Here are two factors you MUST address with your marketing today.
Hello everybody. Cebron Walker from Walker Kreative. In this blog (and the video below) we’re going to go over two things which are key right now in this crisis for small business owners and practice owners. These are pivots to make that will put you in a powerful position now and as we come out of this moment in history.
Adjust your mindset.
First, it’s a mindset. It’s that mindset that you’re going to grow and prosper out of this. You’re not going to back off, but you’re going to communicate, you’re going to connect, and you’re going to build trust. You’re going to be in communication with your community, with your clients, with your customers, with your potential customers. You are going to be a leader at this time. You are going to share a positive message, images, and possibly video.
It’s a tone thing. Your tone of voice, the way you carry yourself. You understand what’s happening, but you’re not a victim. You are staying positive that this too shall pass. And while it’s happening you will be a good husband, a good wife, a good parent a good owner. You’re saying, “This is what I’m doing. I’m staying active. My phones are manned. If there are emergencies, I want to be here for you. Here’s even my cell phone number. If you need just someone to talk to, you can call me.”
Be there for your community
Whatever your business is; if I’m a dentist, if I’m a veterinarian, if I’m a gym owner, if I’m a wealth manager, “I want to be here for you, for you to communicate to me. I’m going to keep my phones open but we’re going to get through this. This thing will end, and when it does, we’re going to grow out of it and we’re going to be better for it.”
This is so key it could be a turning point.
Getting your mindset in place. If you do, and you communicate this way, you’re going to be in that top, top percentage of business owners that are going to win right now and are going to win and grow out of this.
How do you communicate with this mindset? 
What are ways to do this? I’ll share a few examples because I have several clients I’m working with that are doing fantastic at getting out there and communicating.
First, unless your customers are of the 18 to 30 year old group who are going to be on Instagram, and some businesses are focusing on that and that’s fine, but a lot of my clients and most of the people that I work with are more of the 35, 40 and above audience. For that audience, your key social media platform to be working on is Facebook. Then after Facebook, of course, you have YouTube, and you have your Google My Business page, and we’ll get into a couple of those things.
Get active on Facebook.
Don’t back down right now. Share what you’re doing. If you’re isolated at home, then take pictures of what your family is doing. Take pictures the projects with the kids. If you’re building a sandbox in the backyard take a video. Or maybe you’re swimming in your pool or maybe you’re baking a cake in the kitchen. I know it may seem awkward, but the truth is, if you’re a doctor and you’re with your family doing that and you share that with your audience, you’re going to be very real to them. You’re like them.
Be human like them.
You’re dealing with the situation, but you’re being positive about it, and that’s going to build connection. That’s going to build trust because they’re going to know you as a person, they’re going to like you as a person. They’re going to see that you’re human like them, and that is going to put you above the competition.
What are other businesses doing?
I have some great examples. Shout out to Dr. Stacy Funderburk out in Illinois. She’s a veterinarian. She’s sharing great pictures of what she’s doing with her family. She’s doing contests from her veterinary office where she’s on video. Here’s another great example of Dr. Dave McDonough. Shout out to him and his guys. He’s an orthodontist in Utah, and he did a video, which you can see here, and he was just talking to his audience, just talking to his customers saying he’s there for them. He’s shared, “Look, my offices are empty.” But he wanted to be there for you, and that if there are emergencies, his phones are manned and he’ll get those calls.
Another great example is Dr. Bracker, Susan Bracker, a dentist in New York. She’s doing exercises at home and she videoed it. She’s saying, “Look, I’m staying active.” She’s taking her dog for a walk and sharing pictures of that.
Keep your social media posts simple.
I know these things sound simple, and almost, “Why would I do that?” The truth is that it enhances your connections. So, if you’re not used to doing this type of thing, get used to it. This is how you build your brand in today’s world. This is the time to share your life with your community. Use Facebook, put those posts out there.
Your mobile phone is your tool.
Use your phone. These phones are going to mean more and more as time goes on. After this is all over, more and more people are going to be using this to find out about you. That means your digital marketing strategy better be in place because it’s going to be more a virtual world than it ever was before.
The “Zoom” ideas are just going to stay in place. So, take a video, take a selfie video with your phone. Talk about what you’re doing. Talk about that you’re here for everybody, that you know this is a difficult time, but this pandemic will come to an end and we’re going to be better for it and we’re going to grow out of it.
Practice empathy.
Have empathy. Share your feelings and how you’re dealing with life. This is what people are living with right now and the more you are human like them the better. But be positive. Bring them out of the worry and fear that the media is creating.
Be where they are – social media.
They’re on their social media, be there. Communicate on Facebook, and if you have a YouTube channel, then put your videos on YouTube. And if you don’t have a YouTube channel, set one up.
Set up your Google My Business page.
As another point, Google my business. How many of you out there are using your Google My Business page? I know you may have a Google My Business page. But do you have it set up well with new photos and your current information. Does the name, address and phone number match your website exactly?
But beyond that, Google is sharp, and now you can post to your Google page. You can post every day, every couple of days, at least once a week to your Google My Business page. You can put a picture, you can put a short video, and you can put text. You can put links back to your website. So, post to your Google My Business page. It’s very big for your SEO. Okay? This is a huge tip.
In Summary – don’t sit back – this is the time to be active and communicate.
Be active right now. Be active on social media, and that includes your Google My Business page.
Number one: get into the mindset of empathy with your community, your customers, but from a leadership perspective and lead them. Be positive. Share what you’re doing in your life, share that. We will get through this together. All right?
Then, number two: get active and communicate. Communicate, build connection, build that trust. That’s going to be vital right now and into the future.
Update your website.
Finally, use this as a time to update your website as well. Get that website really put together so that people who arrive to it will become leads and they can fill in a form, get something from you or look at a new blog.
Like I said earlier, create right now. Take a moment. Write a fresh new blog about how to do something, how do you use your product or services.
My best wishes that you’re safe, that you’re healthy, and that we’re going to rapidly hopefully, get through this pandemic.
Do your best to follow the rules so that we “flatten the curve” and wrap this thing up.
Cebron
