Sarah Kauter: The Do’s and Don’ts of Marketing Post-Pandemic

Marketing plays a crucial part in business growth, development and ultimately, success. As we emerge from the thick of the pandemic, many businesses will need all the help they can get to claw back what they’ve lost as a direct impact of COVID-19. It’s now more important than ever to have the tools to be top of your game. Businesses need to keep pushing through marketing, building a reputation, whilst distinguishing themselves from the competition. However, with the marketing spectrum so broad, many businesses don’t know where to start and are making simple mistakes that are setting their efforts back.

‘Businessperson of the year’, Sarah Kauter, is CEO of multi-award-winning marketing and PR business, VerriBerri. Having worked in the industry for 12 years, she has noted the top tips for business growth, what works, what doesn’t and the inaccuracies to avoid. Here she shares her advice on the marketing specifics that businesses should be implementing post-pandemic, the common mistakes made and how to avoid them.
 

The Plan

 
A marketing plan ensures that you never lose sight of the bigger picture and what you’re wanting to achieve, so it’s an absolute must for any business looking to grow post-pandemic. Business owners are often left flummoxed by the sheer amount of marketing needed to put their business on the map. Then comes the realisation that there just isn’t the time available when the day-to-day running of a company is on your shoulders. Something has to give, unfortunately, this often comes in the form of the marketing taking a backfoot and the growth of the business is hindered.

Break it down, define your goals and identify where you’ll need the support. Take a look at your competitors to provide you with a useful point of comparison; their successes can give you an indication of what could work for you.

If marketing isn’t your line of expertise, then stick to what you know and find a marketing agency to help you. Expert help is always an invaluable investment to a business. Book a few consultations so that you can find the perfect marketing match for your company. This will help you to gain a better understanding of what your business could benefit from and the kind of budget you’re looking at.
 

The User-Friendly Website

 
A professional-looking website can make a huge difference when comes to sales and generating a reliable return on investment. However, many business owners believe that once the website is set up, the hard work is done. A website must be nurtured consistently to maximise its SEO value. The upkeep is often overlooked and as a result, businesses end up further and further down search engine results pages (SERPs).
 

 
If your website doesn’t look inviting, and the content isn’t relevant or concise, potential customers will not stay on it for long. Google will pick up on this and your SEO will be negatively impacted. The goal is to be seen as the ‘go-to’ expert in your field. To be considered reputable, your content must be frequent, relevant to the common searches and easy to navigate. User-friendly pages will encourage readers to engage with your site, people won’t stick around to read between the lines.
 

The Social Media

 
In today’s ever-changing digital society, social media is essential for business growth post-pandemic. If used correctly, it’s a steadfast way to gain quick, long-lasting exposure to a wider demographic and, in turn, increase your business’ revenue.

Consider the platforms most appropriate for your brand. With over a billion monthly users, Instagram is a great place to begin for many businesses. It goes without saying that content posted should be effective and appealing; any images used reflect directly on your brand. For maximum exposure, contemplate posting at times when social traffic is high to increase the engagement you receive. Similarly, lots of sporadic posting does nothing for your credibility against most platforms’ algorithms; one post a day will garner results.

Social media is used to connect and converse. If people are talking about your brand, acknowledge it for exposure. Keep an eye on the relevant hashtags to get your business noticed by the right people. Users can follow and engage with specific hashtags to stay updated on a current trend and maximising your visibility will enhance the success of your branding.

With each business so unique, there isn’t one guaranteed formula that works for everyone. Evaluate your marketing strategy to see where the gaps are. Knowing what needs improvement is the first step to helping you on your marketing journey, and this will form the basis of continued growth post-pandemic.
 
 
Written by Sarah Kauter, award-winning entrepreneur and CEO at VerriBerri Digital 

Sarah Kauter