While we are all going through stress and uncertainty in our personal and professional lives, quarantine can amplify that and make one go a bit crazy. Here, we suggest 7 marketing tasks you can tackle that are usually either overlooked or put on the back burner. You will leave quarantine feeling accomplished, refreshed and ready to level up your brand!
- Update your website.
This is time consuming and tedious. With hours on end to occupy, set aside an allotted few hours to sit down in front of your computer. Audit your site, write down a list of things you want to change, add or update and MAKE IT HAPPEN! Whether you email that list to your marketing team/developer or do the edits yourself, that’s one step closer to a refreshed brand image in just a few hours. - Create content.
Most brand strategists and marketing coaches say to block out time for this task even without a quarantine in place. BUT, easier said than done, right? Time is on our side now – take advantage! Grab your laptop or a journal and write down topics your current or ideal clients might be interested in hearing about, then go from there. Write blogs, articles, social media stories, vlog or all of the above! - Schedule social media posts.
After you create content, you will want to share it with the world! Grab a calendar or your scheduling platform and knock out the next couple months. Don’t go much further than that because, as our current situation shows, the environment can change very quickly and you need to adjust your content to match what is relevant. - Perform a design audit.
Take a look at all of your design pieces – digital (website, social media, ads, etc.) and print (flyers, business cards, menus, signage, etc.). Do they all match up? Can you tell they are all representing the same brand? Make sure you have a brand guide in place. Go through and make sure all of your marketing materials adhere to the guide and update the guide where you see necessary. Ensure everyone on your team has a copy of the guide AND all of the necessary vector and hi-res files of logos and content to go along with it. Consistency and cohesiveness add so much value to a brand! - Plan future events and promotions.
The future is a big unknown right now but there are still ways to help business go on as usual. Remind clients of future events to give them something positive to look forward to. Send custom branded promotional products to keep your brand front of mind for when life resumes as normal. You do not want to fall off the radar especially with so many other distractions going on. - Check in.
Call, text, email, e-blast, snail mail – whatever your preferred method of communication to your clients is, make sure you reach out periodically during this time. Offer positive thoughts and encouragement and include any notes about customer service that might be relevant. Try not to sound robotic – many companies are sending these same types of correspondence and you do not want to get lost in the mix or worse, seem insensitive to the scary climate. - Engage in the community.
This will not only fight off your own boredom but will give your business a sense of community and a bigger presence locally. Like and share photos on instagram, offer help where needed, support other businesses going through it and spread positivity. We are all in this together!
These tasks are just a suggestion, do not add to your stress by thinking you need to check them all off your list! If you can only tackle one, make sure it is the one that will provide you the most return. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions regarding a marketing plan for your business – consultations are free and a great way to get the creative juices flowing. From there, we send a recap and ways that we can support your plan. Enjoy and stay safe and healthy!