If you are running a small business and it has needed to be closed over lockdown, it is important to review your marketing strategy to ensure you maximise revenue.
These tips are good for the short, medium, and long term as your business may never be the same again. Whilst most businesses will enjoy a post-lockdown bounce, the key to continued success may be reliant on your marketing. Here are a few tips which may help.
Refresh your social media accounts
Take the opportunity to ensure your social media accounts are up to date. Publish regular content leading up to re-opening, possibly with offers to ensure you capture the post-lockdown bounce.
Join a local Facebook group and post regularly, and ensure you are known to the local community. Once a week should be good enough; you don’t want to bore people. Continue this process, and you will be known in the local community, but it does depend on repetition. A one-off posting typically won’t have too much of an effect.
Ensure you have the correct channels optimised. A younger clientele is more likely to use Instagram than Facebook, for example. If using Instagram and you aren’t using Stories and Reels, you should be.
If you have a young clientele, then don’t forget Tik Tok. It has exploded in the last year and is quite addictive (and it’s not all about dances).
Contact existing customers
If you have an email list, then use it. Announce your re-opening and possibly include a special offer. If you don’t have an email list, then start one; they are a gold mine. Use services such as Moosend and Mailchimp to send out emails.
Run Facebook Ads
The great thing about Facebook adverts is that they can be relatively cheap to run, and they have great targeting.
You can target;
- locations
- interests
- sex
- age
and many other factors.
You should roughly know the demographic of your customers. Replicate this in your adverts for the greatest effect.
Run a competition
These can be great for enhancing your reach on social media. I’m sure you have seen them – Like & Share a post to be entered into a draw. They can be a great way to give a quick boost to your social media presence and advertise your services.
Have a grand re-opening
Get the balloons and bunting out and have a special re-opening. Invite loyal customers, put the word out on social media, and create a special event with a buzz. User-Generated Content is the holy grail of marketing, which is getting customers to promote your business for you.
One great idea would be to hire an animated GIF photo booth. These create really fun mini-videos that customers will share on social media. With branding added, they become really powerful marketing tools for your business.
The landscape has changed
Remember, the B2C landscape may have been changed permanently. It is necessary to re-assess your business and make changes that fit into this changing environment.
