As the covid-19 crisis peaks in many countries, many brands are suffering. Lockdowns are keeping customers away from stores, logistical issues are affecting e-commerce sales and factory closures are resulting in businesses out of stock. The key to ride this public health crisis wave is by being nimble. Rethink your marketing strategy to make them more relevant.
Lets recognize this as a new reality and chalk out a thoughtful navigation to add value to the consumer’s lives. How brands react to this crisis is going to shape up consumer perceptions beyond. Brands have to prepare to emerge out of the crisis stronger than before.
Here are a few tips on how to go about doing this.
Extend Support
Let me be very clear. This is not a marketing opportunity to capitalize upon.
This is not the time to think how you could sell more but instead how you can help your consumers during this crisis. Concentrating only on profits in these tough times will not help your brand in the long run – in fact, it might just backfire. Making a donation or offering your products /services at a discounted rate to people in dire need at this time will be a gesture that can be remembered for years to come.
Do not look around and try to copy what your competitors are doing. Brands should identify the unique role it plays in the lives of their consumers and how it could help them during this crisis. It could be an added feature in your product or service that helps people stay at home and feel safer or helps their work from home scenarios. The customers will welcome anything that’s a point of relief and convenience.
Communicate as per the context – Messaging and Tone
The current crisis is a great moment for brands to put out responsible communication that supports people. But brands have to be extra cautious about putting out their communication in the right context or else they might face the flare. To avoid creating a negative brand impression and damaging the brand reputation, brands need to ensure that their communication is brand safe and relevant.
Things are changing fast and something that was relevant yesterday might not be today. Hence brands have to keep their eyes open to news and conversations and communicate only after considering the context. Sometimes it might be better to say nothing rather than putting out the wrong communication.
Brands should adapt their tone of voice as per the context and avoid being sarcastic or cynical at these times. Instead a more empathetic, assuring, positive tone and even a slight bit of humour can work better. A great way would be to listen to your consumers diligently and reflect their emotions in your messaging and tone.
It’s a fine line brands have to tread, with the risk of being misinterpreted by consumers. While intentions may be good, the execution has to be thoughtful as well. A brand has to be seen as genuinely concerned about its consumers and not taking advantage of a situation or force fitting something.
Anticipate and Adapt
As more and more people are asked to self-isolate and stay home, brands would have to anticipate changes in consumer behavior that might impact how consumers interact with their brands. Their needs and expectations might change drastically.
We have already seen airlines offering flexible ticketing or lower/zero cancelation rates looking at the realities of travel currently. Conferences and events have been shifted online instead of canceling them completely. Movie releases have been postponed respecting the concept of social distancing.
The better you have anticipated the possible scenarios, the more prepared you are and the more confident you will be in implementing the changes.
Stay Connected
That sounds so wrong at a time when everyone’s practicing social distancing. But the point is that brands need to stay invested in consumer relationships throughout the crisis. It might be tempting to go on cost cutting mode and conveniently adopting media silence. But this is the time where brands need to stand by their consumers, add value to their lives and earn their trust.
If your brand is going out of stock due to manufacturing closures, or is currently facing an extremely high demand for certain products or logistic delays, its critical to keep your consumers informed.
By keeping them updated about the actual situation and steps you are taking to serve them better, brands can help reduce their annoyance and prevent them from moving to another brand. Exhibiting that you are doing your best in these troubled times, can go a long way for your brand.
Use multichannel communication to engage with your consumers be it email, sms, website, social media or in-app push notification. This will ensure you are able to better respond to their concerns, queries and complaints. Make your consumers feel that they are being heard. That way you will bring your brand closer to your consumers.
Increase your digital content efforts
With several people locked down in their homes, digital content has seen a surge in downloads. Think of ideas of tapping into this opportunity to engage your consumers – branded apps, videos and games. Brands can create digital content specific to their industry.
For example it’s the perfect time for brands in the health and fitness industry to share relevant and helpful information – say simple exercises to do at home or healthy recipes to try to bolster ones immune system. Even if your brand is not directly related to health, but have something meaningful to offer, that is true to your brand, do consider sharing that with your audience.
Spread some Joy and Positivity
Inorder to build stronger relationships with consumers, especially during times of distress, its important to empathize with what your consumers may be dealing with personally and professionally.
But when there is an overwhelming amount of news about disease and death and loses floating all around, a bit of light distraction and entertainment can add a smile back and is a great way to engage people as long as you are thoughtful with your message and tone. Explore little ways to delight your consumers but only if it makes sense for your brand. Always remember its better to stay in your lane and be true to your brand ethos than to ride on the virus.
Its been observed that non-corona positive stories have also been capturing viewer’s attention. Brands should add the tincture of positivity to their lives, tell them that all is not lost yet, good things continue to happen around us and that we should celebrate those moments as well.
Adjust your Marketing Strategy
In such times of uncertainty, it’s best to keep your strategy open to evolution – constant improvement based on new opportunities, problems and information. As the course of events have been so unpredictable, there is no right answer and predetermined answers are more likely to be wrong or obsolete over time.
Brands need to adjust their media investments based on the moods and expectations of consumers. Building brand credibility should be prioritized over sales promotion. For example, at a time when demands of essential goods are shooting over the top and there are low inventories and delays in deliveries, there is no point in running online campaigns and discounts to acquire new consumers. Instead of making efforts to acquire new customers, e-commerce marketers should focus on nurturing existing customers with the highest lifetime value.
What we are witnessing currently is unprecedented. It’s truly global and could affect every brand, business and individual. In the times of crisis we look up to leaders and institutions for direction, information and assurance. Increasingly people are looking unto brands for the same as well. Its time, brands rise to the occasion.
This article was originally published in ET Brand Equity