By now, most American businesses have shut their doors to customers. Some have sent their staff home to work remotely, and others have drastically reduced their hours of operation. As revenues reduce to almost nil, many businesses are looking for quick and easy ways to cut expenses in the short term, so they can survive until the pandemic begins to abate. Times are tough for business — but that doesn’t mean you should shut down digital marketing.
Digital marketing remains as important in the downtimes as it does when business is booming, and here’s why.
People Still Require Goods and Services
Believe it or not, social distancing and quarantine will not bring the world to a complete standstill. While many industries have seen a slowdown, many more have seen unprecedented levels of business — like toilet paper, hand sanitizer and cleaning products. Especially if the United States extends its quarantine period to flatten the curve, people will be unable to survive and thrive without a steady stream of goods and necessary services. By continuing to participate in digital marketing, you are offering them not only information about your business but relatively straightforward access to the products they need.
People Need Digital Marketing in Scarcity
People turned to the web for information and options even before the pandemic. Now, as their local shops rapidly run out of the supplies they need, people are looking online for access to goods and services they are otherwise unable to find. What’s more, due to mandates for social distancing, curfews and the like, fewer people are venturing out of their homes to learn about businesses in other ways. Thus, digital marketing — and specifically ranking within search results — is one of the only ways you can make your business known to consumers in addition to being an exceedingly powerful way to convince them to convert.
Digital Marketing Increases Your Cash
What you need now, as ever, is cash flow. A business cannot thrive without money coming in, and the best way to get money coming in is through marketing. The two digital marketing tactics with the best return-on-investment are opt-in email lists and search engine marketing. The former allows you to reach a willing and eager audience, and the latter allows you to grow your audience in their time of need. Plus, both are relatively insignificant investments; you should work with a knowledgeable SEO agency in Phoenix to learn more about how email and search engine marketing could work during this downtime.
Digital Marketing Is Measurable
Perhaps the most compelling reason to invest in digital marketing as opposed to other marketing or advertising — come rain or shine for your business — is that digital marketing is easy to measure. You can acquire significant amounts of data to better understand how every aspect of your digital marketing is performing, giving you precise control over your marketing strategy and all but ensuring that you accomplish your overall goals. Even as buyer behavior changes in the coming weeks and months, you can swiftly pivot your digital marketing efforts to continue attracting and engaging your audience.
Tomorrow Always Comes
Tomorrow Always ComesDespite the oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, the locusts in West Africa and the pestilence tearing across the world, the apocalypse is far from nigh. If there is one thing that you should depend on during this time of crises, it is that the days will keep coming and that eventually, the world will go back to normal. When we regain stability, you will need digital marketing to reach your audience — and you don’t want to scramble or start off on the wrong foot. Whether normal happens in eight weeks or eight months, you should arm your business for that time, giving it every opportunity to attract your audience’s attention and grain prominence within your market.
The future is not nearly as uncertain as you might currently believe. While COVID-19 is an uncommon threat, it doesn’t have to bring your business to a complete standstill — in fact, you should be as active as ever in attracting attention and engaging your audience through this trying time. Then, as the U.S. slowly regains its footing, you will be well-positioned for success.