It has now been more than three weeks since the U.S recommended all non-essential businesses to work remotely, but not everybody has the luxury of such work status and accessibility.
With hundreds of thousands of businesses owners closing their doors and filing for unemployment, marketing and advertising has become a forgotten priority for many since people believe they have to shift their priorities elsewhere, or would rather not spend money. Others have not put the effort to market themselves during theses times because they do not see the benefit of it. However, regardless of whether your business is still operating or not, you should not isolate your marketing or put your projects on hold! In fact, you are missing out on potential clients and are avoiding your opportunity to have a better relationship with your target audience.
Due to everything that is going on, many entrepreneurs' daily contact with people is just not an option anymore. However, fear not friends as your greatest tool is actually in your hand (if you are on a phone) or on your desk (if you are using a laptop or PC).
There is no reason for any business to market-isolate themselves due to the current health crisis around the world. It is not capitalism, nor is it being selfish. Rather, it is being socially responsible and sharing what you or your business can offer. Whether that is knowledge, supplies, and even jokes (We are all in need of a good laugh and positive vibes). You have the ability to interact with others on behalf of your business or brand. You can do all of this from home or a remote location. There is no excuse.
However, there is no list or guide that will work for your business. Every situation is different and depending on what your circumstances are for you and of those around you is how your business should operate and stay consistently active regardless if you are paying someone or not to do it. In case it is not clear by now, marketing-isolation is when you are not doing something in regards to your brand identity and values of how your business operates for whatever reason it is. We are not judging, or telling you what to do since every situation is different, but here is a list on how NOT to market-isolate your brand and/or business: Search and create NEW trends in your industry, you want to stand out from the others, and have your audience relate to you more. Your audience does not know everything about you, so try something new: record a video, do a live Q/A, etc.
There is no excuse to LEARN new things
There is definetly more time than ever to learn how you can become more efficient. Think about different ways you can improve yourself. What is a new skill you can learn, so that you can rely less on others in the future. Content,Content and MORE Content Yes, you must stay up to date with COVID-19 but not everyone wants to see THAT on their feed, chances are that if you keep sharing COVID-19 updates your audience will find you annoying and even unfollow you! Be creative, engage and ask your followers and audience what would they like to see and allow them to hear from you during this crisis. It could be a blog post, a series of videos or just simply checking on them. If you are into making funny videos, try out TikTok and Instagram. You should be doing something! The worst thing you can do at this time is become a ghost. Your Competitors are Your BEST-FRIENDS right now! We are confronting a pandemic and such crisis needs people to be united in order not to communicate chaos and fear. Talk to your fellow competitors, start a conversation, see how they are doing, and if you can, work together and help your community to stay off the bad news for a while. Not only your brand would increase its awareness but staying "HUMBLE" will bring value to your business among to those keeping an eye on you. Who knows where your new found friends can take you down the road. Always, stay POSITIVE Spread positivity and joy as much as you can during these days. There is so much information that are leading us into panic that we have forgotten to relax and reset on our daily lives. As a business, start spreading positive content on all your brand or services. If you do not handle any marketing or social press releases, tell your staff to switch the content quite a bit, this not only will help your business but also your awareness and how well your brand responds to critical situations.
Zaida M. Velazco
Design Lead, UX/UI / Web Management