How you can digitally support your sales partners in times of the Corona virus

Closed shops, restaurants and workshops, exit restrictions and a ban on contacts - all of these things make your day-to-day work much more complicated for you, but also for your local sales and distribution partners. How can customers be addressed when nobody can come to the branch and are there any possibilities to switch to digital sales channels so quickly?

With these ten tips you can give your local partners the best possible support, even in times of the Corona Virus, and drive local digitization in the long term.

1. Digital mailings

One of the simplest changes for your partners could be to digitize the otherwise printed mailings and send them as newsletters. In this way delivery delays caused by the post or general waiting times at the print shop can be avoided and your partners can approach local customers on a daily basis. Existing customers can thus be informed and informed about current promotions directly. Support this by providing your partners with templates and suggestions for digital mailings.

2. Postings and ads on social media

If you now enable your partners to discover social media such as Facebook or Instagram as an advertising platform, they can also achieve advertising success in Corona times. People are currently spending a lot of time at home and trying to pass the time with social media, which increases screen time and social media is particularly busy. Thus, the platforms currently also offer the ideal place for marketing to place advertising or publish content. Use this opportunity by providing your partners with posting and advertising ideas and they can be booked and published directly.

3. Local listings

Due to the daily changing regulations, there can be quick and serious changes to the opening times of the individual branches. Be it that a store may only be open between certain times of the day, completely close or be reopened to the public. All of this should be communicated to customers quickly and easily. Support your partners by enabling them through local listing functions to keep all directory entries (Google & Co) up to date and to publish uniform information.

4. Website / landing page

In times when little customer contact is possible and day-to-day business is a bit quieter, you can give your partners the opportunity to revise the foundations for general digitalization. The time gained can be used to expand your own company website and thus contribute to better search engine optimization and higher rankings on Google (and other search engines). Support the partners by providing templates for landing pages or microsites and presenting these digital sales platforms.

5. Google Ads

Not only the organic search engine optimization through up-to-date directories and optimized websites and landing pages lead to being at the top of the search results. Now is also a good time to invest in Google Ads (SEA). In this way, your partners can be found with immediate effect on the relevant local search queries, catch the eye directly and acquire new prospects and customers online. With the right help on your part, the partners can book these ads easily and without much prior knowledge and use them directly.

6. Online banners

Since it is not only possible to advertise online on your own website or in search engines, it is also advisable to take a look at relevant banner advertising. Especially for partners who rely on printed advertisements in newspapers in their classic advertising, banner advertising can be a skilful digital alternative. Here your partners can be linked directly to other websites and address the right target group, which is currently on the various websites due to the high level of Internet use. The statistics, such as the number of clicks, can be used to quickly and directly read the success of this form of advertising.

7. Digital out-of-home

Even if your partners will not think of out-of-home marketing directly due to exit restrictions, you can offer them marketing opportunities in this area. Display advertising in local retail stores, such as supermarkets, petrol stations or train stations, also works during the pandemic. Due to the many closings, people are concentrated in public at individual locations. These locations can be used specifically to reach as many people as possible digitally, but in their everyday lives.

8. Moving picture

Thanks to the many digital marketing options, you can also support your partners in filling these platforms in a versatile and creative way. Compared to classic print products, more multimedia can be used in the digital form. Video productions such as short action videos or animations are also suitable for being published on social media, the website, integrated in a banner or even on the monitor in the city. These moving image formats directly attract more attention when scrolling or walking past than a comparable graphic.

9. Expand service

Offer your partners the opportunity to use this time, in which customer contact is severely limited and thus more freedom for other tasks, and to emerge from the crisis stronger. Services such as photographic support in the office or at the point of sale can provide meaningful images or layout and graphic services can improve the design of the website. These service offers can also be carried out with little personal contact and bring with them optimizations that have positive effects even after the crisis.

10. Offer contact person

In order to survive in times of crisis, it is important for your partners, but also for you, to see that they trust each other and support each other by going through this time together. Through a constant exchange and opportunities for queries, you position yourself as an available contact person and can provide support. In addition, you can use targeted advertising grants to directly support your partners in the selection of the relevant advertising materials and, if necessary, to provide them with financial relief.

Together with your partners, try to master the challenges and to take advantage of the opportunities that this crisis offers. If you act now, you can counteract the negative restrictions and drive local digitization.