Smart Marketing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Smart Marketing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is posing unique challenges in all of our lives. We’re working full-time jobs from home, acting as teachers for our school-aged children, avoiding humanity at all costs, and some have even lost their livelihoods altogether. Retailers—especially traditional brick-and-mortars—are subsequently feeling the pinch too. For those retailers switching their focus to digital in the near-term, we’ve put together some marketing strategies to consider as we adapt to this “new normal.”

Reconsider Your Timing

Regular newsletters, email blasts, direct mail pieces, or even social posts all deserve a second look during this crisis. Take time to review the cadence of your marketing sends, because chances are high that the great content you’re sending out is just getting lost in a sea of other retailers ramping up their communication efforts around COVID-19. There is a veritable explosion of coronavirus-related coverage happening in our inboxes these days. It’s okay to press pause on some campaigns until the crisis has relaxed a bit more, or spin out some quick content that will truly speak to your audience during this time. You still want to keep your audiences engaged, so don’t halt your digital communications altogether.

Reconsider Your Content

Be thoughtful with your promotions. Consider altering your messaging to be more timely given today’s landscape, and please please please remember that sensitivity is key here. What are we saying? No crazy subject lines making light of the crisis, no “Flash Sales” promoting a COVID-inspired discount. No quarantine cocktail recipes. Unless, of course, being cheeky is your brand’s “thing.” The fact is, you never know what people are going through at this difficult time.

While you shouldn’t dabble in fearmongering with your marketing strategy, you should always keep your customers informed of the precautionary steps you’re taking to keep your employees and customers safe and healthy. Consumers want to know you’re taking the pandemic seriously—and email and social is the best way to communicate your message.

When we talk about content, we’re not just talking about words. Your imagery needs a good once (or twice) over these days. No one is supposed to walk within 6 feet of another person, so avoid sunny photo-ops of happy groups enjoying a public outing. Look at everything through the new social distancing lens we’re all adapting to.

Reconsider Your Placement

We see ads everywhere these days, from our favorite blogger sites to Instagram and anywhere in between. But with our shifting mindsets and digital priorities, consumers are hitting up a whole new world of websites you may never have considered advertising your business on. YouTube, for instance, is becoming an increasingly popular place for teachers to post educational videos. And Google, always a heavy-hitter, is where countless people turn to search for the latest COVID-19 news, video conferencing apps, and ways to entertain a toddler while working a full-time job from home.

We may not know exactly when the storm will subside, but in the meantime, we can work to polish our marketing strategies and keep our customers informed, engaged, and satisfied. Stay safe, everyone.