With all of Pennsylvania still under stay at home orders, businesses pivoting to online has been crucial to staying in business. Marty McDonald runs a full service Digital Media Agency in West Chester, and has been helping his clients weather the storm with digital marketing services. In this episode, he offers some great advice to businesses looking to grow their online presence.

Find Marty McDonald

• Marty on Twitter: @martymjm
• Bad Rhino
• Bad Rhino on Twitter: @badrhinoinc
• Email info@badrhinoinc.com and mention Start Local!

Show Notes

What businesses need to be aware of during this time:

• Lots of in-person companies weren’t sure what to do
• Virtual estimates started to crop up in the construction industry
• The right tone is so important! Rewrite content to suit our changed world.
  • Make sure your copy is appropriate
  • Rewrite it if it’s not.
• eCommerce started seeing awesome results right away
• On Having a sale now:
  • Look at why you’re doing something
  • Don’t just make it a COVID-19 cash grab
• How can you help other businesses? Take a new look at their business, and determine what they need.

Everyone is wondering how they participate in this kind of economy 

• People are looking for flexibility and empathy
• You have to have a sense of purpose and a sense of where you’re going

Tips for businesses to keep going:

• Restaurants – take out / be safe
• Virtual estimates have been booming, especially in the construction industry
• “You start to see innovation”
  • AirBnB host upgraded properties, are starting to see uptick in inquiries and bookings
  • You Probably Need a Haircut
• How many people are going to continue to home school? 
• Good communication is SO important.
• Many businesses are finally starting to see why a good email or SMS list is so important.

For businesses that haven’t invested in digital marketing, where should they start? 

• If you haven’t been advertising, understand how they work – before you invest money. 
• When no one is advertising, things can become very inexpensive. 
• What’s happening now is: Everyone wants to advertise, so you’ll see a huge spike in the price. 
• Have someone who knows what they’re doing help get your online advertising campaign off the ground