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These past few weeks have been challenging for many, and we are anticipating further caution in the months ahead. Everyone’s safety and well-being is a top priority, as we continue to learn more about the current situation with COVID-19. At this time, it can be difficult for marketing teams to know how to properly respond and reassure their customers and clients. Here’s what your company’s marketing team should expect and how to properly respond to COVID-19.
Your website’s organic traffic numbers may drop in the coming weeks
Marketers, there’s no need to be alarmed if you start noticing your organic traffic is declining—this is to be expected during this time. If your website regularly receives around 5,000 visitors or more per month, it’s likely you will see those numbers decline in the coming weeks. Industries such as advertising and technology have already seen less organic traffic, with some dips nearing 20%.
While it may seem necessary to start sending out more content than usual to keep your traffic flowing, this isn’t the most effective use of your marketing team’s time. Take it slow, plan out a strategy, and put plenty of thought into the content you are producing. It may help to repurpose previously-planned content that would be unfitting to share during the COVID-19 situation. For example, company’s that work in event marketing are taking measures to switch to digital events and re-working their current marketing strategy accordingly.
Collaborate with team members online and maintain active communication
As a result of COVID-19, many marketing companies are having employees work from home. It can become more challenging for all team members to actively communicate with one another when they aren’t all in the same room or building. One way to encourage marketing teams to collaborate during this time is through online project management platforms such as Teamwork, Asana, Basecamp, and Slack.
At thinkdm2, we can personally recommend Teamwork, which gives your team access to documents, notes, and other files for your jobs and tasks. Additionally, chat functionality is another helpful feature that Teamwork offers. Open communication between team members keeps everyone on the same page and encourages them to share their thoughts on your company’s marketing objectives and any concerns they may have during this difficult time.
Share updates with your current customers and clients
We’ve discussed how to encourage collaboration between your team, but opening communication channels for your active customers and clients is vital as well. To start, have your marketing team develop an email response to inform clients of how your company is handling the current situation. The tone in your email should be empathetic and understanding. Assure your clients that you are here for them and all in this together. Here are some objectives to focus on in your email:
- How should clients contact your company moving forward? In this case, email and mobile will most likely be the easiest method of communication.
- Is your company’s office open or working from home?
- Are there any active projects that will need to be put on hold?
- How will you be handling in-person meetings and events? It’s best to set up methods for online conferences and calls.
Although you may feel the need to send out an email to your entire contact list, this is not recommended. Emailing inactive or unengaged contacts can lead to lower deliverability and possible spam complaints.
Avoid sharing COVID-19 information from non-reputable sources
It’s important to understand that this is a frightening and overwhelming time for everyone. However, your marketing team will want to ensure it isn’t sharing false information. If you’ve been spending time on social media recently, you may have already seen several shares about best practices during the COVID-19 outbreak. When sharing an article regarding COVID-19, check to be certain it is a reputable source that won’t confuse or misinform others.
If you have any questions regarding how thinkdm2 is handling business and communication during COVID-19, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We are here to help! Thinkdm2 is a digital marketing and branding agency that strives to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees and clients.
