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Like many of you, our team has been following the development of the current COVID-19 pandemic and its potential effects on the business community. Here are some of our thoughts on how you can shift your marketing to keep the momentum going with what you have achieved so far through all of your diligent marketing efforts in 2020!
1. Clarity
1.1. Review your strategy
Take some time to reassess the situation. As much as we would want this to not be the case, there’s no “business as usual” during these times of uncertainty. So, do yourself a favour and take the time to review your current marketing strategy. For instance, make sure you are not running a counterproductive PPC campaign driving traffic to your facilities when your doors are closed to the public.
1.2. Update your messaging
Review your Editorial Calendars and the social media messages that were planned for the month and make sure to update the wording wherever applicable, to reflect reality. Because the global situation is changing rapidly, make sure you do not have any messages pre-scheduled, and post daily instead, just in case you need to adjust your wording.
1.3. Stay informed and listen to your customers
Stay clear on your current priorities. Monitor your website traffic and overall user behaviour online (think social media visibility and engagement) on a daily basis to spot any trends and opportunities. Remember, every storm presents us with the options for growth and improvements. Note which areas of your marketing and communications could be improved.
2. Consistency
2.1. Do not make any rushed decisions
We all know that marketing and branding only work in the environment of consistency. Do not give in to the temptation to pause all of your marketing activities right now. Of course, we are biased in this regard, but while we don’t know how long this will go on for, we know that closing businesses for a long period of time is not sustainable. The economic devastation as a result of these closures could be far more dangerous than what we have been seeing so far. No question, the health and well-being of your customers should be your number one priority, but overtime, there will have to be measures taken to ensure business continuity.
Plan and act accordingly, and most importantly, keep the big picture in perspective.
2.2. Give your brand some much needed TLC
Take advantage of the (potentially) quieter time in your business to plan and to strategically review your current branding focus. By branding I mean the bigger picture of what your business stands for. When did you review your website copy last time? When did you revise your mission and vision last? Now is a good time to really put your business values to a test.
Branding is the core that keeps your marketing together, but it is very often the most abandoned area in a business. Give your brand some TLC to strengthen your company’s positioning.
Check your brand’s strength here, to get you started.
2.3. Expand your horizons and try something fresh
They say, you should always have plan B ready. The good news is that marketing and branding offer such a diverse environment, that you can never have enough time to implement all the ideas you already have in your head. Right? Try something new!
- If you can’t run lead generation PPC campaigns at this time – run brand awareness campaigns
- Plan your summer editorial calendar and build up your content repository
- Try podcasting, live social media streaming or video marketing
No matter the industry, your target audience is spending lots of time online right now, reading the news about COVID-19. Give them something purposeful to consume and they will thank you for that later.
3.Connectedness
Connect with your team, vendors (and customers!) – keep each other up-to-date on what’s going on with you and how your KPIs are being affected by the pandemic. Work as a team to find new ways to keep your marketing momentum going. Share your mutual concerns and put your heads together to strengthen your communication and your relationship to grow your business further!