The Role of Marketing During The Coronavirus

Role of Marketing During The Coronavirus

It’s time to use your data and realize the value of your intellectual capital
With the COVID-19 pandemic we are now in unknown territory. Even as businesses cut operating costs it is important to remember that not only is there a need to make savings, there is also an opportunity to streamline processes and re-invent how we do business. These times will push all of us to work smarter and be more effective with our communication and in how we maximize on the intellectual capital especially our data in our CRM, Financial and Operational databases.

Your marketing budget

Marketing budgets can be hit quickly in cost cutting exercises and, while that is understandable, you can still use a number of high impact low-cost marketing strategies to ‘increase’ your profile and keep in contact with customers who need to hear from you. Strategies we would like to explore are the following:

Email Marketing: Open a flow of communication with your customers and prospects, reassuring them and maintaining your high profile image during these times of low on site contact.
Plan Webinars: Apart from your time, these are free and offer a great platform for not only building kudos with your clients but also promoting services.
User Reviews & Testimonials: Many project sites, where you have supplied product or service, can be used as testimonial sites.

Using technology in your business you can actively market (even on a tight budget) to stay in contact with your customers and leverage the knowledge you hold on your clients and prospects. Helping you realize the value of your data and information we can help you evolve your sales and marketing approach to be more agile, stronger and efficient.

The Role of Marketing During The Coronavirus

More importantly than ever businesses need to increase communication and reduce costs, these are the new rules. The state of mind is different now as we need to work in an environment that is unprecedented.

Reduce marketing costs or at least maximizing on existing marketing collateral

We need to look at inexpensive ways of getting in front of our customers and prospects and focus on using resources on marketing campaigns that drive direct results that are inexpensive (or free).

Build certainty, companies want to be sure you are there and you are strong

Your clients are seeking certainty during these times, and you communicate through the use of marketing campaigns during the coronavirus to help people feel secure. You can use different types of content to help your prospects understand their options and establish your brand in the buyer’s journey.

Offer value
The purpose of marketing is to encourage your contacts to take action. Your value proposition needs to be highly beneficial and not seen as manipulative in these challenging times. Your message needs to be sincere and add value.

Email marketing

Email Marketing during the coronavirus pandemic, and before, can be a highly personal method of speaking directly to your customers. Using tools in your CRM you can identify specific customers based on many criteria and make your message highly personalized and targeted and improved chance of results.

Key Email marketing points to consider:

Position your business as a partner, showing sincerity and empathy.
Create multiple lists based on the client’s history with you, the sectors they work in and your previous interactions with them eg if an architect you are targeting has a history of working with you on office projects this can of course be referenced.
Once you have split your email list, you should create specifically targeted content that’s ‘relevant’ to the individual.
Email marketing is one of the few marketing ideas that your business can use to drive sales at almost no cost.

Getting close to your customers again with Webinars

The coronavirus has required customers to stay away from each other through social distancing and, as a result, many gatherings have been cancelled. Since you can’t use live events to market through the coronavirus, you can use webinars and other online presentations to keep your business at the top of your industry without requiring people to gather in one location.

Your company can host different webinars during this period, and allow customers to learn about your products, and offer solutions to their needs. Here are some tips to help your marketing strategy with webinars through the coronavirus:

Identify key players in the construction industry using reporting tools in your CRM database
Build a personal connection with attendees by using webinars to enhance your position as leading experts in your field, you can get closer to your customers and prospects with educational style webinars.
Develop each webinar session around a specific need of your customers With the costs being so low on running webinars you can afford to do more and therefore be much more personalized in your approach.

Build Trust with Testimonials and reference sites

As businesses are feeling a level of uncertainty during the coronavirus, many of them, who would normally step outside of the box with supplier choice or who would willingly work with new suppliers or partners, are now much more risk averse and at the same time cautious about where they spend their budget.

It is about reducing risk with projects and working with companies who can prove they are not a risky bet.

Your clients and prospects need to know your experience and that you offer established solutions or services that are specific and personal to their business.

Use the best reviews and testimonials. You should use the best examples that showcase how confident customers are in your products or construction services

Analyze Past Campaign Performance

While these campaigns can be cost effective or even free, you need to ensure all of your marketing efforts are focused on campaigns that will drive your bottom line through these tough and unpredictable times.

Be sure to measure and improve your results in your Construction CRM platform by how your customers are behaving through monitoring click throughs and browsing history from your E Marketing campaigns. This information is essential to calibrate and constantly improve your results and win more construction based business.

As the campaigns are calibrated and repeated you will improve the overview of your clients, understand them better and continue to improve your communication.