Covid 19 has hit the global economy with surprise and dismay, and this is not the time to shy away from extreme measures. Conferences are postponed to unknown future dates, businesses around the world are pushing ‘work from home’ plans ahead and settling into a new routine. We all know this will pass, and now is the time to make sure our organizations come through the other side stronger and more mature.
As more and more employees are working from home, and as we all try to stay tuned to the news and online media – this is the time for you to take those conference budgets and turn them into the prospect attention you were craving. We’re all online now, which eyes do you need to catch?
How can you use this shift in attention to your advantage?
Move Online
As our physical world is more and more confined to our homes, the global attention to online feeds and stories has grown exponentially. All of your future prospects are there now, looking for inspiration, escapism, and information. As many businesses feel that this is the time to lower their activities, use the many platforms to create awareness to your brand, spread value and shine in the face of adversity.
Don’t squander this rare opportunity to rise in a space inhabited mostly by prospects and less so by competition.
Add Value
This is why most companies chose to avoid online presence in a time like this – they mostly feel like promoting themselves right now would seem irrelevant. They’re right, but that is always true. Marketing should rarely be about promoting your brand, and should always be about understanding your prospects’ needs and addressing them.
As we are all doing our part in ensuring the longevity of our organizations, ask yourself – what do our future prospects need RIGHT NOW? How can you help them?
Don’t promote anything, be remembered as the brand that provided selfless and actual value.
Stay Relevant
Obviously, in order to provide authentic value, your content needs to fit the situations in which your prospects find themselves. Don’t shy away from harsh realities, don’t paint the world in colors too bright to seem true – your prospects know what is going on, meet them where they are, not where you think they should be.
Post Regularly
This is important – don’t stop posting. Actually – now that feeds are constantly being refreshed – you should post more. As long as your content is helpful, relevant and provides value, you’ll want to be right up there on people’s minds.
Care
Marketers and salespeople are usually viewed as shrewd business people who try to make you buy things you don’t need, using false promises. This common belief should never be true, as sales are always about the client’s needs, but even more so in times of crisis. This is the time to show your brand cares about the communities it is a part of, be it professional or local communities. Think about the ways you can help them and encourage others to join by posting about your efforts.
Pay to Stay Ahead
Organic content that is relevant and valuable will fair much better during a time of crisis. However, the paid media arena is also cheaper right now and is a great tool to get in front of the right eyes. Paying to spread awareness on the different platforms lets you control for the target audience, sending your content to those who can benefit from it the most.
Offer Freemiums
And finally, the product itself. As important as it is to present your brand in its capacity as a caring part of anxious communities, there is also a way to sway the attention you gain into your products and services – make them free. Of course, not all, not forever – but let users utilize their time to discover the features and benefits of your offerings. If your products are good, you know they’ll be hooked in no time.
In these confusing times, it is easy to get scared and lose focus. Feel free to contact us with questions and requests, we will do my best to help. We should all do the same for our families, clients, communities and prospects.
