COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. We ALL are very aware of that. A majority of businesses and their employees have adjusted to working from home and company leaders hoping the storm would have passed are continually tasked with adjusting to the storm that just won’t go away,
Everyone initially was focused on getting through the crisis and on how to handle the fallout in the short-term while very few were thinking about strategies (marketing, operating or financial) on how to manage damage control for the long-term.
It goes without saying that everyone is trying to figure out how to adapt to this new normal (which in and of itself changes weekly). If you are an entrepreneur, small biz owner or even run a big brand, now is definitely the time to be thinking about the second half of 2020 and even early 2021 and how best to market your widget.
No matter how significantly the pandemic has affected your industry, odds are very high that your audience has felt the impact. Consumers are facing job losses, health concerns, and uncertainty over many facets of life in general. Studies show 62% of marketers say marketing has become more important during the pandemic. Yet the consumer landscape has shifted with situations, challenges, and priorities having been drastically altered.
You simply can’t keep pushing out your default marketing campaigns hoping to engage the same audiences without a few necessary tweaks. Some of our re-tool® clients back in March/April wanted to hit pause and wait for things to get back to the way they were. We cautioned against that because as we blogged about earlier this spring being proactive rather than reactive is nearly always a better path forward.
None of us have a crystal ball about what the next few months look like and we can only venture a guess that things as we once knew them will continue to be disrupted but every dark cloud has a silver lining. And while you should not be entirely focused on how you can boost revenue right now, changing your marketing strategy could actually improve your bottom line in the long run. Every new customer you reach now who converts could potentially become a raving fan to your brand well after the crisis ends.
Here are a few golden nuggets to wrap your head around regarding the relevancy of your marketing and how to best go about it during today’s current climate:
- Online engagement is up right now as social distancing continues. Social media is a treasure chest of sorts since audiences are hanging out in droves (since there isn’t much else to do during downtime) to engage with you. Realizing the value of adapting your digital marketing options would be wise.
2. Focus on establishing trust and long-term brand building as you always have but avoid anything that comes off like a hard sell. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Make it super easy amidst all the chaos for your demographic to align with what you have to offer.
3. Maintain your standards. Don’t rush to push out messaging or new services just because everyone else seems to be. You can always repurpose what you have or offer, just come up with a clever new spin.
4. Avoid cutting back on marketing as many people did during the early weeks of COVID-19, as your marketing dollars can go much further now with pricing for all sorts of advertising at decreased rates. Has anyone else noticed all the TV ads recently for regional companies that no one has ever seen using TV ads previously? Exactly!
Making your brand the obvious and easy choice should be one of your main priorities for remaining top of mind as everyone navigates collectively this pandemic experience. Brainstorming creative marketing initiatives, crafting compelling brand stories, and digging to unearth one-of-a-kind positioning statements is our jam and an essential chain in re-tool®’s DNA so if you need some 411 (or are experiencing a 911) with your brand, we are at the ready. Check out our service suite or give us a ring-a-ling.
