One of the implications of #COVID-19 on small business owners and even big brands is the drastic change in plans and directions that have been set out before now. Most brands create yearly, quarterly, or even monthly marketing plans in order to match with their business goals for the year. However, we can’t help but notice how coronavirus has disrupted some of these plans.
Then, as a small business owner or a brand, you are left to ask yourself this question – how do you pivot your marketing plans during such a time like this? For instance, if you had created a month’s worth of social media content for your business before the coronavirus outbreak, then there is the possibility that you might have to drastically change some things in order to adjust to the current societal realities.
In fact, there is a drastic change in consumer behaviours and most consumers are prioritizing the essentials over the non-essential products. And so, if your business falls into the non-essential category, there is likely to be a marketing issue you need to reassess so as not to lose out entirely. For instance, if you are in the events management industry or even the tourism industry, this might be a really downtime for your business as activities aren’t going on in such industries.
What’s more, most people are getting more strategic with how they have been spending since the outbreak of this virus. This is an uncertain time for everyone in the business value chain. How do you then realign your marketing strategy for a time like this?
Before we dive into some important tips for you this season, we hope you are staying safe and actually practising social distancing? We also hope your team members are doing the same too?
Let’s get right into it!
- Focus more on building trust: During a time of crisis like this, business owners must focus less on pushing the ‘buy buy’ narrative and more on support their customers. When customers see that you care about them and you are not only out to sell, but also out to support them; they are likely to stick with your brand.
- Sell without selling: You can also adopt the tactics of selling without selling. Here, an example of what can be done is to proffer solutions that would inspire your audience to buy from you. We have seen cases of e-commerce stores encouraging the public to stay safe while they bring all the necessary food items to their doorsteps. This shows that the brand cares and still encourages people to buy from them.
- Leverage online channels: It is no longer news that more people are spending time online now during this lockdown and social distancing period. And so, you need to ensure that you are online and your customers can find your business easily. There are been lots of reports about customers that took huge loses due to this pandemic, mostly because they majorly operate offline. For instance, in April, a report broke that Primark went from making £650m in sales a month to nothing as the coronavirus has forced it to close in Europe and the US.
- Communicate about #COVID-19: Now is the time to show your support by sharing helpful tips and resources, but being there with encouraging words and actions. Also, you need to communicate with them on how you plan to operate during this time. You also need to be upfront with unexpected changes in your supply chain and business so there are no unexpected issues
- Engage your community: Don’t forget to carve out time to keep your audience engaged. You need to keep them reminded that you are here for them and we are in this together. Create engaging yet relevant posts on your social media platforms that your audience can relate to.
- Deliver more value: Above all, value is important. Even when you try to create engaging posts, ‘value’ should be something inherent in your marketing and communication materials.
In all, we hope you remember that this too shall pass. However, in the meantime, ensure you are positioning your brand in an effective way. If you found this content valuable, please share with your friends.