The COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to adapt and embrace technologies and services that they are not accustomed to using if they want to stay afloat. Many small business owners who may not have felt it necessary to have a website, use social media, and engage in digital marketing are now looking for ways to take their small business digital.

Create a Powerful Social Media Presence

Small businesses thrive on the relationships they build with customers. However, many of the opportunities for face-to-face contact with customers have been limited. Social media provides small businesses with another opportunity to reach their customers.

Many small businesses, approximately 88 percent of them, already invest in social media in some form or another. However, they are not all taking advantage of this form of digital marketing as well as they should. Social media marketing should be engaging. It should highlight the hidden benefits of the product or service being offered. Reviews and positive testimonials should be used to help new customers build trust in the business. Twitter is an especially good format for positive reviews.

A strong social media presence leads to brand exposure, brand engagement, and transparent communications. This creates trust between a small business and its customer base.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique situation where people are spending a larger amount of time online. They are relying on social media to tell them what to buy and who to trust.

Develop an App for Your Business

Some small business owners mistakenly believe that a mobile app is only for large businesses. The reality is that more small and midsize businesses are taking advantage of this mobile trend. They see app building as an effective strategy to attract customers as opposed to solely having a mobile-friendly website.

You have likely noticed that many of the businesses you interact with on a daily basis have their  

own dedicated mobile app. It doesn’t matter if it is a beauty salon or a coffee shop. These small businesses are getting ahead of the curb and taking their marketing to the next level.

There is a mistaken belief that building a mobile app takes a lot of time and requires genius-level programming and design comprehension. The truth is that you can build a functional app in just minutes. There are several tools designed to make rapid mobile app development easy.

A mobile app can make your small business visible to customers at all times. Statistics show that Americans spend more than two hours each day on their mobile phones.

Apps can serve as a direct marketing channel, providing information on prices, sales, and promotions. Your customers will have the information they need right at their fingertips.

Customer engagement can be improved through mobile apps. Regardless of the product or service, a small business sells, an app gives customers a way to reach the business when they need to communicate with it.

Improve Website Marketing

If your small business does not have a website, build one. Online visibility is the key to success for businesses. A small business without a website, especially in 2020, is virtually invisible.

Web marketing is more than just having a website. It is a tool that is used to build online relationships. This can be done by creating content that provides valuable information on topics related to the products and services your small business offers.

By creating relevant, well-designed blog posts, you are able to increase your authority in your market. Web content needs to be constantly updated. This is because customer tastes are constantly changing. Add variety to your website by creating content that is both timely and offers a personal touch.

Web marketing is not a create it and leave it thing. Small businesses should constantly be evaluating their site’s traffic and their customer’s level of engagement. This will allow them to find areas to grow their business and create success.

A well thought out digital marketing campaign will benefit businesses during this unpredictable time. Small businesses needed to be forward-looking and consider how their customer base will make buying decisions in the near future. Digital marketing strategies that small businesses use can serve to build customer loyalty, grow their customer base, and increase their market presence.