Jonathan Birch is Creative Director at
The COVID-19 outbreak is effecting everything from people’s mental and physical health to their finances. These are uncertain times for everyone and, as a business owner who is trying to keep their venture afloat, you might be struggling to work out what direction to take with your marketing. You need to strike the right balance of reminding people that your company exists, without it looking like you’re being insensitive or ignorant to what’s going on in the world.
Whether you’re still operating or will be back up and running when things settle down, spreading positivity through marketing is a great way to reach out to people. It could also have the added benefit of helping others through the crisis. But, even once you decide that this is what you want to do, it’s not always easy to work out how to go about it, so I’m going to take you through my top tips for making the digital space slightly brighter during these dark times.
If You Do Something Positive, Shout About It
There’s so much doom and gloom at the moment that people are crying out for some good news. So, if there’s something positive going on at your company, share it! For example, if you’ve been able to give your staff paid leave for as long as the pandemic continues, or your staff will be getting a bonus as thanks for all their hard work during the outbreak, I’m sure your customers would love to hear about it. Certain retailers, such as Home Bargains who have put together a £30m fund to help their staff, and Timpsons who are still providing their workers with full pay while their shops are closed, have garnered a lot of public support over the last few weeks.
A lot of businesses are doing what they can to support key workers and organizations that are helping those affected, too. So, if you’re able to donate money, services or goods to a worthy cause, or you’re offering generous discounts for health workers, shout about it! People will remember what you did to help during the crisis once this is all over.
Put Your Customers’ Worries to Rest
Depending on what kind of business you run, there might be some questions your customers have at this time. For example, if you own an online retailer, they might wonder if their existing orders are going to be affected, and that you’ve put measures into place to protect your warehouse staff. If your business requires in-store pick-ups — perhaps you repair jewelry or dry-clean clothing — they might want to know whether you’re offering an alternative, like no-contact drop-offs. Answering any questions like this before your customers even ask them can really help to give them one less thing to worry about.
Use all of the tools you have, such as your social media accounts, mailing list, and website, to keep everyone in the loop. It’s also a good idea to look out for any extra questions people are asking. Chances are, other people will have the same query, so update your FAQs and release new information as and when you have it. Your customers will be grateful for it.
While there’s obviously a lot of bad news at the moment, people tend to pull together at these times and find ways to make life a little less difficult for others. As a result, there are also a lot of happy news stories to combat the bad. So, why not try sharing these regularly to give your customers something to smile about?
You could use your social media accounts to share a positive news story every day, or collect some of the best every week and put together a newsletter or blog post. Not only will this help to cheer up your existing customers, but they could also pass your content on to their friends and family who are feeling down. Then they might just think of you the next time they need your products or services.
At such a troubling time, it’s important that companies do what they can to spread positivity with their marketing. Take these tips on board to give your existing customers something to smile about and, if you do it well, you might just manage to attract some new fans.
happy guy pointing –DepositPhotos
