Marketing During A Crisis: Leaving the Comfort Zone - VIP Marketing

As the world is battling the dangerous Coronavirus pandemic, businesses are struggling to stay afloat. With the demand for many services dwindling, how should you approach your marketing campaign during a crisis?

Marketing during a health crisis is tough. The economic downturn is making it even tougher. However, stopping promotional efforts altogether is counterproductive.

Let’s look deeper into the reasons why you should continue your marketing campaign and learn how to adjust it to the new reality.

Key Reasons Why Marketing Shouldn’t Be Put on Hold

While you are contemplating budget cuts, consider these reasons to stay in the marketing saddle.

• Search for information is on the rise – while people are isolated at home, they are spending more time searching for information. It’s the perfect opportunity to boost your content marketing and SEO efforts.
• Competitors continue working – what are the guarantees that your competitors will stop their marketing efforts? Most likely, they will take full advantage of your inactivity to conquer the market.
• You can explore new development possibilities – as the world is changing rapidly, the demand for new products related to at-home isolation is on the rise. This could be an opportunity to adjust or re-purpose your business.
• Your clients need you – since 80% of your future business is likely to come from 20% of your existing clients, you shouldn’t eliminate retention marketing tactics.
• The crisis will end – eventually, the crisis will end. If you stop marketing your business now, by the time everything goes back to normal, you’d have to start from scratch.

Marketing (especially its digital components like SEO) is a continuous process. Stopping it often means losing everything achieved so far.

Adjusting Your Marketing Efforts During a Crisis

While stopping your marketing efforts during a crisis is out of the question, adjusting them is high on the agenda.

The world is changing rapidly.

Regardless of the niche you are in, your clients are likely to be scared, confused, and somewhat lost. Keep this information in mind when tweaking your promotional tactics.

1. Sell with Sensitivity

When you are crafting marketing messages and relevant content during a crisis, you need to be mindful of the current situation. While pressing the issue isn’t necessary, you can appear understanding of the client’s current problems.

What to avoid: “Reap the benefits of this new backpack when packing for your summer vacation!”

What to use: “Feeling a little bored staying at home? Use the time to declutter and find new space for an amazing backpack.”

2. Be Authentic

The times are tough. Make sure your clients see your humanity. Avoid showing off and bragging. Put a new spin on the old products to adjust them to the changed reality. Be authentic.

3. Show Empathy

The crisis affects everyone differently. Someone’s worst problem may be feeling bored while others are losing their jobs or fighting for their health. Make sure your empathy shows up in the promotional messages and shines through the content you share.

4. Back-Up What You Say

Since the purchasing ability is falling rapidly, impulsive buying is losing popularity. These days, people think twice before buying products or using services. Accordingly, your marketing message must be stronger. Back up all your claims.

5.  Make Community Deposits

Whether you are a local or nationwide company, you can achieve excellent results by investing in the community. You can assist the elderly with supplies, explore charity options, and offer free digital content for educational purposes.

Cutting Marketing Costs During a Crisis

Reducing marketing costs during a crisis is a smart solution. You can start by exploring free tools, improving customer targeting, reducing the number of active marketing channels, and using marketing automation tools.

You can also take advantage of free training opportunities offered by such providers as Moz Academy and HubSpot Academy.

If you need assistance with adjusting your marketing strategy during a crisis and advice on cost-cutting tactics, please contact VIP Marketing at 843-760-0707 or email eric@ericelliott.com.