Marketing specialist Sandra Maybury shares tips to help businesses to restart and reconnect after lockdown.
Following the recent government announcement, within a few weeks most businesses will be allowed to re-open and there should be a frenzy of activity to try to claw back some of the business lost due to Covid-19. Although your business doors may have been closed, your customers have still been looking! Now is the time to reconnect with those customers. But how can you go about it? The answer quite simply is that you need to BE SEEN and BE HEARD!
There are lots of effective ways to get your business noticed: many of these options are free but sometimes you need to ‘spend money to make money’. Ad campaigns build brand awareness and promote customer loyalty. In today’s digital world it’s easy to assume that social media is where your main focus should be, however as the saying goes, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket’. Determine who your target audience is and how best to reach it – usually this is a mix including your website, SEO, email marketing, social media, print advertising and radio. Some businesses won’t have all these resources; so work with what you have and make it work for you.
Build trust
It can take time to build trust in your brand. According to Forbes Magazine, the average sale requires seven to 10 touches with the brand before a potential buyer converts into a customer – this of course depends on what you are selling and how much the customer is spending. But it means you must cross a customer’s mind at least seven times to make that sale; so again think about how you can get your brand in front of your audience so that subconsciously each time they see your brand it is registering with them.
Message
Your ideal customers are the ones who are most likely to resonate with your message. But what is your message? What do you want people to know about your business? Your message is much more than information and much more than target selling; it’s the reason you do what you do, sell what you sell and help the people you help. Your message is your story. You are your brand, and now so more than ever, especially in a small local business, as people buy from people.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Social media allows businesses to get in front of their target audience instantly. However because it is so instant, you have literally seconds to get a customer’s attention before they have scrolled on. Repeating the process over and over again will reinforce your message.
There is an obvious need for digital components in your ad campaign but there is also huge value to print media. Print advertising is familiar and comforting and is not over-saturated. It also speaks to your local audience. Keep in mind that it is important to match the publications you decide to use in your campaign with your target audience, their interests, their location, and so on.
Including both digital and print advertising in your overall campaign is really effective to create awareness, reach targeted markets, effectively communicate a message and drive action. In a crowded space you need your business to BE SEEN and BE HEARD. Invest in your brand now and reap the rewards later.
To find out more about how you can RESTART YOUR BUSINESS through clever marketing. Contact Sandra Maybury on 086 2244632 or by email sandra@mayburymarketing.ie
