Politicians, scientists, economists, and business leaders all have different views on the subject of reopening our economy after necessary (and apparently effective) social distancing. While it’s hard to get consensus on the delicate balance between protecting lives and rescuing the economy, there are a few tools and resources I want to share with you today to make it easier for you to re-engage and reopen your own economy.
As a business leader or marketing director, you get to choose how you respond to the challenges. You can stay frozen in fear, or you can move forward in a smart and empathetic way that will keep you connected with your customers when things reopen.
Many businesses are finding that they need to completely retool their marketing efforts, as social distancing requirements shut down or otherwise alter their current plans. Businesses are also working hard to do more with less, which sometimes means sharing the workload with someone who may not be as experienced or who already has a full plate.
Because we live in the fast-paced digital marketing world every day, we want to share some resources that you can use to collaborate with and train your marketing team to make the most of the opportunities that are emerging. Many organizations are providing free or low-cost training during this challenging time, so it’s a great chance to brush up on skills, retrain an employee, or find new ways to get your message across to your customers.
Facebook Ads
For most businesses, there’s no better way to reach your at-home audience than on Facebook. Here are some resources to help you get started.
- Facebook’s Blueprint can help you learn the basics about and get started advertising on Facebook.
- Facebook’s ad library enables you to spy on competitors and brainstorming.
- With Kapwing, make quick FB video creatives without a designer.
- Canva offers creative design tools for noncreative people.
- Buffer provides excellent content and tools to help you on your social media journey.
SEO Training Resources
One marketing activity that you should keep working on even in a downturn is SEO. Results from SEO come from steady, disciplined efforts. Here are some great resources to help you on your way.
Moz Training (SEO Training)
Moz is a long time industry leader and creates loads of premium content that is free through the end of May.
Udemy Local SEO Training
Udemy offers tons of free, easy to implement ideas that will help local businesses get found for more local search queries.
Google Analytics Training
Google Analytics Academy is your natural first place to learn about Google Analytics. Enjoy free and lots of in-depth content.
Backlinko
Backlinko’s Brian Dean is one of the smartest digital marketers I’ve met. His SEO training content is consistently top-ranked.
General
Learn Google Ads (PPC)
Wordstream consistently publishes valuable content, and its free Learn PPC course is a great place to start advertising on Google.
Q&A Webinar Replay
Learn tips and tricks from experienced internet marketing experts by watching 5K | Formerly Conklin Media’s Q&A webinar.
edX’s University-Level Marketing Classes
With edX, learn digital marketing, social media marketing, marketing analytics and more from top universities such as Columbia, University of California at Berkeley and University of British Columbia.
Work from Home
Free Zoom Background Maker
Use Canva’s Zoom Virtual Background Maker to create a virtual background for Zoom—even if you’re not a designer. Hide that ceiling fan and the “Live, Laugh, Love” sign in the background and make your new home office appear as fantastical as you want.
Eliminate Background Noise on Calls
Prior to quarantine, AI noise-processing app Krisp was already in my work-from-home toolkit. This app wipes away background noise from barking dogs and crying children. Krisp works automagically and changes the game for work-from-home meetings and calls.
Work-From-Home Productivity Guide
The Krisp team gathered some excellent work-from-home productivity tips. Check them out to keep your team at optimal effectiveness!
Record Your Screen and Camera
Loom has been a go-to app for me since I started working from home more than a year ago, and it’s become more useful than ever. Loom is one of the best apps to capture what’s on your screen in an easy and quick way to share with colleagues or customers. The company offers a generous free version that will serve the needs of most users.
