Marketing in a crisis is all about being responsive. That cool, creative marketing strategy you ironed out last year might look great on paper, but it’s no longer relevant. In fact, sticking to it could do more harm than good. American buying habits and budgets are still shifting (in some ways permanently). We continue to socially distance ourselves, rely on technology in unprecedented ways, and adjust to each new wave of new rules and restrictions.
It’s tough to settle in when the goalposts keep shifting. And yet, there are definitely some things you can do to improve your marketing during a recession, a pandemic, or any other crisis that creates a hesitant market. Effective crisis marketing can be the difference between closing shop and coming out stronger on the other side of the COVID times.
We recommend the following six crisis marketing strategies to put your business on a sustainable path towards recovery.
Buyer behavior has already changed during the coronavirus outbreak. Folks are spending more time online than ever, communicating via social media, and shopping via ecommerce. Some of these changes will stick after the pandemic.
Don’t waste time with guesswork—always start with the facts. Online analytics are ripe for the taking. With socially distant life boosting internet-based activity, folks are creating more data points now than ever before. It’s worth learning about the new habits and routines that 76% of consumers have adopted due to coronavirus—and which 89% plan to keep up after the crisis (at least in part).
Google Analytics can journey map website visits and consumer decisions to help you visualize how your audience is behaving differently. Compare with pre-pandemic trends to highlight new gaps in the customer experience and predict what new talking points will resonate most today.
Look at what other companies are doing, too. A recent Adweek study found a ton of new trends in Facebook advertising during COVID-19. Automated analytics and AI have already spotted drops in imagery showing travel or human connection, with corresponding spikes in ad copy terms like “sleep” and “rest.”