MARKETING STRATEGIES IN CRISIS ERA

Life has changed for everyone and has touched all levels in business area dramatically in the last months. So , how to impulse our business during the COVID-19 transition. How to adapt efficiently.

From a professional point of view, your habits will change, your company will be tested and in a few months everything will be different. With few exceptions, we will all go through a period of low sales, customers may falter due to insecurity with the economic scenario and financial adjustment. What is the situation of Marketing in all this history? It continues to be extremely important, but it is time to adapt quickly, because in this crisis, there is no point in doing more of the same. At this point, we have to think on two different fronts:

What should I do to mitigate the problems now? How should I act today to avoid future losses? There is a natural tendency to talk about predictability and metrics. In a quiet moment, that makes a lot of sense. But we are not living in that moment. Of course, monitoring visits, etc., is still extremely important, but this is the time to open your eyes a little and aim for something that will have a big impact on the future of your business: how does your brand cope with the current situation? Your brand will be tested and this goes far beyond the marketing department. It's looking at how you treat your employees, your correct actions and the decisions you make to help society. And what can and should the marketing department do? Change your content to information that helps people's immediate needs and calm them down. Surely there is some knowledge, in your area, that can help with this. Stay close to the directors to publicize positive actions to combat the virus and prevent messages that could be interpreted as opportunistic on behalf of the company; Monitor closely the evolution of the local and global scenario. Evaluate all the ways in which the company can help at this time and how to suggest them to the board for dissemination. On the other hand, there is no point in standing still. The salespeople are counting on us and throwing in the towel is not an option. It's time to be creative and take advantage of all possible opportunities. If you already have a content strategy in place, your funnel mouth traffic is unlikely to have much impact, which will already ensure visibility and potential customers. The problem will be turning these leads into customers, since no one is sure of closing new deals. This is where marketing comes in. Some examples: Use the information content, already mentioned in the sales process, to reduce lead anxiety. One tip is to ask the salespeople what their main fears and objections are, and create content to help with that.

If it's within your means, offer discounts or special payment terms for a while, until things settle down. This action may not guarantee income, but it can at least guarantee the maintenance of your customers. Actions like these will ensure that the loss is not so great, as your sales team will be better prepared to deal with the insecurity of the customers and help them make the best decision. Luckily this moment will pass and we have to be ready to return with everything. Facing the litmus test for your brand to be useful, relevant and help others will not only help you survive this crisis, but will create a permanent positive impact - when the dust settles, you can bet it will help you do business!

The audience you are building over time will not disappear either. Your content will still be useful and sought after by people, whether in the office or in isolation. Create your own channels. No wonder so many companies are investing in podcasts, newsletters and blogs these days. Times of uncertainty are complicated for everyone and, professionally, they require great effort and sacrifice. If you have a team, it's your responsibility to help them through this. So never stop paying attention to the physical and mental health of your team. Asking them to not only keep doing a good part of the routine, but also to deal with the pressure, create new strategies in a sensitive scenario, produce more and more content, etc., can be extremely exhausting. To complicate matters, everyone is probably already working in a situation of isolation, which helps with many people's anxiety and can further damage work and emotional exhaustion. Hold frequent meetings, preferably with the computer camera on, always available to help and always ask how they are feeling. If you're not a manager, pay attention to your co-workers, because just because we're in a time of physical isolation doesn't mean we have to isolate ourselves socially as well. Send messages, make quick video calls. We are living in a unique moment, that is true, but we can take comfort in the fact that it is at least temporary. We need to be resilient and adapt faster! .