As a full-service marketing firm, it’s our job to help our clients determine the best strategy to reach potential customers, communicate their messages, and grow their businesses. But how can you do that in a time of unprecedented crisis and hardship like the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic?
Certainly, a strong sales message in a time of layoffs and uncertainty can feel insensitive or even offensive. Which meant that our first priority to our clients was to halt existing marketing and social media campaigns and then to quickly an audit of planned materials.
We looked for messages that could be reworked and pivoted, images that needed to be swapped out, and brainstormed ways that our clients could better serve their customers in this uncertain time. We helped them craft responses to their customers, explaining the steps they would be taking and any potential customer impacts.
And, while we recognized that every company that ever existed seemed to be sending out COVID-19 response emails, we still believe that it’s important for brands to communicate with customers in a crisis, especially when it deals with health and safety issues.
Our next step was to assist our clients in rethinking their sales packages to better fill the community’s changing needs at this time. No one wants to capitalize on a pandemic, but it is the role of a marketer to help their clients realize the value of their brands and how they can benefit others.
But, even after that, we felt like we could all do more.
The truth? Sales are important, but in a time of crisis, sales simply can’t come first.
So, we took a closer look at what our clients could do to make a real difference in the community, which ultimately took the form of food drives, blood drives, and care packages. Each of these businesses looked at what they could do to help others in need, and they led, not from the bottom line, but from the heart.
Your brand’s mission and vision are important as you grow, but your brand’s heart is really at the core of your business. The messaging you choose to share should be hopeful and positive, providing helpful information and resources. Be real, be personal, and be thankful for the on-going support of our customers.
With this experience in mind, here are our top five tips in planning your COVID-19 response:
- Take a look at your planned marketing campaigns and content.
- Consider how your brand could add value to your community.
- Don’t try to capitalize on crisis.
- Be positive and informative.
- Lead from the heart.
This quarantine won’t last forever, but the impressions left by your business will have a lasting impact. We hope that you’ll continue to put your community first, and we know that we’ll all be okay when this is over. Thank you for joining us in spreading kindness, not fear!
