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Helping Your Small Business Customers Recover From COVID-19 With Digital Marketing

info • Jun 12, 2020

Helping Your Small Business Customers Recover From COVID-19 With Digital Marketing A Message To Our Partners

THE DATA THAT DEPICTS OUR NEW REALITY  

Currently, available data about the global economy and COVID-19’s impact on small business owners does not tell a particularly pretty story. The US and European economies have both entered recessions and consumer spending has dropped significantly.  

According to a recent survey conducted by Scorpion to determine what effect the pandemic has had on consumer mindset and spending habits:

- 49% plan to delay travel
- 44% plan to delay medical or dental procedures
- 43% plan to spend more on groceries (and less on restaurants)
- 24% plan to delay home improvements or repairs
- 24% plan to delay large purchases
- 12% plan to delay car repairs

The data shows the consumers are less inclined to engage in discretionary spending across the board and 46% of all those surveyed said they would try to save more money over the next 6 months.  

However, there are glimmers of good news. According to a Harris Poll conducted in March 2020, the vast majority of Americans believe that life will return to normal within 6 months and the Economic Sentiment Index showed a slight increase in discretionary spending through the end of April. 

There is also good news for eCommerce. Shopify CTO Jean-Michel Lemieux recently stated on Twitter that the company had seen “Black Friday-level traffic every day” since the beginning of mass lockdowns. 

When all of this data is examined in aggregate, it can be inferred that we are all in for a prolonged economic hit; however, it’s hard to know just how deep of a recession we will see and how long it will last. 

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING PRACTICES

Small businesses tend to think of their marketing spend as a discretionary thing. When times are good, they can spend heavily on all kinds of advertising and digital marketing services. When times are tough, they tend to pull back. 

COVID-19 has created an interesting situation in which many small businesses are pulling back on marketing spend, but nearly 1 in 5 have decided to increase theirs according to a recent Borrell Associates Business Barometer (April 2020) . 

In fact, various facets of digital marketing were cited as some of the top concerns of small business owners in a Main Street America survey from April 2020 . 

HOW TO TALK TO & PREPARE YOUR SMALL BUSINESS CUSTOMERS
Albert Einstein once said “in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity,” and this statement rings truer than ever today. 

Let’s say your digital agency has a customer with 1% of market share. They may have retained that percentage while the economy has contracted; however, now they are competing in a smaller market and need to work twice as hard for the same amount of revenue. In this environment, all small businesses essentially have the same problems, and not all will make it. If your customers can expand their market share to 2%, they will not only have a greater chance of making it through the economic downturn, but can actually come out ahead of where they originally started when we return to more prosperous times. 

Convincing customers to pursue an aggressive strategy in the time of COVID-19 may seem like a bit of a stretch, but it will be made easier if you make the effort to fully understand your customers fears, uncertainties, desires, and decision-making process (FUDD). 

SEARCH & DIGITAL MARKETING TACTICS TO HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS

It may sound surprising, but local search activity is still happening despite shelter-in-place orders across the globe. People always need to know where they can find essential items and businesses that provide these kinds of products should think of putting them directly on the homepage of their website.

Andrew Shotland offered an example of a client LocalSEOGuide recently worked with that sold hand sanitizer and ranked on page two of Google’s SERPs for that keyword. However, all of the businesses that ranked higher in SERPs and sold hand sanitizer quickly ran out, leaving searchers scrolling all the way to Shotland’s client’s site. By optimizing for this search term and leveraging the full volume of traffic now hitting the site, LocalSEOGuide was able to bring the client to the first position in SERPs (once this was achieved, the client also quickly ran out of hand sanitizer).

However, there are things digital marketers can do besides the basic optimization of placing the most in-demand products front-and-center on a small business website to boost traffic.

First, Google recently announced SpecialAnnouncement schema to display COVID-related information from your site in the SERPs. Use cases include:

- Announcement of revised hours and shopping restrictions
- Announcement of a shelter-in-place directive
- Closure notice (for example, closing a school or public transportation)
- Announcement of government benefits (for example, unemployment support, paid leave, or one-time payments)
- Quarantine guidelines
- Travel restrictions
- Notification of a new drive-through testing center
- Announcement of an event transitioning from offline to online, or cancellation
- Disease spread statistics and maps

Additionally, you can:

- Take advantage of new categories in Google My Business (curbside pickup, delivery, etc.)
- Use Google My Business posts to highlight special promotions and brand messaging
- Create and widely share any and all COVID-19 announcements across all available channels
- Match your tone to your customers needs and feelings
- Ensure offline communication is updated (seriously, change your customers’ voicemail)
- Learn from the best in your community

SUMMING UP 

This is a challenging time for everyone, and especially your small business customers. For many, their business represents much more to them than a source of income — it is often the manifestation of a lifelong dream. Now is a time to communicate with your customers with compassion and understanding. Proactivity is the single best way to help mitigate the fallout from the pandemic and it’s important to demonstrate to your customers that not all is lost. 

We hope you find the data, tactics and strategies we covered are both inspiring and practically helpful and you and your customers navigate this difficult time. Stay safe and good luck. 

- Austin Hoffman

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Boost Your Small Business Success: Why Updating Your Website in 2023 is Crucial for SEO

16 May, 2023
In today's digital age, having a solid online presence is vital for the success of small businesses. A well-designed, user-friendly website helps you attract and engage potential customers and plays a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO). In 2023, with evolving technology and changing consumer preferences, updating your website is more important than ever. In this article, we'll explore why small businesses must prioritize website updates this year to stay competitive and maximize their SEO efforts. Enhance User Experience: User experience (UX) is critical to website performance and SEO. As search engines become more sophisticated, they prioritize websites that provide excellent user experiences. Updating your website can improve navigation, load times, and mobile responsiveness, creating a seamless and enjoyable experience for your visitors. A positive UX will result in longer visit durations, lower bounce rates, and increased chances of conversion, all of which contribute to improved search engine rankings. Stay Ahead of Design Trends: Website design trends evolve rapidly, and outdated websites can appear unprofessional and drive potential customers away. Upgrading your website's design in 2023 allows you to incorporate the latest visual elements, modern layouts, and engaging multimedia content that captivate your target audience. A visually appealing and contemporary website reflects positively on your brand, increasing customer trust and credibility and ultimately improving your SEO efforts. Optimize for Mobile: Mobile internet usage has been steadily increasing, and search engines now prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their search results. Ensuring your website is optimized for mobile devices is crucial for SEO success in 2023. Responsive design, fast loading speeds, and easy navigation on smartphones and tablets will improve user experience and increase your website's visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs). By updating your website to be mobile-friendly, you can tap into a wider audience and boost your SEO rankings. Leverage Voice Search Optimization: The rise of voice-activated devices and virtual assistants has significantly impacted search behavior. More users are turning to voice search to find information, products, and services. To stay competitive, small businesses must optimize their websites for voice search in 2023. Upgrading your website to include conversational and natural language keywords, structured data markup, and concise, informative content tailored to voice queries will help you rank higher in voice search results, leading to increased organic traffic and visibility. Implement Structured Data Markup: Structured data markup, or schema markup, provides search engines with additional context about your website's content. By incorporating schema markup into your updated website, you can enhance search engine understanding, increase visibility in rich snippets, and improve click-through rates. Structured data can highlight key information such as product details, business hours, reviews, and events, making your website more informative and enticing for users and search engines. In 2023, updating your small business website is essential for maintaining a competitive edge and optimizing your SEO efforts. By enhancing user experience, adopting modern design trends, optimizing for mobile devices and voice search, and implementing structured data markup, you can position your website for success. Embrace the evolving digital landscape, cater to changing consumer preferences, and watch your website rise in search engine rankings, driving organic traffic and boosting your small business's growth and profitability.
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