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How to Use Digital Marketing to Announce your Business’ Grand RE-Opening

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In this webinar (given on April 29th, 2020 during the COVID-19 Shutdown) our Marketing Director, Devon McCrossin MBA discusses how to use several aspects of digital marketing to announce a business’ grand re-opening and invite visitors to return for your services and products.

The following is a loose transcript of the video presentation, without the final question and answer session. It contains the following topics:

Watch the full recording of the webinar on YouTube.

                                                         

The business landscape has changed fundamentally; tomorrow’s environment will be different, but no less rich in possibilities for those who are prepared. – Mckinsey

“24 percent of U.S. consumers do not expect to feel comfortable going back to a shopping mall for at least six months.” – RetailWire

Be Ready to Re-Open. Spread the Word.

It is crucial that your web presence is visible to your customer base before you re-open. Is your brand showing up when customers search for you? Are you active on the right social media platforms? Are you investing in your online visibility and can you measure the results?

There are 3 steps to improve your business’s visibility while re-opening.

  1. Create an effective online marketing strategy
  2. Understand how best to effectively use digital platforms
  3. Optimize your Google Business listing – especially for local businesses.

Create an Effective Online Marketing Strategy for Re-Opening

There are several things to keep in mind when you create a strategy for how you want to reopen your business and define your brand. These include:

Let’s use a car dealership in Pennsylvania which initially was completely closed down when Governor Wolf mandated forced business closings in March of 2020. Local car dealers had to quickly pivot and retool their processes to begin selling cars online as soon as that was made available to them at the end of March. Applying the framework, here is how the PA Car Dealership created an effective online marketing strategy and transition to a virtual car buying process:

How to Effectively Use Online Platforms to Announce a Business Re-Opening

Using Social Media to announce your business re-opening should be done thoughtfully. You will need to create content with the dates and details that customers need to know. This can include a series of social posts that you can schedule across platforms. Make this content fun and engaging with a call to action like “come in today” or “shop our new online store!”

There are many ways to creatively use Facebook to announce your business re-opening. Create an event for your Grand Re-opening and invite everyone you know including your business page likes and followers.

Make sure to add plenty of Hashtags. Use popular hashtags, such as #shoplocal, #grandopening, or create your own branded hashtag to create buzz around your business such as #boomtownisopen #boomtownsgrandopening

Social platforms are the perfect way to connect with your customers and listen to what they have to say. Search other social platforms and interact with your potential customers there to better understand their pain points during this time. Then tailor your content to display how you can help.

Email is another crucial tool to have in your business reopening arsenal. Now is a time when you really don’t have to worry about the frequency of your emails. Over-communicate and over-prepare. Some tools to consider if you don’t already have a set email delivery system are MailChimp and Constant Contact.

Content Preparation for Re-Opening a Business

You’ll need to plan and continuously create specific content about your grand re-opening including social distancing changes, changes to store hours, how customers can contact you, sanitation precautions, and more. You can try providing an incentive to share this content with others, and you can use surveys to ask your customers what they need right now. We have found using LinkedIn Lists for B2B emails can be helpful.

Often it is necessary to write a Press Release and pay to have it published on PRweb to create guaranteed traffic to your site and reach a larger audience. In your release, you can mention an incentive to come back such as an in-person discount, special giveaway, or contest announcement.

Another way to really take advantage of content marketing during your reopening process is to try some cross-promotion with your partners or other related businesses in order to publish content on each other’s blog and social media. To do this, come up with a joint strategy that focuses on writing relevant and shareable topics for your blog and partner’s blogs. Then if possible add posts for relevant news sites.

How to Utilize Digital Advertising Platforms During your Re-Opening

Depending on your needs an advertising platform will provide you with instant visibility but you will be charged per click or impression. Some companies like Google and Bing are offering $150 credit or other incentives (grants from Google allow for free ads depending on your spend before the pandemic). You can run ads that display search results, promote local listings, or focus on retargeting visitors to your site who did not complete a goal. Facebook, the most popular social media site has a very visual focus on their ads, and you can highly target them. Here you’ll pay for impressions. If your business is B2B you may consider advertising on LinkedIn and possibly trying their Inmail advertising feature. Regardless of the platform you choose, your reopening ads should target a specific geographical area, describe how your business is now open and provide information on incentives for your services or products. Your ad language should remain strategic and specific, and avoid ambulance-chasing type gimmicks that platforms may not use.

Every Business (Open or Closed) Should Optimize its Google Listing

Use your Google My Business to announce your business reopening. You can also provide promotional offers and post these here as well. You can set up different offers for new customers or those who are returning. Post plenty of photos and videos to show customers what they can expect when they visit. There have been many changes over the past few months to Google Listing Policies, so it is important to check back with Google often. These are some of the features around the pandemic that are currently present on Google My Business:

Communication – Protecting your Current Customer Base

This includes communicating changes to your business and adding Information about the COVID shutdown procedures to your website. Customers and employees alike will want to understand how to stay safe while shopping.

Retail Stores are Starting to Reopen

“24 percent of U.S. consumers do not expect to feel comfortable going back to a shopping mall for at least six months. Another 26 percent were not sure when they would feel comfortable, or offered no opinion.” – RetailWire

“Even when stores do open again, consumers may not be eager to go into physical locations.” – Retaildive.com

“Customers and associates alike will want to see clear guidelines on staying safe while shopping.” – Retaildive.com

Without a vaccine or understanding of how many people are immune due to a lack of testing, social distancing will likely remain.

Social Distancing in a retail environment includes:

Add a Resource Page About COVID-19 to your Website

Across a range of industries, COVID-19 affects your audience (no matter what your business is) and it’s important to update visitors on what adjustments you’re making as a result of the rapidly changing world we’re living in. – NewMediaCampaignblog

Options for Covid-19 Content on your site

Have a primary landing page for all your COVID-19 content so that visitors can bookmark and easily find this page. Use the COVID-19 page to:

Content for COVID-19 pages

For most sites, their COVID-19 content is a combination of

Announce your intentions

Add Links to State Legislation and Regulations which Could Include:

FAQ Pages for COVID-19 should also be created. These should include: answers about how your business is conducting business differently/what your business is doing to ensure the safety of customers,such as contact-less options, curbside pick up procedures, front porch drop off, store cleaning procedures, spacing policies in the store, and limits on number of customers permitted at a time.

Operations: Transitioning to a Virtual Marketplace (3 Steps)

Transaction volumes [from online shopping] in most retail sectors saw a 74% increase in March, compared to the same period last year.” ACI Worldwide, an electronic payments processing company.

Step 1: Use eCommerce to Accept Online Payments

Step 2: Implement Online Scheduling and Virtual Meeting Tools

Virtual meeting tools are those such as Zoom*, Skype, Join.me, GoToMeeting*
Scheduling tools for appointments include (but are not limited to):

Step 3: Pivot the Workforce, Staff, Contractors, and Management to Fill Voids When Needed.

For example, CEOs are packing boxes to get orders delivered on-time and in full while maintaining a safe environment for employees, and call centers are taking on the workload of a traditional receptionist to handle the increase in call volume from Covid-19 questions. Physical distance changes the way managers can oversee their direct reports requiring them to use new functionalities within project management tools.

If you would like help setting up your digital marketing business reopening strategy, Boomtown Internet Group is here to help. We have been working closely with our current clients as they reopen, managing their digital footprint, and reach. Give us a call or email us to tell us about your specific needs at (888) 454-3330 or info@boomtownig.com.