A New Focus: How Small Businesses Survived With Marketing

Business owners knew they needed to make a change so their businesses could survive. Find out how digital marketing became the new focus when the environment was impacted.

With a changing world in front of them, business owners knew they needed to adapt to a new environment so they wouldn’t be left behind.

To do this, business owners across the country quickly discovered the impact of digital marketing.

With a new mindset in place, our team at RevLocal saw business owners shift their focus and figure out new ways to reach consumers. While traditional marketing has its benefits, the digital world is dominating when it comes to reaching consumers.

Not only has our team seen a change, but Facebook and the Small Business Roundtable surveyed 86,000 business owners, managers and employees from across the country to see how they are surviving this disruption.

In this blog, I’m going to discuss my belief in the correlation of our proven client success to some of the survey results related to digital marketing. Let’s get started!

Adapting to a New Situation

Many business owners didn’t fully believe in the power of digital marketing before COVID-19, but when their current marketing strategies had to be shifted, the online world saw an increase in businesses advertising online.

To adapt to this new world, 51 percent of businesses reported increasing online interaction with their customers. The health and safety of customers was a priority, but businesses still had a job to do and people to serve.

A Child and Family Psychiatry located on the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio, started utilizing telehealth when office visits became to risky. Although telehealth had always been an option, it wasn’t until the current situation that the benefits of virtual appointments were truly explored.

Allowing patients to have sessions from the comfort of their home kept this medical office’s staff safe while still providing a much-needed service.

With this update, A Child and Family Psychiatry’s digital marketing focus had to shift, too! For more consumers to know about this option, additional advertising budget was put in place to reach consumers at the right place and the right time.

And they weren’t the only ones making this change! The State of Small Business Report tells us that 40 percent of businesses are making use of online advertising to continue operating during this pandemic.

Interacting and Reaching Customers

When asked, 45 percent of businesses that remained opened found information through social media. Not only were business owners utilizing social media more, but so were consumers.

With this change, we saw many of our clients adjust their digital marketing strategies to focus on reaching consumers across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Due to the lack of personal connection, business owners had to find a way to interact with their customers in a new way, and social media was the outlet they needed to show the humanized side of their brand.

RevLocal client, Amanda Plumbing, began utilizing their social media channels even more with the help of their strategist. As a family-oriented company, they wanted to take the concerns of COVID-19 seriously but knew they needed to relay information to their customers and find a way to connect with them.

Shortly after their post explaining the situation, many grateful comments, likes and shares flooded their notifications. Their honesty and timeliness showed the business’s true colors and helped form a connection from the start.

Resilience Is Key

Businesses across the country began to struggle as sales declined, but what happens when your business is brand new right as COVID-19 hit? The owners of Vendetti’s Pizza, Pasta and Grill knew something had to change or their new business wouldn’t last through the turmoil.

With a focus on local search so hungry consumers could still find their business when searching, Vendetti’s looked to their dedicated RevLocal strategist to act quickly to make the necessary adjustments.

Because of this simple change to their digital marketing, Vendetti’s saw an increase in phone calls and online orders. Having a trusted partner that stays resilient is key to finding success.

Even though many businesses are questioning how they will continue to make a profit, 57 percent of SMBs report that they are optimistic or extremely optimistic about the future of their businesses.

We believe that being flexible and scrappy, but consistent, when it comes to digital marketing will help businesses stay on top during this confusing and challenging time.

Final Thoughts

Whether your focus is on local search, paid advertising, social media or another form of online marketing, understanding the situation and adjusting as needed will truly improve the results business owners see.

If you’d like to read the entire State of Small Business Report, click here.

At RevLocal, our team is here to handle all your digital marketing needs. We follow the latest trends, best practices and more to make sure your strategy is right for your business.

But don’t take our word for it! Check out these other client success stories:

If you have any questions or would like help with your digital marketing, please fill out this form to start working with a local digital marketing expert.