.png)
Perhaps this goes without saying, but the Covid-19 pandemic has not been kind to businesses across the globe. A recent survey tells the story. Seventy-one percent of industry leaders rate financial impact of the virus as a top concern. Yet, there’s good news. There is a sequel and it stars the sales and marketing experts–hardworking folks with creative solutions– who push forward with innovation to propel the industry to success.
Thanks to people like you – sales and marketing professionals, your companies will come through these tough times. Below are some suggestions to help you with your responsibility to build your company’s customer base, boost revenue growth and improve cash flow.
Do your research
The Covid-19 crisis has altered the landscape; so, do your research! The effort is well worth it. Firms that have a good understanding of their current customers as well as their prospective ones come out of adversity and grow more quickly than those who do not. In the current climate, you have neither the time nor the money to pursue customers who are not interested in your services.
Test and analyze your sales and marketing strategies
Are your strategies working well? Do they need revision? Do you need to throw some out and opt for new ones? As sales and marketing professionals, you are working to save jobs and help the company move out of the economic crisis and toward revenue growth, You can lead those in departments like production, human resources and finance forward since they are counting on you for innovative ideas and solutions.
Review your online presence
Check your website. Ask yourself these questions. Is it easy to read and understand? It needs to be because customers are impatient. They do not want to wade through useless jargon. Does it send a clear message? Do the photos complement the text? Is it visually appealing? Does it need to be updated? What about SEO? Is your firm in the top tier of Google’s results? If not, seek solutions immediately as most of the search engine traffic on the internet utilizes Google.
Review your social media presence
As a marketing professional, you have a responsibility to be sure your organization has as positive a social media presence as possible. More and more, customers are relying on social media for business referrals. They like to see businesses impacting the community for good. So, review and evaluate. In many ways, social media is like advertising. It can be hard to measure its effectiveness. You may not know how much it will help your company; but you know that if you do not get on social media, your sales are likely not going to be where they should be.
Identity Resolution Boosts Customer Loyalty
Consider Identity Grids, or ID grids as they are sometimes labeled, and Identity Resolution software for your digital marketing strategy. Identity grids show data that has been assembled from digital footprints customers leave behind on their devices–smartphones, laptops, etc. Identity resolution is the process of securing the data from across those devices in a way that protects a person’s privacy. Tech giants like Google and Amazon have been using this type of digital marketing effectively; and, it is now available to small and medium sized businesses. This information is quite accurate and is vital to providing personalized service to both current and potential customers, it removes the “hit and miss” strategy of targeted advertising. Identity resolution has been called the future of commerce since it builds on the trust and loyalty customers have with you with the speed and accuracy they expect.
Communicate your findings
Perhaps your research has shown a new customer base emerging. Or, perhaps it has shown that current customers need the company to communicate more frequently and effectively. Maybe some portions of the workforce can continue to work well remotely? Perhaps you have concluded that In the B2B community, cloud services and online meetings can be highly effective for you. The next step is to communicate your findings.
Attitude is everything
Your excitement about the changes ahead will certainly help keep the level of morale up in an industry that is looking to sales and marketing to bring hope in the current crisis. So, speak positively. Be an encourager. Be a motivator. Remember, attitude is everything. Out of tragedy comes triumph. It has happened throughout history, and it can happen today too.
