In 2023, businesses may finally expect to get back on track, even if the road to recovery may feel like a roller coaster with its ups and downs. With the right online marketing strategy, however, you may ensure your business to succeed in stabilizing its position.
Read on to familiarize yourself with the dos and don’ts of using social media and other online communication tools for change and crisis management, and to gain inspiration to become the lighthouse of your industry.
Before You Start: Prepare Yourself With The Right Mindset
If your business is facing previously unknown situations, it will probably need solutions that you haven’t been using yet. It may sound challenging to leave the comfortable methods behind, but it’s definitely worth stepping out from the box and doing something that will allow your mind and business to thrive.
Proactive communication, smart online presence, and complex solutions may result in real conversations with followers, employees, and competitors. This should lead to a loyal and supportive community around your business.
Social media and digital presence may support real time communication with existing and potential clients and strengthen the trust in your brand and business.
The right online communication strategy provides an easily accessible target group and measurable results, and also creates opportunity to educate and bring up your own brand evangelists (the most important influencers for your business). You may also be able to receive valuable feedback and the most authentic and credible content from users (UGC – user generated content).
But what qualifies as change or crisis within the scope of digital communication?
Change may be the
- development and launch of a new product;
- issue of a new business policy;
- reorganization;
- change in leadership;
- opening or closure of a unit;
- awards, recognitions.
Crisis includes the following:
- COVID-19;
- inflation;
- war;
- shortage of materials and manpower.
Be The Lighthouse Of Your Industry
Now that you’ve committed to innovative solutions that you’ve never used before, let’s look at the how-to of using online communication tools in change and crisis recovery. The most important components are the following:
Be the face of your own business. As people are the best at connecting with other people, your customers will not engage with your company – they will engage with you.
Appear as an expert. It’s not only listing your degrees and qualifications on LinkedIn, but showing your audience your own personal and professional development journey. Posting about your latest read that inspired your newest project or sharing updates on the upcoming training course that you plan to attend should do the trick.
Don’t depend on social media platforms only. As you probably don’t have all your money at one place, you shouldn’t do the same with your online presence. Social media is a fantastic and effective tool, but keep your eyes open for other solutions as well. Collect mailing list or newsletter subscribers, use SEO marketing tools or PPC advertising.
Engage in conversation. Your customers want to be heard. If you wish for successful sales, it’s your job to listen.
Build community. People tend to support businesses that provide something more than simple products or services. Connection may mean more sales to your business even during hard times.
Cooperation is key. It doesn’t matter if it’s influencer or affiliate marketing, or appearing in a PR article together with another business owner. What matters is the increased opportunity for being seen and recognized.
Turn your clients to brand evangelists. A satisfied customer can make millions. Don’t underestimate the potential of customer satisfaction.
Those who already have become lighthouses of their industries are
- building a more likable and easy-to-relate-to brand;
- honest and authentic;
- communicating with humor and empathy;
- educating their customers;
- engaging in conversation, reacting to comments;
- building community;
- experimenting with new platforms or host types;
- able to turn their business advantage into conversion.
Beyond Social Media
Social media is only a slice of the cake of your digital presence. There are many other tools to think about:
- an up-to-date webpage and webshop;
- a professional blog with the right SEO settings;
- a regular newsletter;
- PPC and other advertising;
- PR appearances;
- cooperations with other businesses.
We trust the above article inspired you to rethink the digital communication of your business. However, before you dive in to the secrets of social media and other online communication tools, we recommend stopping for a moment and think about the following questions:
- What is your main goal with the online communication?
- Where is your target audience spending its time?
- Which online platform would be the most effective to reach your goals?
We would like to emphasize that while being inspired and dreaming big are essential ingredients of success, it’s also important to remember that a step by step approach is usually more effective than trying to achieve everything at the same time. We encourage you to step out from the circle of the well known methods and try something new, while you give yourself and your results time to develop themselves and create opportunities to celebrate small victories.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your ideas with the professional team during a 3-5 session mentoring program, your email is welcome at [email protected].
Sources of the pictures: Freepik
