The global COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected every aspect of our personal and professional lives. As the economy grinds to a halt, many businesses are forced to ask tough questions and make tough decisions.
During a time of falling revenues and continued expenses, many businesses have begun to look towards slashing budgets and cutting corners. While some businesses may be tempted to cut marketing costs in an effort to save money, doing so could put them at a serious disadvantage once this whole thing blows over.
The reality is that, at the end of this, some businesses will come out ahead, and some will have fallen behind, or fallen down altogether. The businesses that have continued to invest in digital marketing will surely have a competitive edge as their competitors slow down and lag behind.
Here are just a few reasons why we believe dispensaries should continue to invest in digital marketing during COVID-19.
Best Way to Advertise Your New Services
The current climate calls for creativity. If you’ve implemented curbside pickup, click and collect, express online ordering, delivery, or a drive-thru lane, then you not only need to share your new offerings with your current clients via SMS or email, but you also need to spread the word to potential customers in your area.
Digital marketing can help you attract new customers within your service area and market to your competitor’s customers. Using Geo-Ads and Google Ads, you can drum up interest in your new services and increase visitors to your website.
Things Will Eventually Get Back To Normal
This economic situation won’t last forever. Eventually, things will get back to normal. It may be a new, slightly different kind of normal – but nevertheless, things will normalize.
Moreover, very little will change when it comes to how we do business. Digital marketing will still be a crucial part of a sound dispensary marketing strategy. Dispensaries who stop their digital marketing services will surely be looking to restart them once business is back to normal. However, by stopping them in the first place, they may now find themselves further behind the competition, and unable to produce the same kind of results as before.
Those that continue to invest in digital marketing during this downtime will be in a prime position to quickly rebound once things get back to normal. These dispensaries will be able to gain customers and capture market share much more easily than those who are forced to restart their marketing campaigns from zero. Recovery will be much easier for dispensaries that continue to invest in long-term strategies like search engine optimization, content marketing, and brand building.
However, those who have neglected digital marketing during this time will find themselves in a less competitive position and may quickly find themselves having a harder time attracting customers and making sales than they did before.
If you don’t tear it down in the first place, you won’t find yourself having to rebuild later.
Cannabis Dispensaries Are “Essential” Businesses
While many businesses have been forced to close down, some states have designated cannabis dispensaries as “essential businesses” that need to be kept open.
While some changes may have transformed the way dispensaries do business in certain states (such as curbside pickup or delivery), many dispensaries remain open to ensure that customer demand can be met.
For dispensaries that are still open, putting the brakes on digital marketing campaigns may not only be unnecessary but may also be harmful in the long-run. For instance, an aggressive search engine optimization campaign will not only pay dividends now but also once things begin to normalize and spending returns to normal levels.
Even if your cannabis business has not been declared “essential”, you can still expect demand. The reality is that, during this time, many people are turning to cannabis products to help them relax, medicate, and enjoy their time in quarantine.
Stopping your digital marketing campaigns could lead directly to missed sales and lost customers.
People Still Need Products And Services
Even during a quarantine, people still rely on web services to find and purchase products. Although overall spending may be down during these uncertain times, consumers are still spending money. In fact, we’ve found that many consumers have been stocking up on their faves.
Digital marketing services are the best way to reach potential customers in the internet age. By continuing to effectively market your products to potential customers, you can ensure that they will continue to buy them. As long as people are still spending money, you should continue to do everything in your power to make sure they spend with you.
If you don’t have a digital marketing strategy in place, let’s start one! Call us to learn how implementing a strategy can help you now and in the future.
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