Rena Vysnionis

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Your Post-COVID-19 Marketing Plan Can’t Wait

Posted by Rena Vysnionis

Apr 8, 2020 5:58:36 PM

Just a few months ago you were on track with your 2020 marketing plan, but then that all changed with the coronavirus (COVID-19). While the focus right now is dealing with COVID-19’s immediate impact on business, don’t lose sight of the pandemic’s long-term implications.

Think about these key questions in positioning your business now for a new way of operating and marketing:

  • How have others viewed you during the crisis? What have you do to create a positive impression? While you’ve been addressing the crisis, you’ve been sending messages—knowingly or not—to your clients, customers, residents, and others. They’ve been watching how you treat both residents and employees and how you protect them, how you manage and respond to customer/client issues and concerns, and how you’re using organizational assets to help people and your community. They’ve been watching the messaging (or lack thereof) that you’ve been sending.
  • What will your brand mean to you and others post-crisis? Start now to revisit your brand—is it still relevant? Did you stay true to it during the crisis? If not, why not?
  • What’s ahead post-crisis—are you ahead of or behind the eight ball? Make sure you are there for people who need you now and prepare for how you will continue to support them moving forward. Consider how you will maintain any momentum you’ve built up or how you will rebuild any you’ve lost.
  • How can you ensure that you’re agile enough to adjust to the uncertainties waiting ahead? Plan for different likely scenarios; and for the time being don’t count on anything returning to normal. Set and work on short-term goals with your teams; and align them for maximum productivity during this constantly changing, unpredictable time. Consider training, education, and exercises to help employees and managers to be more flexible anWxgePFJHTNAQRBuP3g5hoM-320-80d adaptive.
  • If your digital foundation strong enough to build on? Conference/video calls, remote work, and virtual meetings/conferences are likely to be the norm for the unseen future. Work with your IT teams and vendors to ensure your infrastructure, bandwidth, and fiber optics are up to the task.

Now is the time to revisit your marketing strategies and plan.Enlist your partners to draw on their experience working with market disruptions and crisis scenarios to adjust your strategies, so you are poised for business post-COVID-19.

 

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Marketing During a National Crisis Doesn’t Need to Stop, But It Needs to Adjust

Posted by Rena Vysnionis

Mar 31, 2020 2:37:39 PM

Customers of a large company recently received an email with the subject “Message from the CEO about COVID-19.” It offered an inspiring message and a list of benefits and services the company is offering to help its customers during this national crisis.

Good, right? Definitely. However, it was followed a few days later by a message encouraging customers to check their payment due balances and pay their bills online or via phone to ensure continued services. Not so good, and too soon. While the company clearly needs to have payments coming in, reminding customers about payments so soon after a hopeful, inspiring message likely wiped out some of the goodwill many customers were feeling about the organization.

Yes, you still can and should market during a crisis, but it’s important to do it ways that inspires and comforts customers/clients and supports your brand in a positive way. Consider a few steps:

  • Suspend all non-essential press releases, email blasts, and launches. The harsh reality is that unless it’s going to help them in their COVID-19 response, no one wants to read about your new product now. People only have the time to focus on the current situation. At best, your company news will be missed or ignored. At worst, it will make your company appear insensitive and/or out of touch.
  • Work on “back burner” projects. Now is the time to jump on those projects and good ideas that you’ve been holding for when you have more time. This could mean finishing a book or writing blogs or articles, starting a podcast, or working on your website. Consider those most activities likely to resonate with clients/customers and generate ROI after the crisis passes.
  • Focus on online services. Give people something productive and useful to do while they’re in isolation. Create educational webinars or videos targeting topics that will support your strategies and help your clients/customers and employees moving forward.
  • Attend to social media. Update your information and seek new connections. Post relevant comments that support your role as an expert, promote your brand, and speak to the needs of your audience.
  • Optimize digital spaces. Refine your SEO and business-to-business marketing strategies. Look for ways to make sure your current content is as visible as possible. Identify what isn’t working and revise tactics accordingly.
  • Support others. Look for ways to help your community and others in your industry. Seek ways to help employees and customers affected by COVID-19. Conduct these efforts with compassion and a genuine desire to do good. Your efforts are likely to be appreciated and remembered.

All of these efforts should focus on a few goals:

  • Ensuring that clients/customers, employees, and others know that you care about them.
  • Not taking advantage of people’s fears or contributing to their anxiety.
  • Helping people feel dignified.
  • marketingAdding value.
  • Avoiding exploitation.
  • Telling people exactly how they can help.
  • Working with compassion and empathy.

 

The time will come when you can resume normal marketing activities. In the meantime, there is much you can do to be part of the solution and much you can learn about how to move forward.

 

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