The 12 Best Resources on Marketing a Small Business During the Pandemic

This year, business owners and marketers faced a new challenge: marketing during a pandemic. With a change in consumer behavior due to social distancing and local shutdowns came the need to pivot marketing strategies, adjust operations, and figure out how to not only keep businesses running but keep people coming in – either virtually or in-person.

While business owners were navigating this change, marketing companies, publications, and industry experts were creating resources to provide them with the best data, projections, and tips to succeed.

We’re rounding up the 12 best resources that were created during this time to help small businesses continue navigating marketing during the pandemic.

1. How COVID-19 Has Impacted Google Ads Results for 21 Industries [Data]

It’s always helpful to have some concrete data to back up your marketing moves – especially in times of uncertainty. WordStream looked at the data from thousands of advertisers to determine how COVID-19 was impacting Google Ads results.

They even broke down the results by industry to give your specific business a better idea of what you could potentially expect if you were running PPC at the time.

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This data came at the perfect time when many businesses were unsure how — or if — their campaigns were impacted by the pandemic and gave some much-needed guidance on how to move forward.

2. Crisis marketing: How brands are addressing the coronavirus

Sometimes when you’re stuck or in need of inspiration, it’s helpful to see what other businesses are doing. This post from Google outlines how six businesses responded to the pandemic through their marketing and provided tips that any business could use.

Google also put together a whole microsite dedicated to coronavirus-specific marketing resources.

3. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Marketing & Ad Spend Impact: Report + Stats

We love a good stats roundup post, especially when it’s constantly updated and contains valuable information about consumer behavior. This post from Influencer Marketing Hub houses some great insights into the way consumers across the globe have adapted during the pandemic as well as data on how businesses are spending their marketing budgets.

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This report was last updated in September, so it continues to have relevant data and statistics your small business can use to inform your marketing strategy.

4. Creating Your 30/60/90-Day Marketing Plan Around Coronavirus

At the onset of the pandemic in the US in March, many of us believed we would be returning to “normal life” in just a couple of weeks. As it became clear that wasn’t the case, we created this guide to help small business owners plan their marketing in 30-day increments. By breaking down the planning in this way, it becomes more manageable and realistic.

Our guide even contains editable templates to help busy business owners jot down quick ideas to execute on later.

5. 10 Expert Tips on Marketing During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis

The team at MarTech Advisor talked to 10 marketing experts about their best tips for businesses pivoting their marketing. The tips range from how to communicate with customers to how to adjust your pricing model to continue bringing in revenue during slower times.

We love hearing how the experts are adjusting their marketing plans along with business owners, so this was an especially insightful read.

6. Marketing Your Business In The Midst Of COVID-19: 5 Tips To Stay Afloat

This post from Forbes has some pretty great and actionable tips for business owners. We particularly liked their tips around using social media to keep your business in front of customers throughout the pandemic. Social media has always been important for local businesses, but this year, it became even more essential.

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Forbes’ tips around running a contest, posting more frequently on social media, and promoting special offers were great reminders for business owners.

7. Navigating COVID-19: A Simplified Guide to Resources for SMBs

Our friends at WordStream did some amazing research and work to compile a comprehensive list of resources for small businesses. They broke down useful tips into step-by-step instructions with resources from reputable sources and other publications.

So, if you’re looking for additional resources to help you navigate challenges, make updates to your website, or adjust your messaging, they’ve got you covered.

8. Use Google Trends to Create More Relevant Content in 5 Easy Steps

For many business owners and marketers, the onset of the pandemic resulted in a complete pivot away from their established marketing plans. That was definitely the case for us at LOCALiQ. So, in order to ensure we were creating the most relevant content, we used Google Trends to see how people were searching and to see the change in search trends.

We put this post together to show you how you can use Google Trends to create content that resonates with your customers – during the pandemic and after.

9. Coronavirus Small Business Resources Guide

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce put together some helpful resources specifically for small businesses to help them navigate the pandemic.

This site includes information ranging from dealing with creditors to cutting costs and boosting your online presence.

10. How COVID-19 Has Affected Small Business Marketing Requirements [Infographic]

This post from Social Media Today includes a helpful infographic with data from a survey conducted by Bluehost about how business owners feel the pandemic will impact their marketing in the future.

The survey found that over 70% of business owners are optimistic about their future and 75% of business owners expect sales to increase in the new year. This data is helpful for small businesses navigating the pandemic because they can get a sense for how other business owners are reacting and planning for 2021.

11. 6 ways small businesses can market themselves in a post-COVID-19 world

Obviously, the pandemic will end, and people will begin returning to “normal” life. It may take a while, but it’s always good to be prepared. This post from Business Insider outlines some suggestions proactive business owners can incorporate into their planning.

These tips include getting the word out about reopenings or promotions, updating your social media pages, and offering reassurance to customers who may just be venturing out.

12. The True Story of How Marketing Helped This New Business Open During the Pandemic

We’ll end this list with a personal favorite. We’ve been privileged to speak with many small business owners throughout 2020 about their challenges and what they’ve done so they can still be successful in such a tumultuous year.

In this post, we spoke with Ross Ericksen who opened his business, The Axe And Ale, during the pandemic. Because opening a new business isn’t nerve-wracking enough!

Ericksen worked with our team to get his marketing ready to open a new business, host a (safe!) grand opening event, and keep people informed on the precautions The Axe And Ale was taking to ensure safety. His business has been doing great since opening, and he’s seen a lot of success from his efforts on social media — it’s a great story!

Marketing Your Small Business During a Pandemic in 2021

Hopefully, our full 2021 won’t be filled with the pandemic, but as we all know now: it’s best to be prepared. As we continue navigating marketing small businesses during a pandemic, the tips, insights, data, and expert experiences shared in these resources can help set us all up for a successful new year, regardless of what comes our way!