How Your Business Needs To React During The COVID-19 Scenario

Posted on March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 by thehive2018dev

How Your Business Needs To React During The COVID-19 Scenario

The market has changed quickly and drastically since COVID-19. We’re seeing businesses forced to close their physical stores or limit in-store capacity. Basically, most brick-and-mortar stores can feel the pressure and uncertainty of their future. A pandemic, as harsh as that word sounds, shouldn’t be a reason to failure. You just need to adjust your thinking and analyse the new method customer think. Shift your concerns to the most imminent affairs – here’s how to get on top of the situation.

1 / Make sure your small business is online.

Your physical store is closed, there is no foot traffic, no sales. So you NEED to have an online presence. If you don’t have an ecommerce shop yet, there are two paths to take – the quick fix or the long-term strategy.

We always recommend the latter; meaning, if you are implementing a website with an online store, don’t be tempted with the various cheap product/services available, which can plug the hole for the time being. Do look at your business’s long-term welfare before throwing cash at the problem. Ask yourself: “How will the e-shop serve me once this pandemic passes over? Will it sync with my stock system? Will it interface with my POS and accounting system?”

It’s always good to find a solution you can phase. Start by using the elements you need, with the peace of mind that the solution can interface with the rest of your future requirements. In this manner, you will reach your short-term goals, spend appropriate budgets given the current scenario and eventually, when all business facets return to the normality, have a sales system that will tick all your retail requirements.

2 / Engage with your customers

Customer behaviour will change during this pandemic and so should yours. Stay in touch with them, provide updates, offer reassurance by looking optimistic to return back to business, offer remote support for products you offer. Give them insights to products you envisage would be in the market in the coming months. Give them a life-line to engage with your brand. If the business cuts off completely from engaging with customers, all your marketing efforts in the past will be wiped out. Keep in mind that the needs of customers, even when they’re confined to their home, wouldn’t dissipate – they would simply slow down due to potential financial reasons.

3 / Promote, Promote, Promote.

Did we say it enough? Promote. Your. Business.

Show people you’re still around. Publicise the products you think clients need at this moment. Use Facebook ads, Google ads – be smart and be focused. With everyone going online, the costs to reach your audience could see a slight increase, so be smart with your strategy. Keep tabs on data and statistics. You could be seeing a shift in trends when it comes to customer behaviour – the use of mobile was extremely high before COVID-19, and now, this has spiraled. With consumers confined to their homes, we could see a shift in data where consumers are using laptops more. So, keep tabs on mobile ads versus desktop ads.

4 / Do you have everything in place?

If your business was smart and has all its ducks in a row, and business is “as normal”, but potentially slower, now is the time to plan for the future, get your strategies in order and ready to execute for when the pandemic is over. You might need constant tweaking as things evolve over time, but the main underlying thinking would be there and ready to push forward.

5 / Do you have everything in place?

Don’t panic, get in touch with us, and we’ll help you get started in the right direction. It’s a matter of following smalls steps and ticking specific boxes to get the gears going.

DIGITAL MARKETING IN THE AGE OF COVID-19: A GUIDE ON HOW TO MAKE IT WORK

Posted on March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 by thehive2018dev

DIGITAL MARKETING IN THE AGE OF COVID-19:

A GUIDE ON HOW TO MAKE IT WORK

Why are people endlessly scouring social platforms for the latest news?

The need for communication.

Why is Professor Charmaine Gauci bracing the nation EVERY DAY with immediate updates on local COVID-19 cases?

The need for communication.

In an era where uncertainty reigns, the only way the public quenches its thirst is by gathering and processing information. And amongst the flurry of media, there’s one that’s keeping the world receptive.

The digital space.

Online information is taking precedence on almost all media channels. Ask yourself: what if customers are waiting for YOUR message too?

In the hour of reduced sales and pending job cuts, the first thing that’s usually thrown out of the window is marketing. But is that really wise?

Customers are shifting their attention to the digital spaces to learn how they can get their hands on their favourite product. How their preferred service provider is adjusting to the situation. And because of this, a verdict was reached.

Your business NEEDS digital marketing now more than ever.

Because DIGITAL MARKETING IS COMMUNICATION.

This hour of need has altered the usual promotional trends companies were adopting and many are finding themselves in a hurdle; asking “But what type of promotion should I do now?” The answer is simple – see what your customers want, and give them just that.

Our team of digital experts have assembled an easy-to-follow guide, full of digital marketing tactics that will help place your business amongst the winners.

SHARE THE LATEST COMPANY UPDATES

Most brick-and-mortar stores have no other option but to close their shutters and forgo their usual customer traffic. A proportion are making their utmost to keep basic operations going; others have hung their ‘closed for business’ sign for the foreseeable future.

Do all your customers now about the new systems of operation? Unless you want customer dissatisfaction to break your business, use that Facebook page for good use. Create a post explaining the way-forward and amend your page’s business hours. Make sure you pin it to the top to give it precedence over other info.

Turn your attention to your Google listing. Update your hours and publish a Google Post with the necessary notifications. Information is key!

AMEND YOUR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

Which product do you think will sell more during the COVID-19 pandemic – an expensive kitchen top or an ergonomic chair? We’re inclined to point to the latter.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs implies that customers will satisfy the most basic needs first. Think about all the items people are concentrating on at this point in time.

Forget toilet paper; that’s foolish.

Food supplies, hygiene products, craft materials to keep kids entertained, comfortable furniture to work from home, vital medicines, internet data and call bundles, fitness equipment, insurance services, emergency medical care and the list goes on.

Listen to what customers’ current deficiencies are. Optimise your ad budget to boost those products. Use high-quality images to showcase your inventory, place all pricing information and outline all the details. Re-target to past customers through email marketing or encourage new ones through Google Ads.

CHANGE YOUR CALL-TO-ACTIONS

Every promotional effort should be accompanied with an encouragement to act. During such troublesome times, avoid asking customers to get out of the house.

Drive interest to your online channels by placing a ‘Message’ button with your ads, create promotions that take users to your website or catalogue, and offer consultations through virtual conferencing tools such as Skype.

Create content which customers can relate to. Adding delivery options, expedited shipping offers or request for call-backs can improve your return.

REMAIN ONLINE

Keep your communication lines open. In the age of digital, getting quick answers is what differentiates you from the competition. Keep your Facebook and Instagram message centres open. Respond to customer queries in the quickest time possible. There’s a possibility your website’s Contact page will get frequent traffic, so keep your inbox open at all times.

With competition so rife at the moment, your only life jacket is to keep the communication flowing.

HIGHLIGHT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Facebook’s messaging system is the perfect business assistant.

Go to your business page
Click on Inbox
Select Automated Responses
Assign the top FAQs to be listed through messenger.

Its advantages are limitless – you’ll give customers quick answers to their problems, you’ll avoid repeating the same replies and will make your business look ready for whatever the occasion.

FIND ALTERNATIVES METHODS TO SELL

Been putting the idea of an online shop on the back-burner? Time to promote it to first preference.

Instead of halting all operations, an ecommerce website will make it possible for your customers to access all your inventory and make their purchases without leaving their homes.

That means, your revenue keeps a constant flow and your business doesn’t lose momentum. Set up Instagram shopping ads to get discovered and apply re-marketing tactics to reach those most interested in your offer.

With years of experience in the strategy and creation of e-shops, our digital gurus are ready to make this dream come true.

DEAL WITH CUSTOMER OBJECTIONS ONLINE

Most of your customers are feeling helpless. Quick thinking, empathy and reassurance are the order of the day. Remember, building meaningful relationships, even when done through online channels, is what makes customers come back again. Be a solution-provider, not a problem-fighter.

SHOWCASE GRATITUDE TO YOUR EMPLOYEES

Some believe that the way a company treats its employees is the way one regards its customers. Such a statement couldn’t be truer.

Show your appreciation to those that, when in dire times, are keeping your business afloat. Whether most employees are working from home or taking hefty precautions to keep away from possible contagion, your staff deserve a huge clap. Proudly display their efforts on social media and showcase their accomplishments for the world to see.

In an era where everything carries its own trifle of uncertainty, one thing remains certain. The need to correspond, to inform and to support.

Not sure how to get started?

You’re in luck – our team of digital marketing experts are ready to make your promotional efforts reach the right audiences and get the return on investment you’re aiming for. Hit our inbox and let’s get started.

Alternatives to Google. How to optimise and when to do it?

Posted on November 28, 2019March 30, 2020 by thehive2018dev

Alternatives to Google. How to optimise and when to do it?

So you’re looking for the answer to a question, general information or to purchase a product online. Google is the only place to go to right? Wrong. Google is the most widely adopted search engine with a global market share of over 80%. That said it’s not the only search engine out there. And in some regions of the world other search engines give Google a run for its money. To add context to this article, I’m Sean, COO at Gainchanger. A company that looks for the black holes in search engines and connect the dots to what really drives performance on SERP. So lets take a look at the three most popular search engines right now.

Bing & Yahoo

If you’re not an old lady living at home alone with 20 cats, you probably know what and who Bing and Yahoo are. One thing you may not know is that Yahoo is a web portal with tones of services, one of which is a search engine powered by Bing. Bing, a Microsoft owned search engine, is the second most popular after Google in most regions and also takin into account the joint marketshare with Yahoo in terms of search. Its quite close to Google in terms of services and quality in search results. The key differentiator would be its video search section and features for developers.

DuckDuckGo

If privacy is a concern of yours, then DuckDuckGo is the way to go. This search engine is not as widely adopted as Google, Bing and Yahoo. Though it “quackly” gained traction among those whom follow the security conscience school of thought. Better yet this means that you’re online activity is never followed on DuckDuckGo. To all those anti relevant ad people out there, this is the answer for you.

So how do ytouoptimize for these different search engines? The first step would be to get connected with the webmaster tools for each search engine and manage sitemaps, issues etc. pointed out in the consoles. The second is to understand where the majority of traffic is coming from and put in a commensurate amount of effort. Just beware that things which work on one search engine, may come at the detriment of another.

Gainchanger aim to be next generation marketeers and strategists, a company to watch and one, we at The Hive, are excited to collaborate in the future.