Right now, a lot of companies and brands are like our friend here. Frozen in place, unsure of what is coming or how to react.
Unsure of what is coming or how to react.
Think about that… how often do you get a situation where all your competition is frozen in place, not doing much of anything?
How often do you get a chance like this?
Almost never, right? They’re not doing any marketing; they’re not promoting their brand. This is an amazing opportunity, and all you have to do is seize it.
Now, of course, how you market your brand in this situation is different, but not that different, and it’s much better than doing nothing.
1. Market your brand with empathy.
No, this doesn’t mean starting every brand communication with “We know this is hard, we’re there for you.” That’s already getting old. It means figuring out what’s going on in the lives of your targets (not that hard to do, you’re probably going through the same stuff). Then give them something they need – information, access to data they don’t have, a resource they haven’t thought of, an incentive to act.
2. Build up their confidence.
Remember, your competitors aren’t the only ones frozen, so are your target audiences. Be the brand that makes them feel like something can be done, something should be done. Educate and entertain, give them an escape if that’s what they really need.
3. Just like always, test and learn.
Figure out the behaviors you are looking to drive, then write copy and test it digitally, just like always. If you haven’t been doing this, then maybe now is the time to reach out for some external expertise with your brand messaging. Then try out a few different messages, and see which ones are having an impact. Double down on them and write a bunch more in parallel. Digital marketing 101 and you could be the one leading the way.
4. Get ready for universal re-think.
All your customers (and all your competition’s customers) are rethinking pretty much everything right now. Be the brand that anticipated that, that communicated with empathy and with value at the very moment that they are rethinking. That way, you’ll be flying long before we come out of this, while others are still stuck in their tracks.
David McGrane has 20+ years of international brand and marketing experience. He has worked with brands large and small, famous and soon-to-be-so. Projects for Netflix, Kelly Services, AAA and Charles Schwab required adept storytelling. You can reach him via LinkedIn