Can marketing continue in a crisis? If so, how?
The world is in crisis and no industry will be left untouched. The impact of businesses closing and the economy slowing will be felt for months, if not years. This crisis (COVID-19) can create a playbook for future crises in 2021 and beyond. Let’s answer the question: can we continue marketing in a crisis
This is uncharted territory.
Should I Continue Marketing in a Crisis?
The short answer is yes, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Marketing, yes. Carry on as usual? No.
Here’s why you should continue marketing efforts:
- You’ll be in a better position when it ends
First, everyone is likely slowing down — attempting to wait out the disaster. They’re sitting back to see what happens, and then reacting. This pause is your opportunity. While everyone else is slowing down, you can get ahead. You’ll be better off in the end than if you’d let everything slide. Remember, this too will pass. - You can’t win if you don’t try
Not every business is going to come out of a global crisis harmed beyond repair. All will inevitably change in some way: some will close, a few will grow, and most will shrink, but if you want to give your business the best shot, you can’t quit now. It needs you more than ever. - You can reassure employees, clients, and partners
The world may feel unstable right now. The situation may change.
If you have employees or customers that rely on you or partners you interact with, reassuring them is worth the effort.
Things to Consider Doing Now
1. Stop and review any pre-scheduled posts or ads
If you’re ahead of the game, you likely have some scheduled posts coming up or ad campaigns set to launch.
Hit pause on everything.
These were all curated before we knew what was going to happen to the world. The situation may change rapidly and anything curated pre-crisis likely doesn’t have the right tone to fit the current or changing landscape.
Crisis marketing requires empathy: carrying on “as usual” is a quick way to look off-tone or out-of-touch to your audience, which will decrease confidence in your company (at best), or anger and alienate your customers/employees (at worst).
2. Think through (psychologically) where your customer might be
In a global crisis, everyone is impacted. They may be on the front lines of this fight or have family members who are (or are themselves) in a high-risk group. They may fear job security, or may simply be enjoying time to watch Netflix with their family while this sorts itself out.
No matter what, their lives may not be where they were a few weeks ago. You can either speculate where they’re at mentally or talk to them to get a pulse on what they’re thinking.
This will give you a much better idea of how you can (and should) show up for them.
3. Decide how you can add value
Once you’ve taken the time to understand your customers, you can decide how to show up for them.
Think through these questions:
– How can I best add value to their lives today?
– What can I say that brings comfort?
– What do they need from me right now?
4. Create a new strategy
The thing that’s going to get us through a crisis is creativity. Many of us are either stuck at home for the foreseeable future or will shortly be.
How can we use this to our advantage?
Ideas for Creative Content for Marketing in a Crisis
Livestreams
As we self-isolate from the rest of the world, it may provide a welcome breath of fresh air to offer interaction in the form of a livestream.
Is there something you could host a digital community event for or maybe a training you could offer? You could offer a live Q&A or a virtual tour behind-the-scenes of your quiet office/manufacturing process. Could your community members watch something together with live chat?
It’ll take some creativity, but I’m sure there’s a way you can use this to your advantage. Offer comfort through community and try out a livestream.
Educational content
People stuck at home are looking to make the most of their time. This means they’ll be more likely to engage with content (even if they’re less likely to buy something).
Put together eBooks, courses, tutorials, videos, or blog posts that engage their attention. Offer them for free for now and grow your audience with these credibility boosters. This will keep your audience engaged and should pay off when the economy starts to pick back up.
Customer service
Customer service is more important now than ever. As your customers, clients, partners, etc. are struggling to navigate this new reality, they’ll likely have questions for you.
Quick response time is valuable — build their trust and confidence in your company. Show them how you’re handling the crisis, don’t let them guess.
This is also creating free content for your other (quiet) customers, keeping your company in the feed and reminding them that you’re here for them.
Interactive content
Can you create quizzes, polls, or spark discussion?
You can use Instagram/Twitter features to create a poll or an interactive game that keeps your brand top of mind in this tumultuous time.
RULE OF THUMB: Use the 3E’s – Engaging. Educational. Entertaining.
This too shall pass.
Regardless of what you choose to do, it’s important that you acknowledge the current state of affairs and move forward with courage and grace.
This too shall pass. Do what you can now to set yourself up for success on the other side.
