By Wayne Brown
When the coronavirus became a pandemic in March, many influencers, executives, and marketers (myself included) created a media trove of information encouraging business owners and operators to hang in there, remain optimistic, and not panic. That was before non-essential businesses were forced to shut down, and people were advised not to leave their homes. Who could’ve predicted our current situation 6.5 months later?
Many small businesses handled the crisis by furloughing staff and cutting expenses where they could. One of the first budgets to go is marketing. Cutting costs does make sense in an economic slowdown, but your marketing department is what keeps you connected to your customers.
WOW Creative Group lost a couple of small business clients within the first month of the pandemic. These businesses were forced to close for months, and the fear of not having any revenue factored in their decisions to cut marketing and advertising. On the other hand, we had two large nonprofits faced with the same scenario. Both took a look at their budgets and made cuts to make them leaner. However, both also understood the importance of rethinking their marketing strategies. Their willingness to think out-of-the-box resulted in creating essential services to their respective communities in everything from food deliveries to daily DIY videos on social media, appealing to everyone from toddlers to seniors. The marketing of these organizations never stopped. In fact, their marketing efforts increased as they continued to engage with their customers and prospects on a daily basis.
One of the best platforms to engage with customers is social media. Most often, people are following your brand because they are proud to be associated with it and look forward to fresh content that further cements their trust and confidence. It doesn’t have to break the bank either. We filmed and posted plenty of videos from our smartphones that were creative, engaging, and produced thousands of views. Our clients’ community contributions over conversions will offer more value in the long run during these difficult times. Over the past several months, the media picked up their stories, which were positive, uplifting, and emotional. Their audiences will remember those stories, too!
The takeaway here is don’t abandon your marketing. Not now, not ever. Those companies that rethought their strategies and kept their audiences engaged will continue to build their customer bases. The virus didn’t disappear as quickly as we hoped; it’s still here, so it’s important to find new ways to reinvent your business, stay relevant, build trust, and drive revenue.