerce businesses to leverage digital marketing, said Thrive SEO manager Josh Gazelka
“There has been a huge influx of consumers shopping online with recent events, causing businesses like Amazon to rent nearly 100,000 new employees to organize for the rise in business. Utilize digital marketing now to face out.”
- Be Prepared to Pivot as a Business and Inform Your Customers
In a fluid situation, your business should even be fluid. this is often a time that you simply should find ways to attach together with your customers like never before. It shows empathy and keeps you relevant at a time when your business may are impacted by people staying reception . as an example , restaurants are shutting down immediately because customers aren’t dining in. you ought to confirm you’re offering free delivery services. Just the opposite day, an area Dallas restaurant emailed offering 3 ways to urge their food into their customers’ hands: delivery, curbside ordering and parking zone pickup. Also, let your customers know you’ve increased your sanitary practices and the way you’re doing that specifically.
But other businesses should pivot immediately , too, as we stay in. Gyms have closed their doors in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus, but why not offer online workout classes right now? Dentists could offer online consultations. Grocery stores should offer free curbside pickup. All of those opportunities are often boosted with strategic social media campaigns.
Since people are forced to be quarantined at the instant , there’ll be more eyeballs than ever before online so people are going to be consuming more digital marketing on all fronts, said Thrive social media director Nhi Shirley. People are going to be looking to social media especially for updates on closures, new procedures for businesses and news. they’re going to even be looking to ascertain how brands and businesses are reacting to the present business environment. now’s probably the foremost important time to be visible digitally because other sorts of traditional marketing are going to be stalled.
- Don’t Fall Victim to the Panic Move
How much toilet tissue does one have at your house right now? If your answer may be a closet full, you’re likely one among the people that flocked to the shop when the coronavirus hysteria began to accelerate over the weekend. That’s not how you would like to react if you would like to implement a sensible digital marketing strategy. You never want to form a panic move. you usually want to use metrics and analyze all of the info you’ve got available before making a choice .
Knee-jerk reactions usually don’t end well in digital marketing. Take caution when quickly reacting to a sudden shift within the economy or market.
The economy isn’t stopping, Wulff said.
“Homeowners still need home service providers. People still need goods and services. Money remains changing hands and consumers are still counting on Google to seek out people to try to to business with.”
- Use this Down Time to Finish Your Digital To-Do Lists
Now that you’re not commuting to the office or taking in-person meetings, your schedule has likely freed up a while for you. Those marketing items which will have fallen through the cracks and been overlooked can now be addressed.
Perhaps your website needs a fresh look with a redesign. Thrive’s website design professionals can overhaul your website in two months all while working remotely. this is often also an excellent time to possess a conversion rate optimization specialist perform a CRO audit of your website to make sure your call-to-actions (CTAs) are turning leads into customers. Also, it’s a perfect time to try to to an SEO audit of your website to make sure you’re maximizing your optimization strategies.
This is an ideal time for self-improvement, said Thrive SEO strategist Matt Garrett. Use your newfound spare time to figure on your SEO presence, like cleaning the house on a snow day.
Added Claudia Cruz, Thrive’s link building manager:
“It may be a great time to travel back to the roots, using a number of your hours on your current contract to revise your marketing strategy together with your specialist.”
Also, once you’ve survived the coronavirus shutdown of your company, you’ll got to build up your digital marketing efforts to jumpstart your business to form up for the lost time.
Bar none, the biggest objection a customer ever raises is price. Often they don’t comprehend the value of your solution, therefore concluding that the number you’ve quoted is completely arbitrary, maybe even greed-based. It’s true that today’s customers exist in a climate of global competition; they know how to “Google it,” etc. But information isn’t always knowledge, so they’re not necessarily well-versed when it comes to your products and services. At the decision-making phase of the sales cycle, act as a trusted advisor and guide your prospects toward a deeper understanding of how you can fill their need.
In the early stages, be prepared for price objections to rise like odors from an ancient sea chest. It’s your job to both anticipate and neutralize those objections, “Fabrezing” them with explanations that will get prospects to understand that your price corresponds, as we’ve said, to the value of your solution. Below is a list of common price objections and how to effectively respond to each.
It’s Not in My Budget
When customers are bound by a budget, they’ll naturally base their range on its restrictions. But they may also use the old budget excuse for insisting on a lower price. Be a proactive seller, throwing out a number before the customer does. And then, if you choose, ask if that price falls within the range they’re comfortable with. If the customer does trot out a number before you’ve had a chance to name your price, ask how they’ve arrived at that figure, and then explain why, based on your value proposition, you can or cannot meet them at the price they say they’re locked into.
Shock and Awe
We’ve all witnessed the wide-eyed look of shock on a customer’s face, as if the price we’ve put forward has physically harmed them. The shock can be real, but it can also be a bit of theater. Don’t cave in to their emotion, real or “academy award-winning.” Just be direct and ask why they feel your price is too high. See this as an opportunity to link your benefits and features with their needs that you should’ve uncovered by now.
The Price Is Wrong
You could say, “This product is free” and that would still be too high a price for some customers. That’s because they’re poised to balk at the price before you’ve even begun the conversation. When they object to the quote, ask them why. In order to reason with them, you need to understand their rationale. Many things can account for customers’ unrealistic price expectations, including misinformation and limited information. They may have done bad research. When they say they’ve paid less in the past, gently point out that if they’d been satisfied with their last supplier, they would not be looking for alternatives now. Again you’ve got an opportunity here to make the connection between their needs and your goods and services.
Bait and Switch
It’s sometimes the case that a prospect asks for a quote for a large order, but then decides they want a smaller order, only at the same price per unit. Never give them your answer without first reviewing the pricing based on the new scope of the order. As a trusted adviser, look at the sale as part of a whole—you’re building a long-term relationship, not cutting a deal and then never seeing them again. Get more insight from the buyer, and then build on that conversation in order to reach a happy pricing ground. Even though the order is smaller than what you’d bargained for, offer concessions. Keep the relationship going.
Playing the Urgency Card
It’s not only bad sales reps who play the urgency card; customers will sometimes make it sound like a decision has to be made right away or the whole deal is going to blow to smithereens. They might use the line, “I’ve got a meeting in one hour and need to present my options. Is this the best you can do for me?” At which point, you’ve got a choice, you can get scared and cave, dropping the price to suit the “emergency.” Or you can say, “I can’t make that kind of concession without in-house approval. If I’m not able to meet your deadline, I hope we can discuss working together once your meeting concludes later this afternoon.” If you do get a reaction from them later in the day, you’ll know they were never going to dynamite the bridge.
Buyers whose sole focus is price will try one of the above to lower the dollar amount for what they want. They may pull two or more tricks out of their bag. Don’t lower your need based on their price expectations. What they really want is a good product; they know it and you should too. Remember that price isn’t the only thing that makes a sale. What you have to offer are great goods and services—stand behind the power of your solutions. Keeping that in mind will help you stay calm. Focus on asking about their objections and addressing those concerns. Be a trusted advisor, making sure that everyone walks away happy—and comes back for more.