Marketing & COVID-19 : Don’t Stop
Covid-19 has been hitting countries Globally since 2019, and it didn’t take long for the results to be seen. In fact, the industry is generous and marketing is no exception.
In just a few weeks, we’ve seen a lot of evolution in our marketing & covid-19 environment and we felt the importance of putting those changes together in this blog.
Based on the data we have, this analysis shows what marketing expertise has increased and what expertise knowledge has decreased in the last two weeks due to the covid-19 pandemic.
To further the analysis, we asked agencies to share their thoughts and insights on how marketing & covid-19 trend will emerge from this crisis. Among them, Insticom, Altavia ACT, and WowLab didn’t stop investing in marketing, but also return to the importance of maintaining a high level of communication. The following rules will tell you what these three agencies recommend to reduce the risks posed by the current situation.
Communicating has never been so important during covid-19
Insticom: Opinion of Antoine Marthoz
Above all, don’t stop communicating!
- “Unfortunately, we are canceling the media plan for this quarter, and perhaps for the rest of the year.”
- “We are postponing the launch of our new products due to the coronavirus”.
- “Confinement forces us to cancel our next press conference”.
These are the emails I have received in the last 15 days.
Our case is no exception. The communications sector, or more precisely public relations, is heavily affected by this coronavirus crisis. In general, communication is often the first position to struggle with cost minimization. That is a mistake! How are you going to be quiet and reassure your stakeholders?
Our clients contacted us to postpone their activities. Under pressure, most companies slow down and reduce their investment. After all, such a reaction is completely understandable.
Regarding the repercussions of marketing & covid-19 on your business, we advise clients not to necessarily communicate with the outside world. All sectors, except health and food, are suffering from the current situation. The risk of damaging your reputation is very small. The government is here to contact about the virus, and we need to limit the amount of noise to avoid confusion about the current crisis.
However, from an internal point of view, the opposite is true. We clearly advise companies to remain transparent to their employees, regardless of size or discipline. Are there any covid-19 positive cases in your rank? Are they very sick? How does it affect the viability of your business? How about your wages? It is also important to support our collaborators, especially show gratitude to those who takes the risks of coming to work for others every day. Emphasizing solidarity is essential. Remaining silent will only create questions, even panic sometimes.
The idea is to reassure that someone is still at the helm, even if the ship is experiencing a storm.
On the contrary, restrictions do not mean that professional activities are stopped. Of course, the current situation forces companies to adapt, but the worst would be to do nothing.
Altavia ACT: Opinion of Benoît de Saedeleer
How to Redefine Your shopper Experience in the Age of Confinement … and Beyond That?
The 2020 coronavirus crisis has taken most of the world economy by surprise. Thus, it deserves its “Black Swan” designation perfectly, and it can be inferred that it will have a major impact on our world. How can you be a brand, retailer, or agency in a situation where uncertainty is the only constant situation?
First, reducing investment in communications can be a costly decision. Many studies have shown that, in addition to diminished consciousness, it delays post-crisis recovery. Do not stop communicating, Ask yourself the right questions to help you be in touch and get to stay customer-obsessed.. They will remember you for it.
To reassess your shopper experience, we encourage you to ask yourself this three questions:
- What are your client’s needs? covid-19 is unlikely to spawn new trends, but it accelerates slow-moving trends. Hygiene, online ordering, contactless delivery, video calling … Think about the impact of this crisis on your viewers’ expectations. Double-check your character or design a new one.
- What is your audience looking for? What is your brand’s unique sales offer in a world where promotion and over-the-counter time is limited? Why do they choose you over anyone else?
- Where are they active and searching for what they need? What impact will it have on online research and keywords that may lead to your product or service? Which results will be displayed first on Google? And on Amazon? What about TikTok and Pinterest’s strategy?
Post-crisis, all new buyer expectations need to be redefined by rethinking priorities and leadership from a new perspective. The opportunity to start with a clean sheet will be a good opportunity to rethink how we care for ourselves, our employees and our customers.
Be safe and expect what’s next
WowLab: Opinion of Gérald Kervyn
Not surprisingly, there are changes in marketing trends. As a strategic marketing expert, companies are looking for ways to stay in touch with their customers. Good communication is more important than ever. Above all, it shows empathy. The times are tough and marketing as usual is not a good idea.
This article also demonstrates the importance of content strategy. Content is more aggressive and unobtrusive than most online ads. Content is more important than ever from a ROI perspective. A good content strategy takes into account the situation in which the client is at that stage. Therefore, it is advisable to use this time to update the personality of the buyer. In most cases, customer needs and reasons for buying a product or service have changed in the last few weeks.
Even if sales stop, don’t interrupt marketing as it can adversely affect your post-crisis acquisition strategy. Put marketing in the current situation. Link it to the goals your business wants to achieve in 2021. Summarize your current marketing efforts. Have you still adapted to this era of growth hacking and marketing automation? Does Your Marketing Really Help Your Sales Department? Do you pursue your strategic goals, even in times of crisis? At this point, the temptation to think only in the short term may be great, but remember your long-term goals. Always make sure that Sailing Directions are correct and that the tools are efficient enough. You can’t choose the wind direction, but you can adjust the sails.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that this crisis should not stop you from making your marketing investment or slowing down your communication efforts. Rather, it’s time to take full advantage of the potential of digital tools to prepare for the post-crisis era and set aside all the opportunities that arise from these turbulent times. Take advantage of the fact that many people are now attracting attention online and are trying to capture some of this attention to raise brand awareness.
Anyway, as we saw before, the worst thing is to do nothing. Today, more than ever, it is imperative to be surrounded by the best partners in order to overcome this crisis in the best possible way.
