Are you ready to exploit the post-lockdown opportunities in your market?

​We don’t know when it’ll happen (maybe it’s already happening for you) but sooner or later, your customers will emerge from lockdown and need what you offer. Your marketing needs to be ready for this. Here are the steps to get ahead of your competitors in the post-lockdown period.

1. Get your strategy sorted

If you haven’t already, now’s the time to put a clear strategy in place. This strange period has given us all a new perspective on our businesses. You’re probably working from home right now or, if you’re back in the office, then I doubt it looks the same as it did 3 months ago.
 
As business owners, we know everything there is to know about our businesses. This is why it can be extremely difficult to see our business from our customer’s perspective. This perspective is essential to good marketing because our aim is to make it really easy for people to buy. Without this perspective, we're blind to the issues that prevent our customers moving forward in their buying decision.
 
This is why doing your own marketing strategy is difficult. I know this because I find it difficult to do it for my own business! It’s not about expertise or knowledge it's just about getting the necessary perspective.
 
Use this new perspective as an opportunity to step back and set a big-picture strategy that’ll drive business growth in the long-term. If you need help with this, let me know.

2. Get ready for more market changes

Markets change all the time and businesses adapt and survive, or they don't. The winners are the people who can adapt quickest. We saw this in March when we had a phenomenal market change. Suddenly, almost every business had to rethink the way they delivered value to their customers. There are businesses that haven’t survived and there are also businesses that are exceptionally busy right now. The survivors adapted quickly to deliver value to their customers when it was needed.
 
As lockdown eases, we'll have a series of market shifts again. New problems will arise for our customers that didn’t exist before. (Read my blog, "Marketing in a pandemic: what does your market need right now?".) If your business can adapt quickly to solve these problems then you will gain the advantage.

​We can’t predict exactly what these market changes will be, but the businesses that understand their audience will be able to adapt effectively and quickly. With a clear strategy in place, you can then consider likely post-lockdown scenarios and prepare for them.

3. Let everyone know you’re still here

Unfortunately, not every business will survive. If your marketing isn’t keeping you visible to your audience, they might assume you’ve gone under. Or they may even forget about you, perhaps because the things that usually trigger them to think of you are no longer there.
 
Now is the time to start increasing your visual presence, whether that’s via social media, advertising or PR. This is especially important if you’ve been a bit quiet over the last 2 months. This is much easier when you know your audience because you know where your audience is likely to see you.

Do you have a strategy ready to exploit post-lockdown opportunities?

This time tomorrow you could have a clear strategy for your business and a 1-page marketing plan that you're confident will increase sales. What impact would that one-day investment make?
 
Every day, I see the impact a strategy and clear plan makes on a business. This is why I created my “One Day Marketing Machine” online workshop. It’s entirely self-guided so you can do it wherever and whenever is convenient. And you can complete it in just one day. What a difference that day would make!
 
If you're not yet ready for when your customers come out of lockdown, this needs to be top of your to-do list. Book a day out of your diary now because this workshop will be the most valuable exercise you do this year. If you don’t get value for money, I’ll gladly refund you in full.
 
Find out more and watch the first video of the workshop here.