Almost every business has been impacted by the novel coronavirus COVID-19. We don’t even know when we will be back to normal, if anyone remembers what normal was. A lot of things are changing and will continue to change in mankind’s response to this cruel virus. Mind sets and attitudes will change, people will be far more adaptive and flexible. Well look at us now, we are having to change our behaviour almost instantly. The way people think about travel, supply chains, off shoring, online shopping, workspaces and so much more will change. Amidst all of this, the way businesses market themselves will also change if it already hasn’t. So, how can you really bring about this so-called change.
Check your strategy – You don’t want to come across as exploiting what’s happening to everyone across the globe. This is not the time to make a quick buck as that will not last. No body is going to walk away having a good sense about your business if you are trying to monetise without being empathetic in these strange times. All content that you are sharing should resonate with your audience and show cognizance to the current scenario.It is critical to have a reliable, testable, trackable, robust digital strategy for the long term and not just using tactics that are a fad for a month or two.
Be current and think ahead – You do not want to come across as if you are not aware of the current pulse of the market or simply don’t care. Hence ensure that all your communication is adapted to go with the current mood and the fast-developing situation worldwide with regards to this pandemic. Check your facts but also think of probable change in your consumer behaviour in times to come. Make room to accommodate that.
‘Show’ you care – Offer tangible advice and reassure your audience that you are there for them. Non-verbal communication can go a long way in building a connection and making an impact with your audience. Visual content via videos or other visual techniques could go a long way in communicating this quickly and effectively. The key is to convey that you care and are empathetic with regards to the mass impact this pandemic is continuing to have. Being visual allows you to share your concern for your audience yet at the same time exhibit your positivity that we will get to the end of this together and soon. This is exactly what the world needs to know right now!
Check your tone of voice – Check what you are saying and how you are saying it. If you are jumping on the most sought-after search terms and putting out content aligning to those topics, ensure that you are positive and not by any means causing panic or resulting in fear mongering. With so much fake news and incessant stats doing its rounds, this is the last thing you want to be a source of. Offer help, for free wherever possible. You will be remembered for your good will. We are all in times of crisis and being human by being kind is the least we can do.
Adjust your marketing – You got to adapt. Do you have a fully traceable digital marketing strategy? Do you have an e-commerce platform if and where needed to track your conversions? How much percentage of your customer acquisition strategy is digital? With an increasing focus on everything digital, it is important to have a robust marketing strategy to support that. If this is something you have not dabbled into before, get trained, experiment, set out testing budgets, review, execute, measure and review your campaigns again. There is no more shying away from executing an end to end digital conversion cycle. The world is changing to support more and more virtual experience, more e-commerce, not so much brick and mortar so, check where you stand on this spectrum and fine tune your efforts towards client acquisition.
This new normal is most certainly an opportunity in more ways than one. Let’s be our best selves. Let’s rise to the occasion and embrace this very opportunity, to not just stay afloat but to ride the wave.
Good luck!
Check out some ideas for your social media marketing to help you reach out to your audience through these changing times!
