The novel coronavirus has brought life to a standstill. Lockdowns ordered by governments have squeezed business profits. Remote working arrangements have restricted everyone to virtual socialization. The impact to health and life from the disease outbreak has taken a toll on our mental well-being.

For software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses, the crisis is a time for building and strengthening relationships based on a foundation of trust and empathy. It is also a period for review, slowing down to assess marketing processes and customer experiences to initiate improvements that drive better outcomes once the crisis passes.

Here are some tips on managing your marketing and navigating your business during the COVID-19 crisis.

Stay informed on the latest COVID-19 news

Stay updated on government announcements regarding the lifting of lockdowns, social distancing rules in public spaces, or specific requirements for businesses if they reopen offices. Governments around the world have also committed to providing coronavirus stimulus packages for businesses and are offering support in different ways. It’s crucial for businesses to monitor these developments and to watch how the global situation evolves, so you can plan effectively for your employees, customers, and overall operations.

There are many great resources out there to do this – for instance, this is a great daily coronavirus newsletter, which gives a global and national update, news, and good business tips. Here’s another good resource which shares information and tips for businesses on navigating the coronavirus world. Various newspapers and publications are also offering daily updates. Choose to follow a few good resources without getting unnecessarily overwhelmed at the same time.

Bring content marketing to the frontline

Remote learning and working tools have seen a surge in sign-ups following the pandemic. Restrictions on living a physical life have meant more hours before devices. For SaaS marketers, content marketing is a game-changer during the crisis.

  • Interactive webinars encourage a more engaged audience. Hold a free weekly webinar sharing solely informational content that addresses your audience’s biggest COVID-related fears.
  • Pivot blog content to the immediate concerns and needs of your audience. Explain how your product can help customers who’re working from home. Focus on content that makes their life easier during lockdown, avoiding sales pitches completely.
  • Channel social media attention by addressing and talking about the concerns and issues of your customers in the present situation. Empathetic messaging and helpful resources will go a long way in building your brand.

It is important to keep the tone of blog content and webinars empathetic and optimistic. Offer up facts and data-backed advice, being there to help rather than sell.

Spend more time on forums

With online communication taking precedence during lockdown, you’re likely to find many prospects hanging out on forums such as Quora, Reddit and Google Product Forums to stay informed and connected. Showcasing your authority on forum sub-communities can bring many qualified leads your way.

Be a part of conversations where you can provide insights to prospects seeking ways to overcome some aspect of their business or work that has been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Participation on forums shouldn’t be limited to answering questions. Also post links to your blog or a great free resource.

Re-evaluate your SEO and paid campaigns

What has been the impact to website traffic from the pandemic? Perhaps traffic has dropped off quite a bit. Or maybe traffic has remained similar but conversions have been impacted. If your SaaS tool aids remote workers, you may have seen an increase in traffic.

Using Google Analytics to make sense of the data is necessary to understand which pages are in high demand and how keyword rankings have been affected. As the COVID-19 crisis has changed Google Search, you may want to explore search trends and intent. Incorporate the findings into your blog posts and any COVID-19 related messaging for clients.

Online businesses are continuing to advertise on Facebook and Google, whose ad prices are at record lows in the aftermath of the outbreak. There are more people on Facebook to see your ads, which is an encouraging development to increase your spend and benefit from lower cost per impressions (CPMs).

Reasses the keywords and messaging of your PPC campaigns. Add new negative keywords to improve your campaign’s relevancy to your audience. Think about improving your value proposition – a premium feature at not extra cost or additional online training to help your audience maximize benefits from your product.

Make improvements to branding

Brand will still matter, and may matter more in some cases. Use the time to review your website’s content. A/B test landing pages to increase click-throughs to your app. Plan your social media content calendar or see if you can find ways to repost or repurpose older content that may be relevant to the present environment.

Your customer onboarding could be ripe for enhancements or changes. If your product is evolving, perhaps you need to increase high-touch onboarding that provides more touchpoints with a customer relationship manager? Do a deep dive into how you can improve the journey from free trial to paying subscribers.

This too shall pass

The 2020 Subscription Impact by Zuora and this survey of 12 SaaS businesses’ coronavirus business experience found that a majority of SaaS companies have not been substantially impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Whether your business is contracting or subscriber acquisition rates have never been higher, the right marketing actions can tide your company over until normalcy is restored. To recap:

  • Track pandemic-related news
  • Pivot your content to customers’ immediate concerns and needs
  • Reassure and help customers via webinars
  • Amplify presence on online forums
  • Spot opportunities to improve branding and onboarding