One thing is clear. It's more important than ever before for companies to stay agile, relevant, and ready to adapt. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to cope with the current situation but there are a few best-practices we may suggest marketers to guide through this extraordinary time.
Don't wait and see what is happening next!
Putting all your marketing campaigns on pause may feel like a natural reaction right now, but it's important to consider the long-term effects of a decision like that. Companies may not feel those effects immediately, but we all know that the marketing we do today changes our business in the future. To completely stop all the company’s communication during this period may potentially cause harm to the brand, especially if key competitors persist in meaningful and relevant communication. Considering the uncertainty and gravity of the situation, pausing all your campaigns doesn't appear to be a good strategy. Your market share and brand perception could all take serious damages if your brand isn't present when your audiences need it the most. Instead, you should focus your marketing resources on finding ways to be present, appropriate and useful. Here are some tips on how to accomplish that.
1. Stay connected through proven channels
Now you have an excellent opportunity to align your corporate behavior to your brand values. Find ways to highlight that you are in this with your customers and audiences, and that you are continuing to walk alongside them with compassion. You might tell stories about how you're looking after your own people, encouraging them to practice social distancing and so enabling them to work from home. Such messages are also a subtle way to let your audience know that you are available to them. Stick to those channels that are working, while also being open to new ones. People are turning to the media even more than usual for information, entertainment, and connection. Be present to different media and have meaningful things to say.
2. Rely on data, and keep it safe
With so many people working from home, data security is a real concern. New research shows a spike in cybercrimes since the start of Covid-19 situation. Working remotely, often via public Wi-Fi and personal computers exposes data to security breaches. Now is the time to ensure that all the data you are using is securely stored and accessible.
3. Provide real value, without capitalizing on unfortunate circumstances
Increasingly, marketing is about value exchanges. At this moment, even more than at other times, consumers want utility. They are looking for practical ways to make this challenging situation work for them. Think about ways to support your audiences through your media and marketing that connect with your value proposition. A word of caution: avoid being transparently opportunistic. Any perception of taking advantage of the pandemic is just about the worst look possible for any brand. Just be genuinely helpful, and do what's best for all of your stakeholders. That will most likely mean marketing and media strategies that are modified for the circumstances. Make sure that nothing comes across as capitalizing on the situation.
