Communication is Key
Now is a critical time to communicate with your customer-base the precautions your company is taking to combat COVID-19 and what your business operations will look like during a time where people are spending more time at home. Email marketing is an inexpensive platform to utilize to stay in front of your customer’s eyes, but if you are investing in other platforms such as radio or TV, adjust your messaging to stay relevant as COVID-19 develops. For email touches, we recommend that you email your customer-base company safety precautions, any special offers and other important information your company has once a week for the next six to eight weeks.
You should aim to keep your messaging calming, comforting and encouraging and focus on safety and health and the solutions your company can provide to your customers. Something people may make a priority as they adjust to being home more is how to make their home more comfortable for themselves and their families. Problems like a faulty outlet or noisy AC system that they were able to ignore while they were spending less time at home will likely come to the forefront of their attention. People spending more time at home also means that they’ll be putting a greater demand on their systems. This gives businesses in the home services industry a unique opportunity to establish themselves as helpers in the community. The way you communicate and market your company can be what draws customers to you (or pushes them away) right now.
You’ll want to make sure you’re marketing shows that you care and that you want to help, but be careful not to be too transparent with your pricing. Be clear and informative about your products or services and let them know how you can solve their problem or improve their lives. If they’re interested, they’ll reach out to you to inquire; if they’re not, the price probably doesn’t make a difference to them.
You may want to offer some industry specials to stimulate business, but ensure that your messaging shows your customers and your community that you care and you’re there to support them. This is a valuable opportunity to create loyal customers now and for the future.
What Are Some Things You Might Offer?
- Pluming – water filtration, water softeners, reverse osmosis or insta-hot taps
- HVAC – Duct cleaning, duct straightening, duct sealing, media filters, air cleaning products like RemeHalo
The key here is to offer products that will not only make people more comfortable now, but something that will help them in the future as well. Make it easy for your customers to learn about your products and services and let them know that you’re there to help explain anything they have questions about. Other solutions you could offer right now could be buyback or trade-in options for old systems.
As a company, another way to help your customers is to appeal to your finance company to see if they can reduce the requirements for customers to get on your easy payment plan. You can also ask if they can halve your fees or waive them entirely for the next 60 days.
The most important thing for your branding right now is to let your customers know that they can rely on you for support and that you’re passionate about helping your community.
For more strategies in navigating COVID-19, visit our blogs Weathering the Storm: COVID-19 and How to Protect the Health of Your Employees from COVID-19.
