Marketing Amid COVID-19: Your Questions Answered

Question:

Should I continue to promote my business at this time? How?

Answer:

Yes — absolutely. However, you may need to evaluate your offerings. Only continue promotions that feel sensitive and relevant to your audience. Continue to provide value no matter what. You may want to shift your mindset from "selling" to "providing information and value."

For marketers, it's important to be sensitive to the emotional state of others. Use this time to build community and foster deeper relationships with customers, peers and even competitors. Look for collaborative opportunities. Consider generous pricing models, deferred payments or value-added plans.

Examples: Restaurants will want to advertise takeout or delivery. Locally, we have innovative small businesses such as Wave Pizza in Grand Island, which is collaborating with other restaurants — even other types of businesses such as the Happy Brush. Now is the time to be creative. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

If you're a long-term business, stability and predictability are what you've offered in the past. Continue to offer those same things now and into the future. Offer value, consistency and hope. Banks, financial advisers, chiropractors, nonprofits and many more may see a hit, but the dust will settle. Find ways to offer value right now, even if you’re not selling anything.

Use this time to build community and foster deeper relationships with customers, peers and even competitors.

Question:

How can I use advertising to move my transactions online?

Answer:

If there’s one thing the coronavirus has taught us, it’s that the impact of the pandemic will force more people to transact online.

Shifting your marketing dollars to digital and social marketing makes a lot of sense right now. But designing it to provide educational value and support will go a long way. Customers who can use your resources and find value in your offerings will get you through these tough times.

Your online presence should include a mix of paid and organic messaging. Focus on giving back to your community. You may want to consider building out groups and communities that offer support. This is a phenomenal opportunity to create meaningful connections with your audience.

As an example, I read about a photographer who started a “Porch Project” where she photographs people and families on their front porch. She’s not charging money — but she’s definitely connecting. People will remember her efforts long after the coronavirus subsides.

If you typically host in-person events or sell face to face, transition to virtual events and meetings. Tools such as Join.Me and Zoom are great choices. There’s FaceTime, Skype and a slew of others.

If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, transition to selling online. You could set up a Facebook or Instagram shop. List items on eBay, Etsy or Facebook Marketplace.

I guarantee there will be companies and ideas who grow out of this tragedy, and it’s not just the ones producing masks and groceries. Again, necessity is the mother of invention. What can you invent?

Question:

How can I, as a local marketer or business owner, find support and stay connected with my community?

Answer:

We all know that what worked last week won’t necessarily work this week, and what worked for the car dealership won’t necessarily work for a healthcare clinic or the mom and pop down the street.

That’s why we’ve created a Facebook group for all our marketing and business owner friends who want to stay up to date on ideas that are working and share about things our local communities and businesses are doing to support each other.

We hope to share success stories, as well as struggles. If you’ve discovered something (no matter how insignificant you think it might be), we hope you’ll share it for others to learn and be inspired by.