The world has been overwhelmed by the news over the past few weeks, but we are not here to talk about COVID-19. As a team of creatives, it is our job now to reinvent ourselves and hopefully help you see the silver lining in a moment when the majority of what we read and hear is fear based.
Our blog post today is about opportunity and future planning! So, if you own a business or are an employee and are questioning what you can do for the company you work for in the middle of all this chaos, please stay with us.
After analysing the data coming through over the past few weeks, we have seen traffic in some industries skyrocket! Sectors such as; e-commerce marketplaces, pharmaceuticals, delivery, and online platforms should thrive over the next couple of months. A similarity between many of them is that they are heavy players in the digital world, as the vast majority of the population is now indoors and connected to their computers, being online is now a very real necessity.
Those who had their digital presence finely honed before 2020 will be on the front foot now, but for those who still don’t but have the ability to keep their business up and running, let me tell you, you need to work on your digital campaign ASAP!
“I had my Open Day organised for May and now I will have to cancel” is something that we have heard many times this week, my question to you is – Can you still achieve what you were doing but in a different way?
• Open Days can be done virtually.
• Students can learn remotely.
• Media and large corporations are all working as usual from peoples homes.
Many companies were reluctant to move across to digital but in a single week we were all forced to change our traditional methods and embrace the online realm. Life isn’t the same, however, companies are still working and those who are acting quickly are actually benefiting from it.
A great example is that our local Food Coop saw COVID-19 as a big threat to their business so in ONE single week they created an online shop and are now allowing customers to buy remotely. The result? They have sold more in the past week than ever before and their customer base jumped from a few hundred to thousands.
It’s time to think outside the box and also a great opportunity for you to show your strength and purpose within your community!
Companies that have voiced their loyalty to their customers now have the chance to prove themselves. There is a need to communicate effectively and be authentic, this will pay off in the long term and by doing so, you will gain trust from customers and you will be rewarded with a large ROI when this is all over.
With most people working from their homes and being more digitally connected than ever before, your brand has the perfect opportunity to catch their attention.
Think about how you can share positive information with your customers and help them navigate the next couple of months. If you are a school, perhaps now stepping up your game on social media would be a great idea. Share with parents tips on how to deal with home schooling and a home office at the same time; inform them about the challenges that they may face and teach them how to overcome them. Share stories from other parents, get personal through Instagram Live with the principal participating, parents and the community asking questions, use this challenge as an opportunity to bring the community together!
The more you connect and support your customers now, the stronger your brand will be in the future.
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful
Warren Buffett
But be careful with how you deal with your digital marketing strategy. Like any other material, this will have to be done carefully and sending daily e-mails with the aim of selling your product is just not the right thing to do at the moment.
Look back at your purpose and the reason why you have started a business and think – “Who is my target market and how can I serve them now”?
As a bank, maybe now is the time to create a new product that will support your customers during a financial crisis.
As a hospital, more than ever it is the time to educate your patients to ensure they are supported through this period with a focus on a healthy body and headspace.
As a school, again, it’s THE chance you have to connect with your community and be of service to the parents and students that are struggling.
Like hospitals, investment companies that decide to educate people over the next couple of months will not only increase their database but also see enquiries coming quickly once life starts to go back to normal.
Businesses have the opportunity to prove themselves now and leave this period stronger!
Don’t freeze all your marketing initiatives. Instead, review them and use the opportunity that this crisis is giving us to be creative and change some of our practices for the better.
Some market sectors will definitely be more affected than others, but if your business is still able to operate throughout all of this, then there is room for us to think outside of the box.
When we started Fresco, our mission was to help our clients deliver their message and connect with their customers. Now is time for us to do just that! Regardless of your budget, if you are confused as to what to do next and how a digital campaign can help your business navigate the next few months, send us a message.