With COVID-19 taking its toll around the world, it’s more important than ever for organizations to act swiftly and thoughtfully to continue to build trust, meet your customer’s changing needs and manage expectations as the situation evolves. To combat consumer hesitancy, act now to double down on your marketing efforts and get ahead of the curve while everyone does their part to flatten it.
Remember, We’re All in This Together
Now’s not the time to keep churning out salesy emails on autopilot. It signals that no one’s minding the store and destroys your brand’s integrity. Your marketing should instill confidence and comfort, and keep your customer as the hero who is navigating these difficult times.
The current climate calls for a genuine, personal tone to strengthen your relationships and remind your customers and prospects that we’ll get through this together. Mindful messaging will prevail.
Keep it Real
With everyone’s lives being impacted in unprecedented ways, people are distracted, uneasy and scared. Take time to consider how your product or service can fill the needs of the new normal.
Let your clients and customers know that you understand them and you’re sensitive to the impact on the marketplace, their businesses and their personal lives. Now is a good time to forge connections with your clients, show your concern and solidify your company as their partner. And think outside the box for practical ways to adapt business practices that show your innovation.
Don’t Stick Your Head in the Sand
Sales and new leads may be slow, but resist the urge to freeze your digital marketing efforts. With store closings and people staying indoors, online is at a premium like never before. Not only does it help people acquire necessities while limiting exposure, it also helps quell anxiety and feelings of social isolation.
Monitor paid campaigns closely. As long as they’re still converting, they’re helping to generate revenue or leads. Pausing them could sabotage new business development or online sales and make matters worse. Remember, those pay-per-click ads only cost you when visitors click.
Pull Back the Curtain
Maybe your business was forced to temporarily close its doors or you have to scale back your operations. Your company can still reach people by giving them visibility into your most valuable resource—your people. Communicate the safety precautions you’ve taken to protect staff, increased hygiene steps you’ve implemented, your concern for the financial impact on them and their families, and any specific measures taken to soften the blow.
Acknowledging struggle isn’t easy, but focusing on who it impacts most will make lasting P2P connections.
Make-or-Break Marketing
It’s hard to know how businesses will fare in the long run, but customers will remember which brands acted with grace under fire and went the extra mile to deliver more than just products and services. If you are there for them through thick and thin, your brand is creating value that can’t be replaced.
Things will turn around eventually, and when they do, companies who adapt their marketing approach will emerge with customer loyalty that lasts long after coronavirus runs its course.