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As our economy begins to reopen across the country, businesses are once again entering an unfamiliar marketplace. After adjusting marketing strategies to deal with the unprecedented economic halt, businesses must now shift priorities once more as they navigate a phased reopening of commerce. It’s a good thing that entrepreneurs are not only optimists but possess seemingly innate talents to be agile, creative and persistent. All these traits and capabilities are being put to use in an historic test as we come out of a necessary but challenging period. For those entities that have survived the business furlough, bringing a dormant business back to life has its own unique challenges. While we all are in this experience together, it also remains true that none of use have been here before.
The transition back to something that appears to be normal will not be instantaneous but rather a measured reigniting of a much-changed marketplace. Consumers accustomed to online purchasing, working and entertaining at home are still concerned about stepping back into a world where threats to health and well-being are expected. It is likely that a continued focus on organic marketing will be important for some extended period of time. How long that period is remains one of the many unknowns. Listening to your customers to learn how and what is important to them is at the forefront of your efforts to create messages that resonate and motivate consumers and continue to build your brand identity and reputation.
It is time to find a niche and begin to rebuild an audience by creating content that is focused on building trust through authentic content. Sound familiar? While it may be tempting to jump back in with marketing tactics from pre-pandemic times, consumer priorities and purchasing habits have changed dramatically. It still remains a time to avoid tone-deaf messaging as we learn more about how consumers will navigate the post-COVID-19 environment. “Now, more than ever, consumers want to know their money is going toward companies that are doing the right thing, even when it is the hard thing to do,” explained Sanja Komljenovic, CEO and founder of ONA Creative. Pay attention to your digital analytics to determine how your consumers are searching the web and what is trending. Tailor your website to reflect those consumer trends. As the world begins to move again, make sure your online efforts are mobile friendly and that content balances familiar slogans with messaging that speaks to your targets’ ongoing concerns and yields powerful, personal connections to the brand.
Be prepared to realign your strategy with the new reality and make adjustments to previous assumptions as necessary. Every entity is going to experience significant changes, whether positive or negative; savvy marketers will need to exercise agility and be willing to adjust tactics on the fly.
Before the pandemic, content at its best was said to be reliable, helpful, timely and honest. These elements’ importance to content generation remained fundamental to creating effective messaging during the pandemic and continue to be important as we resurrect our economy. It is important to remain vigilant and connected to those who continue to be affected negatively by the ongoing crisis with socially responsible campaigns that receive positive favor among concerned consumers.
Here we go, the resurrection begins!