Yesterday I participated in a webinar lead by Christopher Ryan at Six Marketing. The topic was how to keep your business running in a socially responsible and economically sustainable way during this epidemic.
The panelists were: Michael Nelson, CEO of Brainworks.studio; Vince Allo, Senior Account Manager, iHeartMedia Inc. Boston; Tara Gearhart, CEO of TMedia Consulting (Girlfriends Talk Marketing); Christopher Ryan, Supreme Commander, SIX Marketing ; Nate Fineberg, CEO of Group6 Interactive; Keith Hannigan, Content Creator Extraordinaire; and Jaclyn Shyptycki, COO, SIX Marketing
It was a great group of people and I wanted to share my takeaways in case they can help other business owners wondering how to navigate this new, very tricky time. So first and foremost, thank you to Chris for putting it together and to the panelists for sharing experience and knowledge.
Tips for navigating this Covid-19 timeframe:
These are things specifically helpful for this time we are in where we can’t be face to face and need to operate on a limited, or online only framework.
Don’t try to sell right now
Unless you are in a business that is really essential, trying to sell or do traditional marketing may seem self-serving and hit a sour note with people struggling to get by or keep their businesses open. Use good judgment in making decisions about how to go about any kind of outreach.
Create!
Most of us have a bit more time now, when business may be slow. Use this time to create content, build relationships, and finding ways to provide value. Tapping into your core mission, find ways to be helpful.
Stay connected
Find ways to stay connected with your clients through email, zoom, social media, virtual live events. Jaclyn gave an example of helping her a client do a virtual trade show, which will then be an online asset that can be accessed in other ways. Be sure your messaging reflects the true goal of the communication — to be helpful and provide value and to maintain a connection.
Stick to your core competency
Don’t start offering a service that you don’t intend to continue or go in a completely different direction — stick to your mission, your core values to guide you on how you can be most helpful. Maybe your message right now is simply — “I’m still here. I’m with you. We are in this together.” or “Communicate with me. Let me know how I can help you.”
Does your business work online?
This is a time to put a focus on how well your business works (or not) online — how is your business positioned to handle this time? You need to be able to bring products and services to your clients. If you find that you do not have this capability, explore ways to change that so you have a more balanced business model that can make it through times like this.
Your website is your image
Now more than ever your website represents your business to the community you serve. Above and beyond social media channels, your website is where people will look for information on whether your business is open, what hours might be, and any specific policies or precautions that are in place during this epidemic. Be sure there is messaging clearly visible and that there are specific ways for people to contact you! It’s also a good time to do an audit of accessibility and user experience pathways to be sure you are serving people in the best way possible. Be sure you have control over your website, or are in direct contact with someone who can adjust and make changes as necessary to keep the information up-to-date.
A good time to try PPC
With prices reduced in the face of less competition — it may be a good time to dip your toes into the Pay Per Click realm of advertising and marketing. You can get more reach for less money right now, so figure out what value you have to offer — have a clear call to action — and build brand awareness.
A word about Video
A lot of people are doing Facebook live or LinkedIn Live. You should treat this like any other business communication. Don’t do it unless you are bringing value and have something interesting to offer. If you feel there is not an immediacy to your message, maybe post it to youtube or other channels and offer it as a link that people can access when it’s convenient. If you plan to create video — map it out — make it a series. Keep each one short (:15 – :30) and offer an action such as talking to a team member, a link to your website for further information, a link to downloadable resources, etc.
Limited time offers
Now may be a time to give back — create a limited time offer that will help people stay connected, use your services or products in a safe way — and offer some relief financially while still moving forward. These offers may provide much-needed work during slow times and may lead to more returning clients once things get back to a routine way of doing business.
Influencers
Infuencer marketing is always a powerful tool, but at a time like this it holds even more power. When messages are coming from someone people trust and look up to — their messages hold a lot of sway and attention. Just as recommendations from friends or other trusted sources, it is less “salesy” when offered as tips from others — “I know this wonderful xxxx. You should check them out.”
Plan for the “new normal”:
Take the time now to plan for what happens when we can all get back to a more normal way of working, when people are back to their routines, back to work and networking, going out to dinner, hanging with friends and colleagues. What will this look like for your business?
Resources
It is always a good idea to offer a library of resources. This may take time to put together, but it should be an ongoing process. Even during normal business times — offering resources positions you as a leader, someone to look to for answers to problems or questions. Someone who can help!
Know your customers
You should be in tune with your customers and what they need and want. At this sensitive time especially, it is critical to be aware of what is most important to the people you strive to serve. Also think about what happens when businesses are able to be fully open again – how will your clients make that transition, what will it look like and what will they be wanting or needing from you to make it easy to find that “new normal”.
Consistency
This is always important and I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Slow and steady is where it’s at for brand awareness and customer connection. Post regularly and have a clear message of value and call to action each time. This does several things all at once, it keeps you top of mind, it builds brand awareness, it establishes you as a leader — helpful, offering guidance, answering questions.
Good Content
As always and forever — if you’re going to make the effort to create content — be thoughtful about it. Be sure it has value to your audience. Does it answer a question, offer solutions, educate, celebrate? Is it fun and engaging? Does the message meet the time? Care should be taken — there is a place for humor even in challenging times like this — to use it well you must be in tune with your audience.
The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.
Summary
So much ground was covered in this wonderful webinar and I’m sure I have just scratched the surface. My goal in the next few months is to find ways I can be most helpful to agencies, small business owners, and solopreneurs — those who need to keep moving forward, even as life as we know it has been suspended for a while. I know that my skills as a graphic designer, problem solver and communicator can help people in navigating these rough waters. I look forward to offering value and expertise to my clients and my community. Please contact me if I can help you >
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