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COVID-19 Marketing Do’s & Don’ts

I read a book years ago I have referred many friends to that talked about the pain of change.

Change is painful, exponentially more so if you fight it.

We are indeed in a time of change with the coronavirus.

I don’t know if I can remember a time of such sudden change to our day to day lives, our priorities, our grocery lists, or maybe even our bank accounts.

Shannon Allen, the VP of Federated Digital Solutions, starts many sentences w/ “The truth is…”

Well, the truth is, this is happening.  Our world has drastically changed, and I know anxiety for many of you may be high.

As marketing may be low on your list right now, I would encourage you to think about it in a new way, as we are having to do with most things in our lives right now. It’s time for us to pivot.

This is the time to get your message, your vision and your value out to the public. It’s important the people know that your business cares, that you’re there for them, or better yet, that you’re not going anywhere. It’s easy to shrink back and decide we’ll start up again when the storm passes, but it’s important for all business owners to stay present right now.

As discouraging as some of this might be, it has been encouraging to see the community rally around local businesses. People want to help.

And so do we.

We want to give you some dos and don’t marketing-wise during this time for your business. It can be hard to know what to do when we don’t know for sure how this will all culminate, but at Federated, we know doing nothing is never the answer.

Don’t

Ignore it. I have heard many of my peers in business talk about how they don’t want to draw more attention to what’s going on with clients. I can assure you, regardless of who you are speaking to, COVID-19 is at the top of everyone’s mind, no matter your audience. Do not be afraid to address it head on.

Downplay it. The reaction to COVID-19 across media has brought about an abundance of everything from humor to hysteria. It is important to express a recognition of the seriousness of this virus and be sensitive to the potential gravity to some. There’s nothing wrong with being positive or humorous, but express to your audience you are very aware and can relate to the affects it’s having throughout the world.

Believe it won’t ever end. As bizarre and surreal as this all has been, it will end, and we want to be ready as a business for when it does. Afterall, in the famous words of Benjamin Franklin, failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

Do

Let people know you care.
Reach out to your customers and your followers to let them know you care about them and you are present, regardless of whether or not you are able to be physically present. We are all in this together.

Make yourself available to your employees. Let them know how you will be reaching out or available to them during this time. Are checking your e-mails regularly? Can they reach you on your personal phone? Are you able to do Zoom or JoinMe meetings?  Updating others through social? Make sure they know what’s going on with your business.

Start thinking of your business in a different way.
What can your industry do during this time that maybe others can’t? Is there something you can offer clients right now as a free service or at a discounted rate to at least continue to stay in their lives, help out in when needed and grow that relationship?

Come up with a strategy for the next few months. I know we all want to take this day by day, and with some things, we should. But with your business, it’s time to make a plan. Think about how you can still make revenue during these trying weeks or how you want to ramp it up when everything is back to normal.

Finally, ask for help. At Federated Digital Solutions, we are here to help you during this difficult time. Our goal is to partner with local businesses to make sure we all get through this.

We would love to strategize with you on how we can help your business. Reach out to Federated Digital Solutions today to schedule a time to talk and lay out a plan.

Schedule a Free Consultation | Federated Digital Solutions

Rory Kemerer

Written by Rory Kemerer

With over 9 years of digital marketing experience, Rory Harris is a leader in the digital playing field. Her passion is clear when she is helping her clients identify their goals or challenges and connecting that to a digital strategy to bring them the highest ROI. Her knowledge not only comes from both branding and lead generation solutions but also the experience she brings to the table to help her clients understand that the data tells a story on what is going on with their marketing.

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