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As many businesses struggle to maintain productivity during this unpredictable economic time, marketing is often the first expense cut from a shrinking budget. It’s odd because one could make the argument that there is perhaps no better time for razor-sharp marketing than during a struggling economy. That said, there are several tactics that all businesses can use to improve their marketing without breaking the bank. These marketing tips just might help bring in some much-needed business.
Review And Update Your Website
One upside of being in a struggling economy is that it can give you time for housecleaning. One of those housecleaning chores should be the company website. Updating the copy on your website is something that you can do yourself for free. Review all written copy — your homepage, your about page, your team bios and your service and product pages. This is an important time for your website to deliver accurate and easy-to-understand information about your services, products and team.
Next, review the contact information listed on your website. Make sure your phone numbers are accurate and that people can click to call from their mobile phones. Make sure your address can be clicked for directions. Also test the contact forms on your website. Make sure these forms don’t have unnecessary fields. Collect only critical information. Make it simple for people to complete your contact forms and request a callback, demo or appointment. Make sure these forms look and behave well on mobile devices too.
Next, refresh your content. Replace old, stale images that were added to the site years ago. Create some new pages that talk about your new services or your industry — whatever information your customers are looking for. This not only makes your site more appealing, but it also can help your SEO. Google likes websites that provide high-quality content. Make sure you’ve inserted your keywords into the content. If you sell artificial intelligence for service desks, make sure you write about artificial intelligence for service desks. You can’t expect to show up in search results for keywords that are nowhere to be found on your website.
Give Your Social Media Sites A Makeover
Do the same review for your social media channels. Review the copy to make sure it accurately describes your services and products.
Many of the major social media channels have probably implemented new features since you last reviewed your pages. It may be worth taking a look at these new features to see whether any of them could benefit you.
Perhaps you would like to redirect your “Send Email” button on Facebook so that emails go to you instead of a team member. Review these settings.
Change your Facebook cover photo that’s probably been there for years. Give all of your channels a makeover, and start posting. None of these changes costs even one cent if you do it yourself.
Check Your Google My Business Listing
Your Google My Business listing is integral to your organic search. This is what is displayed on Google search pages and Google Maps when people are searching for your services. It’s critical that this listing is showing correct information. Make sure your NAP data (your name, address and phone number) is accurate. Check to see whether Google has added new categories or services for your business. Update your hours if they have changed, and create a post so your listing has some new content.
Supercharge Your Email Marketing
It’s never been more important to communicate with your current customers via email. Let them know about any changes in services, hours or product availability. Introduce specials that show you care about how the economic situation is impacting them, and offer solutions to help them navigate these murky waters.
Email marketing is often overlooked as a lead generation tool. Many businesses forget that their email blasts are very easy for recipients to forward to someone else, amplifying their reach.
Being a business owner during challenging economic times is stressful. It requires a laser focus to navigate but also customer retention and recruitment. None of these marketing tactics has to cost you anything, and quite frankly, I believe they’re all things that you should be doing on a regular basis. Take the time to salute your current customers and sharpen your brand message on social media and your website. Make sure you test and monitor every method to contact your business, and that you handle your incoming leads quickly and with precision.
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Author: T. Maxwell, CommunityVoice
