Put Four Things On Your To-Do List.

During a crisis like this one, marketing can feel insensitive — and ineffective. But it’s not — if you do it right. Here are four things every business owner or marketer should be doing to quietly build momentum toward a recovery. And one thing you shouldn’t be doing.

SEO

Use all that free time and talent to optimize your website for search engines. Compile a “punch list” of updates and additional content you can create. See what search terms people use most when they’re looking for a company like yours. Build content around those. 

Add captions and tags to photos and videos. Stockpile blog posts and build a calendar so updates are already scheduled. Write case studies. Gather testimonials. Get ahead.

Social Media

Don’t go dark on social media. But don’t be tone deaf, either. Offer real value rather than calling attention to yourself. Educate. Inform. Ask how your audience is doing. 

Follow your followers. Be generous with comments, likes and shares. Link your own posts back to relevant content on your website. Be a positive force.

Set Your Sights

Make time now to build a deeper and more robust prospect list. Do research on them. Find out everything you can. Devour their websites, media mentions and social media accounts. Map out your prospect’s journey and refine every touch point now. 

Create or update the content you need, from digital ads and lead generators to emails, sales letters, samples, notes and direct mail pieces. If your B2B prospects are still working, as many essential businesses are, have lunch delivered.  

Video

Prospects love video. Search engines do, too. If you’re not already using video to connect with your audience, now is the time. Start by brainstorming topics. Think bite-size — just a minute, and no longer than two. Pack three practical points into 120 seconds or less — points that help your prospects in some way. 

Find a quiet, well-lit spot with a nice background and good acoustics, and start recording. Or order lights, a good camera and a microphone, and shoot for studio quality. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can stockpile a video library for your website, social media and more.

What to Avoid

If you’re doing good things for those in need, as a lot of companies are, keep it to yourself. Nothing feels quite as unseemly as a business promoting its own generosity during a crisis. Let others do that for you. Just do the good deed and leave it at that.

Keep your hands clean. Keep your distance. Keep your cool. And keep working on your marketing.