The new business environment we’re all a part of continues to evolve, seemingly by the day. We’ve covered in previous posts the fact that there are no conferences happening anytime soon, no travel, and no face-to-face interactions. The one way to keep feeding leads to your sales team is through online channels, which is why many companies are choosing to ramp up their digital marketing initiatives during this global pandemic. 

It’s true that we’re all feeling like we’re on shaky ground at the moment, but buyers are still out there looking for products and services. Sticking with digital marketing is the only approach that’s working right now; it’s the only way to reach people. Maintaining and improving your online visibility and reputation is critical when digital is your only touchpoint. 

As you consider your options for navigating this unprecedented time, here is a collection of compelling reads from the last few days that could potentially offer new perspectives. 

Poll: How Local Marketers Are Dealing With The Business Impact Of COVID-19

“In down markets, the most successful companies do not stop marketing, they push it. When everyone else is cutting back, it’s the perfect opportunity to move forward.”

This is a key statement in that choosing to cut back or simply doing nothing puts your business behind the competitors who do in fact move forward. Pulling money over from event marketing to digital, sticking with companies such as ours here at UpCity, and staying committed to your original strategy is the best way to ensure you’re not in an even more troublesome situation when some shred of normalcy returns. 

Limited Google My Business functionality due to COVID-19

“Additionally, some Google My Business merchants may experience delays for all edit types. Should this happen, we encourage you to communicate timely updates to your customers via business attributes and posts during these delays.”

Perhaps another shameless plug here for UpCity, but this is an example of how we can help you stay visible, stay recommendable, and keep your business information accurate for those who are looking for your services. Potential customers have to be able to find you. 

Desktop search is rising amid the work-from-home surge

“[T]here is plenty of historical data and case studies that show firms that keep marketing flowing in downturns emerge stronger when the market turns.”

Microsoft reports on consumer behavior during the outbreak here, and the key takeaways are that you should focus on your online visibility and the user experience of your website, and be as flexible and agile as you can to keep pace with evolving processes. There are also links to the aforementioned data and case studies showing why doing something is much better than doing nothing.

Should you continue to solicit reviews during the outbreak? Local SEOs disagree

“[Y]ou have to talk to customers very differently right now and be mindful of their circumstances. That extends to any request for feedback. If asking for reviews, it can’t be boilerplate copy or business as usual. And you must display appropriate, genuine empathy or risk damaging the consumer perception of your business or brand.”

This is one of those “read the room” situations. Certainly there are people working at home who are enthusiastic about your business and service and have some time to submit a review. There are also plenty who don’t want you asking for something like that in a time like this. A case-by-case approach is probably best, but one thing remains—and is also mentioned in this article—customer feedback is still extremely important during this crisis. Another key point is that with Google reviews being temporarily turned off, driving reviews to other platforms looks to be a good idea. 

We’ve said this before, but UpCity is here for you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you ever have any questions about how we can help you improve your online recommendability. The business landscape is different now, but we can work through this together to increase your visibility and drive new leads into the funnel.