Be the best in breed with these Brand Marketing tips to handle the Corona crisis
The dark times of the Coronavirus pandemic have made marketers look at brand marketing like never before. Most industries are experiencing a plunge in sales and revenue in recent times. Some sectors have undergone almost total cessation of activity and are striving hard to survive. This has made brand marketing more critical than ever for many businesses.
Now is the time to build a flawless and killer strategy for businesses. The future of a brand is dependent on learning from this moment and applying the most thought-out plan into action. Certain brands are finding ways to deliver their best. In a world gone awry, let us shed light on some impactful brand marketing ideas to build momentum.
Support the most valuable assets
Employees are the major contributors to the organization's growth. So instead of blindly chasing after strategies to market a brand, first appreciate and support the people who work to help build it. Lay emphasis and importance on their contribution in order to propel ahead. They are also putting efforts to adjust to the new normal. Try engaging them in fun activities and breaking their monotonous WFH lifestyle. This will not only boost productivity but also help in creating goodwill.
Example: The TATAPower WFH selfie contest is one of the best initiatives to tell their employees that they are not alone in this. Their invitation to take a break and share their story of balancing the work and daily chores saw a humongous response.
Give moment marketing a shot
Moment marketing has become a new barometer of success. Since now people spend more time on social media it is a perfect way to strike a chord with them. Use the concept of delivering the right message at the right moment to accelerate brand and business efficacy. If the content and context of a message hit the right spot, one can increase the overall bounty.
Example: The campaigns from Zomato, be it their tweets or ads, creatives and stories are just apt. Whether it is creating quirky wallpapers for Zoom call users, the campaign on work from home vs work from the office, or the campaign of feeding the daily wagers, they are always able to win their customer's heart.
Empathy and emails
Empathy builds relations! Due to the lockdown, people can’t visit each other in person but that doesn’t mean one should stop communicating with them. During these dark times, write about what customers want to hear. Writing emails can help increase engagement and convey one's concern for their well-being. But one must be prudent while drafting it, the time demands a human touch more than ever. So, tune the tone!
Put your brand at the disposal
Hop on the bandwagon by offering services for free or with a slash in prices to help folks get through these uncertain times. Make remote working easier for people by providing them with networking tools, free educational, entertainment, or sports subscriptions, discounts, suspended fees, free shipping, or great content. Let service outshine sales for a while. But be careful to not misrepresent oneself as someone who is trying to benefit from the situation.
Example: LinkedIn Learning is offering free learning opportunities to help adults connect and collaborate with a vast range of courses. Some of the courses include tips on managing stress, managing virtual teams, developing resourcefulness, tips for working remotely, learning BlueJeans meetings so on so forth.
Pep up your SEO
SEO can be a life savior during the Corona crisis. Even if production or sales are on a hiatus, one can definitely rebuild everything back. Bring in all the efforts to place the website posts near the top of the search results, preferably in the first few positions. Even during the lockdown period, as long as one has internet, it is a job that one can easily do from home. There are uncountable sites that give tips and tutorials to outperform one's competitors with the help of exceptional SEOs. And when the other players are busy focusing on their business, what can be a better time for focusing on improving the website’s ranking!
Tweak your idea
With an increasing number of people consuming online content, brand marketing is fixated on word of mouth. Forwarding content is a nuncupative game of building your brand. So, send communications that add value to customers like tips to remain safe or one can adjust the image of the brand’s ideology slightly to maintain one's customers even in the Corona crisis.
Example: Some of the well-curated ways of communication is Nike's campaign to spread the idea of remaining indoors by telling its followers to play inside and play for the world. People often end up forwarding content like this which makes them feel optimistic and motivated.
These are some tips that can give a whiff of fresh air in branding one's company during this blazing pandemic. The possibilities are endless but one needs to adapt to changes and look to other channels to reach customers.
Stay safe!