The lockdown 2.0 is well underway. Looking into 2021, the future is still uncertain for many of us. Surprisingly, many small businesses have not continued marketing during COVID-19. Their online presence seems non-existent with websites and social media channels lacking updates or any form of communication with their customers. It is again that time of the year when I work with clients on developing their marketing plans and strategies for 2021.

If you are a small business owner or a sole-trader are not able to trade (for now), I would urge you to make the most of this time and use it wisely. Understandably, you might be lacking the motivation to get creative right now however you could use this time as an opportunity to work ON your business and develop a plan on how to make it an easier transition to returning to the ‘new normal’ (whenever that happens!). Below are some of the suggestions that you could implement right now and considerations for 2021.

Short — Term Marketing Tactics

Continue having conversations

One of the best ways to ensure that you keep the momentum and continue nurturing your relationship with your customers ( and potential customers) is by continuing to have conversations. 

I see so many businesses who have just stopped all of their marketing activity and gone quiet. Now is not the time to do this. Just the opposite - use this opportunity to build nurture your relationships on social media, via newsletters or jus by picking up the phone and calling some of your clients to check in with them. 

Give value

This is another excellent way to build trust and authority in your industry despite you not being able to trade. You can do this in many ways - from offering online tutorials to educate your audience about a particular topic or simply showing support to other local businesses.

Continue creating content

This is a biggie. As the saying goes - (valuable) content is king, so make every effort to continue creating content if you can. This could be a blog, a podcast, videos or visual aids for social media. By doing so, you will continue ranking with Google search and continue building trust and authority with your customers and new website visitors. 

Get your business online

This global pandemic has proven just how powerful digital presence is. If you have been lucky and managed to trade without having a website and /or social media presence, by now, you would have realised that it is no longer sustainable. 

Invest in a website. Hire a professional to do it, or, there are a plethora of website building platforms that will allow you to DIY it. Start selling your products online even if you don’t have an online store - try and get on selling sites such as Etsy or Udemy. 

Make the most of your social media

Get your business on relevant social media channels, optimise them and build your presence there. With so many people at home on furlough, there’s increased use of social media so now is the time to get on there and claim your space.

Ensure your messaging resonates with your audience

When carrying out any marketing activity right now, it is important to adjust your messaging appropriately. Now is not the time to push for a hard sale. With the uncertainty looming, people want (and need) reassurance, kindness and empathy. The businesses who get this right now - will reap the rewards further down the line when people have more expendable income. 

Network & Collaborate

Depending on what you do, you could create some interesting collaborations with other small business that compliment yours. If you can, support various campaigns for those in need (especially when it comes to food poverty, homelessness and other issues, as many charities are struggling to cope with the demand). You could also potentially offer collaborative giveaways with other brands on social media. 

Spend time networking with other business owners or peers - you never what opportunities lie ahead when you start a conversation. 

Get personal 

With people spending most of their time at home, you can go for an ‘old school’ marketing approach and contact them via post. Again, depending on the type of business that you run and whether it is product or service-based, I’d recommend you only run this campaign, if you can be very specific and highly targeted to the relevant audience.

In essence, your short-term marketing strategy should revolve around relationship building and nurturing, content creation and giving value to your customers. Be present, because if you disappear when things are tough, you will face many more hurdles later down the line because clever marketing managers are using this opportunity. 

Long-Term Marketing Considerations 

Work on your marketing strategy for 2021

Get started on your business marketing strategy for 2021, if you haven’t already. Work on creating a plan that is fluid and flexible and be prepared to pivot and adjust your business for the possibility of having to work from home/trade online for longer periods of time. With the lockdown measures put in place, we can only hope that the pandemic can be contained at a level where we can re-open the businesses, but no one really knows how it will pan out. I recommend is to have a plan B (and C!). 

Don’t decrease your marketing budget

When a business faces cutbacks and job losses, it is only natural to stop spending money and marketing is the usual one of the first business expenses that gets cut. Don’t. 

Continue investing in your marketing, but do make necessary adjustments as to WHERE you spend your money. Google ads were considerably cheaper a few weeks ago, but the prices are going up again, so unless you have a proper google ads strategy and big enough budget, I'd give it a miss. Social media usage is up too, so it is a good shout to spend your cash on social media and content marketing ( especially since you can track its performance). 

Learn New skills

For sole traders and small business owners who have to wear many hats out there, this could be an excellent opportunity to upskill. If you are not in a position to employ a marketing executive or can’t afford to hire a marketing consultant, consider spending this time learning a new skill. It could be anything from creating videos at home to attending a social media or digital marketing course or any other relevant workshop. 

Brand advocacy

2021 looks to be another turbulent year for many. Having a solid support network around you will be crucial for your success. If you have been trading for a while, you most likely have a solid client base so make the year ahead about customer retention and building brand advocacy. Give value, have conversations and listen to your clients. And then give them what they want. 

Pivot and readjust

How is your business performing? Is what you have done in 2020 working? If not, why not? Is it because of the pandemic, or is it because your offering isn’t quite what your customers need right now? 

By the end of the year, we are likely to become masters at pivoting and adjusting our businesses to meet the needs and demand of our customers. These uncertain times has proven that we can really push the boundaries when it comes to getting creative and coming up with solutions. 

Despite the uncertainty, we could use this time to really work ON our businesses. Having an all-encompassing marketing strategy which aligns with your overall business objectives will be crucial in 2021.