As the lockdown measures begin to ease, business leaders across the globe will be looking for new ways to adapt their marketing strategies and promote their organisations during these unprecedented times.
Let’s be clear. Not every business or organisation will lose out; the pandemic has presented some unforeseen opportunities as well as challenges. Some will be looking to supercharge their marketing efforts in order to capitalise on the opportunities presented by social distancing measures. There have been record levels of demand for many products and services. Our apetite for garden products, exercise equipment, bicycles and loungewear has skyrocketed and similarly services such as IT, communications technology and dare we say digital marketing are all experiencing something of a boom.
On the other side of the coin, many companies are adversely affected by the economic challenges brought about by the pandemic and will need to focus on new, more innovative ways to promote their products and services – or perhaps even look to new market sectors if they are to survive.
Either way, one thing is for sure – if you want your brand to be found, it’s going to happen online, and make no mistake things are about to get fiercely competitive. Here’s how to get ahead of the game:
Website
You’ll need to be armed with a fit for purpose website that is as engaging to mobile visitors as well as desktop users. Understand your audience and make sure your messages and content are relevant in the current climate. If not, review and amend. If your site is looking a bit long in the tooth, or doesn’t provide a good mobile experience, then RIGHT NOW could be the perfect time to replace or update it. Make sure there is interesting content to engage your audience with. Visible, compelling calls to action are a must in order to encourage your visitors to virtually raise their hands.
Social media
Social media will be the new networking. Brands with a strong social media presence will almost certainly have a head start over their competitors. We predict a flurry of activity in this space as hundreds of thousands of businesses scramble to improve and reach out using social media channels. Quality of content and creativity of approach will be key to success. Effective social media advertising will be essential.
PPC / SEO
Having a great website is one thing, but it’s not likely to work for you if it can’t be found. There are only two ways to get to the top of Google; one is via paid search while getting near the top of organic search is best done through the use of focussed SEO. In the short term, paid search will offer you a quick fix yet organic visitors usually lead to much higher enquiry rates and are therefore worth attracting. Ideally, during the pandemic, you should consider investing in PPC advertising whilst paying attention to a SEO strategy in tandem that can make traction through using a keyword strategy informed by PPC learnings.
Maintain communication with your customers and prospects using email. However, a bland, blanket approach just won’t cut it. You’ll need to ensure that you have a clean and up to date database and create personalised, visual, highly targeted campaigns that offer valuable, insightful and relevant content that will stand out amongst the inbox crowd.
Content
Content plays a central role in any marketing strategy, and every one of the tactics above relies on current, relevant, but above all engaging content to have any chance of being successful. Blogs, video, infographics, webinars, downloads, guides, live feeds, podcasts are all part of the modern content mix. Consider investing in media relations/PR to extend your reach and help provide fuel for your social media feed. Great content will help drive your marketing strategy, helping you to accelerate the results you achieve in all areas.
Does your accountancy firm need help with your digital marketing?
Marketing hasn’t really changed – at its very core it is about creating conversations, and you’ve guessed it… developing rapport with your prospects. Here at Rapport Digital we do just that! We provide expert digital marketing services for accountants and accounting firms, helping to sky-rocket engagement with existing and future customers.
We plug into your business where and when you need it most. Whether you’re looking for a new website, someone to run your social media, or manage the whole marketing shebang – you’ve come to the right place! To find out more about marketing after lockdown please get in touch at hello@rapportdigital.com.