“How Do I Market My Business During COVID-19?” Answer: You Don’t.

Posted by Anya Sleezer << back to blog

Last Updated on July 29, 2022

Keep your business healthy during this crisis by focusing on excelling – not selling.

As a business owner, the only thing scarier than COVID-19 may be the fear and uncertainty that surrounds it. The global economy has temporarily put up a “Closed For Business” sign, forcing all of us to adapt if we hope to survive what looks like “the new normal.”

Adapting sounds good in theory, but in the meantime we’ve still have payroll to make, lights to keep on, and mouths to feed. If you find yourself panic-stricken and staring at the ceiling at 3:05 am thinking: “I have to do something to market my business,” I have a different suggestion: don’t.

Now is not the time to push your goods and services as if the Coronavirus never happened- it did. Ignoring the current crisis makes your brand look oblivious which causes distrust and looses customers. Don’t focus on selling; focus on excelling, by bringing value to your customers when they need it the most.

So does that mean that you should stop all marketing, cross your fingers and hope for the best? No, far from it. Research shows that businesses that continue marketing during a crisis will bounce back faster than those that don’t. Brands that continued marketing after the 2008 financial crisis didn’t just outperform those that didn’t; they recovered nine times faster!

But this is more than that. This isn’t business as usual. Marketing during a crisis demands that you rethink your strategy and goals. You need to change what you say, who you say it to, and how you say it. More than anything, this is your brand’s time to help people and show them what you stand for.

“The first thing brands have to do is not think about today, but about how they want their brand to be perceived when the world starts to return to normal,” said Jim Nail, a principal analyst at Forrester in a must-read article from AdExchanger. “The last thing you want to do now is appear tone-deaf or opportunistic or otherwise taking advantage of the situation in any way.”

So, here are five ways to keep your business healthy and show customers you care during a crisis.

1.) Don’t be icky.

“Unprecedented” is the new buzzword, but it’s true – we’ve never gone through something like this. New situations demand new plans. So align your brand’s marketing and messaging with consumer sentiments, such as health, safety, cleanliness, staying at home, and doing more with family.

If you “stay the course” and don’t update your messaging, you’ll look oblivious, or worse. Even large international brands can accidentally ruin their reputation with this mistake. The day after President Trump instituted a 30-day ban on travel from Europe, Spirit Airlines sent a previously scheduled email with the subject line: “Never A Better Time To Fly.” Yikes!

Review your current marketing and make sure it’s still appropriate. You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches. Just ask Spirit Airlines.

2.) Show life as it is right now.

To stop the spread of COVID-19 all of us are being asked to stay put and stay apart. So your messaging should not be “Get Together With Friends!” with pictures of large groups of people. Your copy and design should not include words or images that highlight crowds, people touching, shaking hands, socializing, or traveling. None of these scenarios are realistic portrayals of people’s current situations. Instead, encourage people to do the right thing and figure out a way to help them while they stay
home.

3.) Change your target

The first rule of marketing is go where your customers are located. Right now your customers aren’t in the office, or out and about, so your marketing shouldn’t be either. Refocus your marketing spend away from on-site marketing and to digital, online, SEO and social. If every one’s staying home and staying connected through social media or remote work software, that’s where your marketing should be. Why pay for a billboard your customers are never going to see?

4.) Adapt & Get Creative

As a business owner, being creative comes with the territory. The marketplace is always changing, forcing you to adapt your business in order to survive. Granted, most marketplace changes aren’t as rapid or as drastic as COVID-19, but you can’t let this crisis stop you cold. So get creative and rethink your business. Can your brand’s services be more virtual? Can you offer new services that meet the needs of the moment?

Retailers that used to make sales from walk-ins are now shifting their focus to e-commerce. Restaurants that previously relied on in-store customers have updated their services to include pick-up and delivery and groceries. Gyms and fitness centers are sharing online content so customers can work out at home. Streaming giants like Disney+ are releasing popular titles early to entertain kids bored at home. Google provided free access to Google Hangouts video conferencing through July 1, 2020. The list goes on and on.

Brainstorm and think of ways you can serve customers who are stuck at home. Now is the time to double down and increase market share.

5.) Do Some Good

Doing good is the most important thing and not just because it’s smart business, but because it’s the right thing to do. The companies that are excelling right now aren’t focused on selling – they’re focused on helping customers during the crisis. There are several inspiring examples:

Domino’s gave away 10 million slices of pizzas to first responders
Google pledged $800 million to aid small and medium-sized businesses, including $340 million in free ad space
Yum brand’s CEO personally donated $675,000 of his annual salary toward bonuses and COVID-19 relief
Chipotle offered 100,000 free burritos for medical staff
Ebay let small businesses use its e-commerce services for free
McDonald’s donated 1 million masks in Illinois

These are all major brands that can afford to go big. But your brand doesn’t have to save the world, all you have to do is make a difference in a few people’s lives. Can you donate your services or time? Can you offer discounts, freebies, or donations to ease financial burdens? Or in this time of social distancing and isolation, can you simply pick up the phone and call a longtime customer to see how they’re doing? Sometimes little things can go a long way.

The American economy is resilient and we will find a way through this. It’s what we do. But times like these, and the uncertainty that goes with them, can make or break your brand. Don’t be a statistic. Because while a crisis is temporary, how you serve customers during it creates a trust that marketing can’t buy. Focus less on advertising and more on being valuable. Find ways to help others that define who your brand is and what you stand for. Don’t just say you care; prove it. It’s not just good business; it’s the right thing to do.

Anya Sleezer

Anya Sleezer is the owner of Levo, a full–service marketing agency, focused on helping companies from all industries who are concerned with their marketing results, traffic, branding, advertising, or websites.

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