4 Ways Enterprise Brands Can Engage with Their Customers During the COVID-19

HOW-TO-ENGAGE-WITH-CUSTOMERS-DURING-THE-COVID19

As the COVID-19  pandemic continues to escalate and news changes by each hour, brands must prepare to inform their customers with accurate, up-to-date information at the local level. Now comes the need for your local data to be the source of truth for concerned customers looking for information.

Social distancing, while currently best for public health, is bad for small businesses. Foot traffic has dropped steeply since the coronavirus outbreak as more and more customers stay home and self-quarantine. Many business owners are worried that the impact of COVID-19 will be deeper and more long-lasting than anticipated. As a result, merchants in every industry are looking for ways to keep their customers during the coronavirus lockdown.

Is your business still open but operating online?

Are you acknowledging this new situation?

Have you taken any extra precautions prior to the current situation?

Have you shared tips on staying safe and healthy?

These are just a few questions to take into consideration when thinking of your client/customer base.

Even if you had to close your business due to health and safety concerns, there are still ways to keep serving your customers during the coronavirus outbreak.

Here are some tips to keep your employees and customers engaged from a distance:

Engaging-with-customers-during-lockdown

 

From streaming videos to home delivery, there are several ways small businesses can hold on to and engage with their customers during this difficult time.

Stream or video chat your services

Go digital with your services to continue to provide access to your customers who are currently at home, wishing they could support your business. Streaming video online has become an approachable and relevant avenue for businesses. Chefs, personal trainers and even therapists are making themselves available virtually. Use a free tool like Google Hangouts, Skype or Zoom to offer your services remotely.

Anything from how – to – do videos to training sessions and online giveaways. You may not be able to charge as much as your regular services, but it helps with cash flow in the meantime.

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Update Your Local Pages

Updating your local pages is extremely important for not only your business but also your customers. Your local landing pages are valuable resources for customers to learn important information regarding each location. Your page information should be frequently updated, especially when any changes are made.

The updates your brand should consider making at the location-specific level include:

  • Corporate messaging regarding how the business is preparing for the crisis, including any specific health precautions they’re taking to ensure the safety of their customers
  • Prominent notice of special hours or temporary store closures
  • Q&A that features answers to commonly asked customer questions
  • Product inventory/availability (where applicable), particularly with respect to products that may be in high demand

Customers want access to this information and are now starting to expect to see it when they visit your website. Ensure you’re prepared to deliver the information they need when they need it most.

ENGAGING-WITH-CUSTOMERS-DURING-LOCKDOWN

Communicate

Customers can empathize with business owners facing a crisis, as long as you communicate with them properly. Let your customers know if you’re closing for the time of COVID-19, changing your opening hours and what steps you’re taking to keep your employees and work environment safe and clean. If your store is closing, notify your customers on your social media channels, through email and on your website.

Google has introduced the ability for customers to ask questions with the GMB Knowledge Panel, called GMB Q&A. It’s extremely important, particularly during a health crisis such as COVID-19, for the brand to become the voice of authority among the community and to supply accurate, brand-verified information for common questions.

Beyond letting customers know the logistics of your approach, give them a way to stay connected. Customers spending more time at home will still need to shop for things. Direct consumers to your e-commerce store, take orders over social media and be prepared for people to view your website more than previously.

Engaging-with-customers-during-lockdown

 

Maintain efficiency

Maintaining a consistent level of efficiency is a must for your marketing team. Your team should be able to deploy campaigns quickly across all of your channels to create better customer experiences. Efficiency in marketing means that while they are deploying one campaign, they already have the next two done. Timing is everything. If your team can’t be efficient to plan the next few steps, it’s going to seriously hurt your brand. 

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Last Words

Rather than fearing the changes that COVID-19 brings across industries, embrace it as an opportunity. This lockdown is pushing us to communicate in unprecedented ways: live-streaming launch events, curating content that consumers have an appetite for while in quarantine, thinking critically about how brand’s relevance and resonance is changing and being brave enough to rise to the occasion.

Vindicta Digital team is here to help your business succeed in digital marketing across all your locations, especially when it matters the most.

For more information on how to keep your brand’s presence up to date, read our article on the Survival Guide for small businesses or contact us to book in for a free consultation.

COVID-19: THE SMALL BUSINESS – SURVIVAL GUIDE IN HARD TIMES

 

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