Yep! The world is shutting down. It’s crazy. The roads are empty, businesses are closed, church and schools have cancelled… so where is everyone?!
Oh, that’s right, quarantined in their homes. Hanging out on social media.
Yes, we’ve seen a HUGE spike in social media usages. Hours spent on social media platforms per day has skyrocketed, new users are signing up for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Linkedin every minute. It’s absolutely insane!
So, what can you do today to capitalize on this for your business? Here are some of the top concerns we are hearing from companies, some of the top opportunities, and some ideas for you and your company. Enjoy!
1) Should I be spending money on marketing while I’m cutting budgets and staff?
Yes. It’s cheap right now. So many companies are cutting their marketing budgets – which is driving the cost of ads down. If you have the money, now is the time to take market share!
However, I would 100% recommend turning your ads off if you truly believe you will never re-open your doors. It’s a really really hard conversation to have, but it’s also one that many business owners are having today. If you are not going to make it through the next few weeks or months…then turn it all off. Conserve every dollar. But if you are holding out hope, you can get WAY ahead with social media marketing ads right now.
If you’re asking if you should cut your marketing budget altogether? Sure. If you were relying on billboards or radio or some old-school form of marketing prior to this downturn, now’s the best excuse you have to rip off the band-aid and graduate into the modern era of marketing and business.
2) How do I get my message into everyone’s cell phone today?
Easy. Facebook ads. I cannot advocate enough for this. If you want to talk to your customer this afternoon, make sure you are putting your message in front of their eyeballs immediately. Break down your demographic, identify their pain points, and deliver highly targeted ads campaigns to them immediately. If Suzy is your target customer and she’s just sitting at home on her Instagram page…doesn’t it make sense to put something relevant in Suzy’s Instagram account?
Change the creative and verbiage in your ads to make them relatable: “BEST burrito to eat in PJ’s, on your couch, while quarantined. Why? We deliver to your door within 15 minutes. Order now.”
3) My business had to close it’s doors – what should I do?
Adjust your business model. What CAN you do??
Do you own a retail clothing store? Could you offer Facetime shopping experiences with your stylists?
Do you own a dance studio? Can you shoot videos and offer online lessons?
Do you usually have low foot traffic anyway? What about scheduling private shopping times? “Yes our doors are closed, but if you go on our Calendly page you can schedule a private 15-minute shopping time to come and explore our store! We will unlock the doors for you, disinfect the door handles and merchandise after every appointment, and even take payment through a text system so you never have to come in contact ith another person! Plus, how cool is a personalized shopping day?!”
GET CREATIVE! Then let Social Media do the heavy lifting.
4) I need to make cuts to my marketing team, but I still want to do marketing!
There are lots of companies who have 3, 4, 5 or more people on their marketing teams. Yet, they are trying to cut back on salaries at this time. You can easily cut budgets from $200,000 or more to under $50 or $60,000 overnight…but how do you still do marketing without the team?!
This is where agencies and freelancers are your friends. There are specialist companies out there to help you with these types of things. If you need to cut budget, partner with an agency that already has all the skillsets and team members you need to be successful. Let them come in and take on the burden for a fraction of the cost! This is where Cyclone Social thrives. In fact, in some of these situations there are agencies (like Cyclone Social) who are willing to hire your marketing team members, take on your workload, and still give you a huge cut in total marketing expense! It’s worth exploring…
5) How much money should I invest in marketing during this time?
You’re making cuts. You HAVE to. I get it. This question is hard to answer because every business is different. However, I’d say be very careful about cutting ads budget prior to other budgets. When you close your physical doors, you don’t have to close your virtual doors. The ONLY connection left between you and your customers is your digital presence. Making the decision to close your only communication channel between you and your customers is hefty. Think about tapering down slightly, think about other opportunities. But before you turn the faucet off, check to make sure there isn’t another opportunity where you are missing out on potential revenue. In most scenarios, pumping dollars into digital ads right now will be more cost effective than any other marketing method.
However, if you were not set up to sell in a digital world prior to all of this, it looks like you have a lot of adjusting to do in a very short time frame to get your products/services online!
Let me know if there is anything I can do to help: Andrew@CycloneSocial.com
