09 Apr Resource Roundup – Marketing and Communications in the Time of Covid
In a moment of totally disrupted customer experience, marketing efforts risk coming across as not only irrelevant but downright crass. How can businesses continue to communicate with customers and share value? Focusing on mission statement and values in order to re-enforce marketing strategies is more important than ever.
Information is Crucial
Each customer purveying your business’s website needs to understand your hours of operation, any limitations to service and what is being done to ensure cleanliness. Providing this information establishes your precautions, which are appreciated (and in many cases mandated!) during this time. Communicate how your business is supporting employees, donating to charities, or offering discounted or free products.
Utilizing the Customer’s Time
Most customers are adhering to social distancing guidelines put forth by their state and the federal government. Now, more than ever, it is important to exhibit to your customers how your brand can be utilized beyond your brick and mortar. Thinking beyond your storefront to put your service or product into your customer’s virtual hands is important. For instance, universities are beginning to offer free online classes and telecommunication companies are offering two months of free service to low-income families.
Empathy and Action
By each passing day, customers are looking for new stimulation to help the time go by at home. Movie companies are making the best of the situation by sending theatrical releases to online streaming services. It’s not necessary to always make your customers laugh, but it might be within your branding to aim for content geared towards warmth, humanity, and empathy.
The metric for engaging your customers is moving beyond views and shares to quality feedback or social impact on your community. Do not bite off more than you can chew. Diligently signaling, meaning declaring a set of values, but not following through on the actual deeds.
Also, this is a fantastic opportunity to consider your marketing strategies when this crisis ends. What will your business look like once you are able to open the doors? How are you able to stay relevant with your competitors? These are all questions needing answers, but today we must do our best to accomplish what is in front of us.