Three Things to Consider When Marketing During the Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has turned our lives completely upside-down. It feels like we haven’t hugged our friends and family since 2019, and any big and exciting plans we might have had are most definitely on hold for the time being.

Of course, businesses have inevitably had it incredibly tough as well, with lockdowns forcing bricks-and-mortar organisations to shut up shop for the duration and, in some cases, entire industries being brought to a standstill.

However, this doesn’t mean you need to hit pause yourself.

In a previous blog post, we talked about crisis marketing, and more specifically, how a pivot to video could do your brand the world of good right now. Today, we’re following up that with three things you should also consider when it comes to your marketing strategy at this time.

Hopefully this goes without saying, but communication with customers should always be a priority, pandemic or not. However, in times as unpredictable as these, keeping in touch with your audience is especially important. As we mentioned at the start of this post, the pandemic has touched far more than just people’s health – daily life has been completely disrupted for some time now and this will surely remain the case for a good while yet. This can cause uncertainty, so it’s essential that your customers can see that you are there for them, that you have a grasp on the current landscape, and most importantly, are continuing to provide the same top-quality services, albeit with the necessary COVID-secure adaptations.

Upheaval forces change. With each obstacle the pandemic has thrown up, people have had to figure out a way to bypass them in order to maintain some level of normality. This has led to mass changes in the way that we do certain things, and as a result, some industries and sectors are thriving right now because the world needs what they provide now more than ever before. Think about how you can take advantage of these changes. What need do people have now that they didn’t pre-COVID? Which thriving industries could you potentially find new clients in? Ultimately, what solutions could you provide?

No matter what the outside world looks like, your customers will always need to be the centre of YOUR world. It’s very easy for that to slide right now, but arguably it’s more important than ever that that doesn’t happen. The first place to review for this kind of thing is any automated communications your company might release. Hopefully by this point, everything should be roughly attuned to current circumstances, but as the pandemic situation changes, you need to make sure that what you’re putting out there as a brand also reflects that. The last thing you want to do is appear insensitive to what’s going on. This is a hard time for everyone, and we could all use a little empathy every once in a while. Strike the right tone, and try to wrap a metaphorical arm around your audience with whatever messages you publish – it’ll go a long way.