Strategic Branding and Marketing
Don’t Be Discouraged in Times of Crisis
Don’t let the news get you down. When COVID-19 is defeated—and it will be defeated—your customers will need you, your products and services, probably more than ever before. The best way to be there for them is to keep your head up and keep on marketing!
Put Your Brand Out There
Ten years ago, the Harvard Business Review studied 4,700 public companies’ performance before, during, and after recessions. Their research showed that the more a company cuts back during recessions, the less likely they are to outperform their rivals when times get better.
One of the things that will separate the winners from the losers in a post-COVID-19 world is which companies persevered with their promotional efforts.
Be Respectfully Relevant
Putting your brand out there is important, but you’ve got to do it the right way.
- Do empathize with people, it may feel disingenuous but it’s important to let them know you’re all in this together.
- Do be transparent. If you’re struggling, let your customers know. If you’re doing something to help, let them know that, too.
- Do offer sales and promotions. You aren’t taking advantage of the situation, you’re helping people affordably get what they need and want.
- Don’t name a sale or promotion after the crisis.
- Don’t offer opinions. Everyone has their own feelings about the situation, its effects and the way it’s being handled. Keep your brand neutral.
- Don’t pretend like the crisis isn’t happening. It’s affecting you, it’s affecting your customers and it’s affecting your company.
Stay Social… at a Distance
Social media is one of the first places people look for up-to-date information about your business. If you’re still open to the public, post about it so people don’t assume you’re closed. If you’re closed but assisting customers remotely, say that! Facebook, in particular, is the hub where people look for this kind of information, as the status of many businesses are frequently changing in these uncertain times.