As of 4 PM on Friday, March 13, there is a lot we don’t know about the Coronavirus. I have no idea what the next few weeks and months will look like.
However, there are a few things that I DO know and want to share with you:
First, this is NOT the time to stop marketing. This is the time to double-down on your marketing.
Social media usage is going to skyrocket over the next few weeks. As more and more people find themselves stuck at home, they will spend more time than normal on social media. Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube… I can guarantee you that traffic across all social media platforms is going to spike in the weeks to come.
At the same time, many of your competitors are going to “freeze” amidst all this uncertainty.
You have the opportunity to reach more eyeballs than ever on social media, and at the same time, many of your competitors are probably going to stop marketing.
This is a big opportunity!
Specifically, double-down on content creation.
Whether it’s video, or blog entries, or infographics, or maybe it’s finally time to launch that podcast – whatever method you’re most comfortable with, now is the time to ramp-up content production. And then distribute your content through your various social media channels.
This is a great time to begin hosting webinars, or launch a course, or find other ways to communicate your expertise and build thought-leadership digitally.
Digital education has been on the rise even before the coronavirus – online courses and learning platforms are increasingly popular. This trend is going to massively intensify if millions of Americans are stuck at home all day.
If you’re in the middle of building an online course, get it launched ASAP! If you’ve been thinking about hosting a webinar series, this is the perfect time to launch.
If you can serve your clients and customers remotely, do it! And make sure they know it’s an option.
If you normally operate your business through face-to-face engagement with your clients and customers, this outbreak is probably going to be problematic. If you have the ability to switch to video conferencing or other remote communication platforms, this is a big win! For example – a law firm or a mental health practice would likely be able to communicate via video chat instead of in-person.
The ability to meet remotely is going to be attractive to many of your clients during this time, so make sure that they know it’s an option. Communicate this availability on social media, on your website, etc. This can become a competitive advantage for your business!
If there’s no avoiding face-to-face interaction, let clients and customers know that you’re taking all possible precautions to ensure safety.
Many businesses – restaraunts, brick-and-mortar stores, gyms, medical offices, etc – can’t do business if customers and clients don’t come to their location. If that’s your situation, do everything possible to keep your location clean and virus-free, and communicate to your customers that you’re taking all possible precautions! Make them feel as comfortable as you can.
Market yourself now to set yourself up for the rebound.
Many businesses are going to experience disruption and temporary loss of revenue – that’s the unfortunate reality. But we ARE going to get back to normal soon enough. And smart, effective marketing done right now can put you in prime position to capitalize once that happens. As mentioned above, this is the time to double-down on social media marketing, content creation, and digital marketing in general.
It’s also a great time to work on marketing initiatives that you know you should be doing, but haven’t found the time. Launch that podcast! Write that book! Kick-off that webinar series!
None of us would choose this situation. But that’s our reality, and we can’t do much about it. However, we do have 100% control over our response to these events. Choose wisely!
Danny Decker
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