Photo Credit: CDC
It’s been a bit since I’ve published a blog for Web Force KC, and with the dramatic changes we’ve all had to adjust to in the last month or so, I thought I would share some insight as to what we’ve been seeing with our clients. There’s no getting around it: COVID-19 has and will forever change the way our city, country, and world operates and how we use online marketing is certainly no exception. Here are a few of the things we’ve seen and helped our clients implement over the last few weeks to help them adjust to the new normal:
Be Upfront
There’s no tip toeing around the fact the COVID-19 is having an effect on businesses and individuals so approach it head on. We’ve likely all seen companies continuing to market with tone deaf messages that are oddly outdated and hearken back to a time that is no longer present or relevant (at least for the foreseeable future). Rather than dance around the fact that there is an elevated amount of fear, stress and in some cases, panic, let your customers know that you and your business are not immune to what’s going on but you’re still there and ready to serve them while putting their safety at the forefront. Obviously most businesses are no longer “business as usual” in any way, shape, or form but explaining how your business specifically is adjusting to the COVID-19 crisis will help your customers understand that their health and safety will not be in jeopardy when they do business with you.
Be Honest
Every business owner thinks that their business is essential and they are not wrong as it puts food on their table and pays the bills. However, most cities and states clearly spell out which industries are essential and which ones are not. While it may be tempting (and probably pretty easy) to keep a non-essential business open during a stay at home order as there really is not any clear enforcement that we’ve seen thus far, it could backfire badly. As stay at home orders get extended until who knows when, people are probably going to start getting pissed off from being cooped up and seeing a non-essential business that is blatantly open and doing business is an really easy target. We are by no means experts on law but from what the city of Kansas City (where Web Force KC is located) has stated that they are not playing games with non-essential business violating the order. If you get caught, you might get closed down for who knows how long. Maybe even beyond the city or state’s stay at home order which will be great for your competitors but not so great for you or your business.
So, from an marketing standpoint, if you have to temporarily close or you are able to remain open, use the numerous online tools available to let your customers know what’s going on with your business. If you have to temporarily close, let them know that you may be down but you are certainly not out. If you’re luck enough to be open, let them know what, if anything, has changed for your business due to the COVID-19 crisis. Google My Business, Yelp, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and many other sites that are tools for businesses have quickly added new functionality allowing business owners to update the status of their business specifically as it pertains to the COVID-19 crisis. Add how your business has changed to your website and make it highly visible so that anyone visiting it knows what you and your business are doing to adjust to the age of COVID-19. Use your online tools to your advantage.
Be Creative
Amidst all of the bad news we’ve seen in the past few weeks there are some good things that have come out of all of this. In fact, some businesses that creatively adjusted successfully will not soon be forgotten. Take J. Reiger & Co. for instance. They are a local Kansas City distillery that has reinvented themselves from an old, long gone brand to a vibrant locally sourced product and must visit destination that is pretty damn cool. (Their whisky kicks ass, too, according to the author of this blog.) As the COVID-19 crisis began to take shape it the Kansas City area, they switched their operations from distilling and distributing spirits to making hand sanitizer and lots of it! People lined up around the block at their distillery to get a bottle or jug of their hand sanitizer and, of course, the media was there to report on the whole thing. What’s interesting about J. Reiger & Co. and how they completely switched up their business model is that their hand sanitizer continues to pop up all over social media and news reports even weeks after they made the initial switch. They have donated their hand sanitizer to first responders, medical professionals and others on the frontlines and they’ve reaped the rewards with seemingly endless social media shares while also selling their product through unlikely channels like Shatto Milk Company’s delivery service. Speaking of Shatto Milk, they, too, began to really push their delivery service in the Kansas City metro as COVID-19 became a household name and guess what? Their deliver service exploded! With so many people stuck at home and the chaos going on at any given grocery store, it’s no wonder that a delivery service from a company that was already known for a quality product would be enormously successful.
The point is that you may be forced to reinvent how you do business to survive. Be creative with it and if how you adjust your business helps people, you’ll definitely get bonus points.
Photo Credit: Erik Mclean
Talk to your customers
With access to the entire internet in the palm of our hands , there’s really no excuse why you can’t connect with your customers. If your business has never really tapped into marketing to the search engines or social media then you are way behind the curve but now is probably a great time to jump in. What’s always been interesting from a marketing standpoint is how businesses continually have to remind customers that behind their brand and business are actual people. I spend more time trying to figure out better and more effective ways on how to humanize a business that I work with because when done correctly can be a very powerful force.
Talk to your customers in any way you can and in a way that they will understand. Whether you sit down and write a lengthy blog post like the one you’re currently reading or a quick social media post telling them you miss them, do something because chances are they are listening.
Health and safety
I spend a ENORMOUS amount of time online each day whether I’m working or not and I’m either lucky or unlucky enough to get to see both sides of any story, event, or topic. With that being said, this is not going to become a political or conspiracy theory post but the fact is that there are many people that believe the COVID-19 virus is a hoax. If they are right then I will stand corrected but as a business owner, your customers and staff are not just a means to profitability, they ARE your business and risking their health and safety is not only irresponsible but also a sure way to keep your business closed for good. During election season, I always like to remind my clients that posting political opinions or propaganda is essentially cutting yourself off from anyone with an opposing opinion. With the COVID-19 crisis in full swing, discrediting and/or ignoring it is essential the same thing as anyone that is fearful for their health isn’t going to do business with an anyone that blatantly ignores health warnings. Do the right thing for yourself, your staff, and your customers and alleviate any doubt or worry that doing business with you could effect their health and safety.
Web Force KC doesn’t have all of the answers to every question as we are continually adjusting what we do and how to better do it daily. We continually look for new ways to help our clients continue to push forward using online marketing as an effective tool of communication. If your business needs help, let us know. We’d be happy to help! Stay safe KC!
Call Web Force KC at (816) 462-9128 for web design and online marketing in Kansas City.
