It’s true that the novel coronavirus and Covid-19 has shaken up everything we hold familiar, and this in itself can be seen as quite unfortunate and even terrible depending on how your life has been affected. Our empathy is being stretched further than we thought possible day after day, and that in itself gives us cause to take a break and reflect.
However, it’s true that while this is a tough time for all, there are certain things we can do to ease this burden. Additionally, as a business, we can also fight the difficulty of a slower economy and lockdown with a rational, caring and appropriate response. When we do this, we can afford the dignity that we would like to see as standard in the free market, and thankfully, leading by example is always a possibility.
But how should we approach our marketing approach in the current climate of this hot-button issue? We have some tactics that could suit you well:
Stay Aware Of Your Messaging
Staying aware of how your firm is coming across can be very important during this time. Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to speak of Covid-19 in all of your marketing material and website design, even if that’s being shaped by the best services such as RSM Connect https://rsmconnect.com/website-design/. What matters here is that you have a placeholder that deals with your business messaging on the topic, as well as updating your FAQ for that.
Additionally, it’s important to use this as a marketing opportunity, but not to do so with tasteless sensibilities. For instance, a company selling exercise bikes would be considered out of touch if they suggested ‘you’re going to be home anyway,’ in their marketing pitch, even if that was playful and within an acceptable tone. It comes across as tone-deaf, and so it’s worth considering all of your public messaging in light of this difficulty. Remaining overly flippant or overly serious can be equally as off-putting, and so striking the right balance, speaking carefully to your social media managers, and updating staff on the best personal social media practice is essential right now.
Engagement Without Aggressive Force
Above we mentioned that this odd time can serve as a relevant marketing opportunity. That much is true. However, the detail is all in how you achieve it. Pushing many email notifications, app push notifications and coupon code offers can come through as seeming illegitimate or even predatory, especially if this is not a commonplace measure you utilize for your engagement.
However, running sales, promoting individual prices for your most loyal of customers, offering free delivery for a time on all purchases, it’s these little encouragements that are both subtle, friendly, and welcomed. These are just a few examples, an adept salesperson could likely think of hundreds of ways to ensure that their particular audience is satiated. For instance, you may donate a portion of your proceeds to Covid-19 relief, or to charities that fund the availability of PPE for frontline medical staff.
It’s measures like this that will convince an on-the-fence consumer to take your catalog more seriously, and potentially even follow through with a purchase. Additionally, you will actually be performing some good in this light, and that’s an important aspect of this whole situation to get to grips with – we can never be without enough charity in times like this.
Usefulness & Positivity
While companies must not overstay their welcome during this troubled time, it’s true that we can seek to be positive and useful. This is especially useful in relevant industries. Take Discord, the popular chat app previously known for gamers connecting with one another. Immediately after noticing Covid-19 was becoming a significant problem with people staying home in quarantine, they immediately made the creation of new servers easier with template access.
Additionally, they enhanced how many people could be in a certain room together with video chat. That in itself has helped an untold number of people connect with their friends and their family for free. Yet the app also holds a premium, paid subscription that increases video quality and the ability to customize your profile or use certain chat commands, adding a value-added consideration that will no doubt score them more subscriptions than ever.
This is a completely non-offensive, polite, useful, positive, worthwhile means to both be relevant during this time, and to make use of an expanding market in need of a service such as this. Not all companies can position themselves perfectly in this way, but why not follow this line of thinking? There’s a solid chance you’ll find some use, and maybe even do some good.
How Will You Be Remembered?
It’s also important to consider how your firm will be remembered during this time. Did you push leaflets, daily emails, and too many push notifications to the letterboxes, inboxes and devices of your audience? Did you completely cut off your support, or did you alternative your live chat to an email support system with a polite message indicating the obviously understandable cutback?
Firms do not need to be superhero and overextend themselves to an unreasonable degree. But we can take this time to simplify our approach, to understand just what cutbacks we can deal with, and find time to treat our staff well, despite having to downsize or collaborate with your team only through conferencing apps. This behavior need not be marketed or reveled in, it will speak for itself, and people will notice.
With this advice, not only will you have your priorities straightened, but you’ll be able to use this period as a means of testing your own capabilities, and audience receptivity, in a time of difficulty. This can teach you plenty about your firm provided you are paying attention, and it can also be a time to secure yourself no uncertain amount of goodwill within your user base. For most, this combined and wholesome promotional effort will net positive returns.
