Coronavirus is at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment. Times are challenging. Whether you’re in isolation, smart-working or are anxious about what the future might hold, the chances are that coronavirus has already affected you in some way.
You're looking for things to do at home to make sure you stay afloat. But, the one thing you can’t stop right now is pushing “marketing”. I’m not saying don’t cut your budget. Of course you should be careful on how you spend your money. What I’m saying is, don’t stop marketing entirely. Because if your brand goes moldy, if people start to forget about you, then this whole thing will be even harder to come back from. These moments can be both threatening and liberating.
Honestly, backing on this crisis at every opportunity is insensitive and a bit silly. So, that 40% off on your product or service “because Covid-19 bla bla bla” isn't only poor marketing, it'll massively harm your brand in the long run. Instead, think about posting interesting or entertaining stuff that'll resonate with your target audience. People need to see things that'll take their minds off their appartments they'll be looking at for the next few weeks (months).
One thing you’ll see brands do when in crisis is ramp up the selling. Some call it overselling. Whatever you call it, don’t do it. In the long run, you'll harm your brand, foster disdain towards your products, and when this all settles down, people will remember how you
made them feel.
Building an audience takes time and patience. And what is the best way to build that audience? Entertainment. Ooooh, yes!
During the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, things like the presses, theatre and brothels still thrived. You know why? People still wanted to be entertained. The same will be said for all those people at home. Keep your target audience entertained throughout this weird period, and when the normality will be back again, guess whose name will be in the forefront of your target market’s minds?
Work’s slowed down and we are in quarantine. So don’t keep posting contents on contents today about “smart working” because there definetely are enough of those. Three pieces of value/entertaining contents per week are great. That gets good engagement and speaks to your target audience better than four posts a day of absolute nothing.
Now I’m not really sure what I can do to help this situation from my little room, but one thing I will do is this. Here’s my email: giacomo.felace@gmail.com
Like you, I’m mostly working to keep my branding on point and looking for new work opportunities, but if you’re struggling, and want to drop me a email with any design or branding problems, I'll do my best to come up with some ideas for you.
Stay healthy and stick to the rules.
But let’s talk about other things too!