Due to COVID-19, the business landscape looks very different than it did at the beginning of the year. This means that the marketing plans that you had may not fit perfectly anymore. However, this does not mean that you need to abandon your communications and marketing strategy altogether during this pandemic. Instead, you can pivot your marketing strategy to embrace the new landscape.
Top 5 Tips for Marketing During COVID-19
1. Don’t Focus on the Short Term
Don’t let the pandemic change your mindset from focusing on your long term goals. It may be tempting to halt all of your current marketing efforts and shift them to the 2nd quarter or even the 3rd quarter at this point. We know these are uncertain times and all businesses are in different financial situations. However, we want to encourage you to keep your marketing momentum going, now is the time to increase your brand visibility.
2. Update Messaging
Let your customers and prospects know that you are up to date on the happenings with COVID-19, how your company is impacted, precautions/steps you are taking, and how you are available to help them. To do so:
- Add a message to your website.
- Pin a post on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
- Create a press release or blog post that you can link to for additional information.
- Send direct emails to your customer base with your message.
If you sell a variety of goods and or services ensure that what you are promoting is in line with the current conditions for your consumers. Additionally, make sure your messaging falls in line with the current recommendations that are being made. For example, if social distancing is encouraged, do not use imagery or verbiage that encourages gathering in groups.
3. Switch Objectives from Conversions to Awareness
Normally, your job is to recognize customer pain points for their business and provide solutions for them. While you still need to be business-minded and make sales (after all your business needs profit), it is more important now, to realize that the leads you will be reaching are not necessarily in the mind-set to be ‘sold to’.
Instead of focusing your marketing goals on converting people to sales, focus on brand awareness. Prospects may not need or be able to afford your product/services right now, but when the economy turns upward, they will be.
4. Get Social
App usage worldwide is up 20%, including social apps. Obviously, this is due to the fact that people are missing human connection and have more time on their hands. Now is the time for you to join the conversation if you haven’t yet dipped your toes in the social media pool, or step up your existing social game.
5. Be Human
Tap into your compassion as a human and translate that into your marketing. Put yourself in the shoes of your target market during this time. Think not just about what they need from a business perspective, but also a personal perspective. How has this pandemic impacted them? How can you translate this into a strategy for marketing during COVID-19?
These are all general tips that can work across multiple business types and industries. For a more customized strategy or suggestions on implementing the above tips, give us a shout for a free consultation!
