Five great marketing tips to get customers back to your business after Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a lot of change in the world, especially the way in which customers behave and how businesses need to react and function. Social distancing and reduced contact is the new normal, with customers rightly becoming more aware of their shopping and social behaviours.

Now more than ever, small businesses need to be using technology to meet the needs of their customers and to reinstate confidence in their products and services.

The hospitality trade has undoubtedly undergone one of the biggest transformations as an industry, with increased need for reducing risk of infection for both staff and customers whilst still providing a pleasant customer experience.

Here are five things hospitality businesses can implement right now to gain more customers during these difficult times:

1. QR Codes

This is simple and accessible technology that allows customers to view information such as menus instantly on their iPhone - reducing the risk of germs passed by one customer to another by eliminating the handling of plastic or paper menus.

QR is short for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a mobile phone). They are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to your mobile phone.

QR codes can be linked to URLs, website pages, PDF documents, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, SMS - countless ways to relay information to customers. Simply provide a QR image to a table in a restaurant for example, and customers can quickly scan and look at a menu in seconds on their own phone.

2. Photography

It's likely that the first impression potential customers will get of your business will be via a website or social media channels, so it's very important your products and venue are presented well. Whether you're marketing food products, run a restaurant or need images for a recipe book, using engaging, professional and aesthetically pleasing images is critical to the success of your business. Enticing images increase the likeliness of a customer buying on impulse and can be the difference between a sale and a lost customer. A key piece of advice is: customers buy with impulse and then justify with logic.

3. Video

Video is an excellent way of engaging with customers and showcasing products, whether it is a venue, service or food product. It is also a useful tool to reach more potential customers on social media channels, as video is favoured over plain text posts on sites such as Facebook. Video can be used in lots of creative ways, perhaps to showcase a new menu, or to give a virtual tour of a restaurant so customers can know what to expect when they arrive. This is also a fantastic way of communicating any extra safety measures that have been applied post Covid-19, reassuring customers that their safety is a priority.

4. Local Marketing

Marketing is so important as it gets products or services in front of the right audience. The bottom line of any business is to make a profit and marketing is an essential channel to reach that end goal. Without effective marketing, many businesses wouldn't exist. Simply put, if customers don't know about a product or service, and if it's presented to them badly, they won't be buying anything.  

Social media is a huge part of marketing and is a great way to bridge the gap between a business and its customers. I recommend posting at least twice a day on social media channels, so customers can keep up to date with the latest news, products and great deals. And of course, don't forget to use good images!

If you don't have time to market your business, or if you feel you need some advice to create an effective marketing strategy, we can help. At NTO Media we pride ourselves on having an expert team and can help with marketing tailored to any business and audience. It's not as expensive as you might think, and is an investment into the future success of a business.

5. Use Facebook Wi-Fi

It has never been more important to take advantage of Facebook Wi-Fi especially in these difficult unprecedented times with the Covide-19 crisis. Facebook Wi-Fi is a powerful marketing tool.

Just to give you some idea of how this works - imagine a customer is dining in a restaurant. They see that they can log in to Wi-Fi for free. As soon as they sign in, automatically the captive portal sends them to the Facebook page for that restaurant, where they have to log in to Facebook.  So how does this help you as a small business owner? Every time someone checks into your business on Facebook, it's shared with all of the Facebook friends of that customer. This means for every one customer that checks in to your business, there is the potential for it to be seen by hundreds of new people.

With customers using Facebook Wi-Fi to get connected, they'll be able to engage with the business online, check ongoing promotions and like the business Facebook page, which increases the online presence and awareness of the business. Whether you run a small tea shop or a busy boutique, having reliable, quick, and easy Facebook Wi-Fi could be key to the performance of your business.

I specialise in Facebook training and marketing strategies and offer one to one tuition and group workshops tailored to your specific business requirements. I also provide a bespoke content creation service, using professional photography and video to boost your business model and get you noticed fast. Contact me for more information on marketing ntomedia5@gmail.com or check out my website www.newtricksonline.co.uk"

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