Now is the time for online brand love
by
No items found.
In light of the current global situation due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we’ve come up with some holistic recommendations on how to tackle your social and digital media marketing during this very strange time.
As more countries shift towards a lockdown scenario, numerous industries and the businesses within them are naturally starting to take a blow. Although the situation is problematic, it is important to be strategic and proactive during this time.
Most of us are working remotely and staying home, relying on the numerous sources comfortably available at our fingertips to receive constant updates and detailed information on how to deal with this global change. Social media platforms and digital media spaces are now more essential than ever to ensure brands can maintain a connection with existing customers, whilst possibly also reaching new customers who previously never paid them attention.
As marketers, we are now able to fully relate to our audiences, having found ourselves in the same unique situation as them. The fear of the unknown we are all experiencing is fuelling our curiosity to know more about what is happening around us. Yet with our social feeds dominated by the latest COVID-19 news, it can become strenuous and draining to merely look at our phones.
We believe this is the perfect time for brands to take a step back and look at their marketing and content strategies holistically.
Step back
There isn’t a single magical recipe all brands should follow at a time like this. Every brand has its own purpose in the market, and audiences have different levels of attachment to brands that they like or follow. So before going ahead with any social or digital campaigns fuelled by panic, take a step back and identify where your brand is at, right now, in the midst of this pandemic.
These are the aspects of your brand that you need to reflect on:
- Overarching vision
What is your main purpose? Answering this question should be easy. So go deeper. Delve into the specific objectives your brand holds dear, and the goals your team wants to achieve. - Target audiences
You probably already know the demographics of your target audiences. But what about their current mindset and behaviour? It is essential for brands to be able to empathise with consumers, especially right now. - Key offerings
Lay out all the products, services and experiences you offer and pick those you believe your audiences need or want the most right now. Determine how practical it still is for your customers to purchase your offerings now that they have to stay home. And if you don’t have it already, seriously consider setting up an e-commerce website. - Humanity
To keep your audiences engaged during this time, you have to show them your human side. The last thing you want to do is push solely sales-focused content in an attempt to keep your business financially stable. Like this, you would be completely ignoring what people are actually experiencing.
Learning from other brands
Whether you’re selling beer or offering B2B consultancy, there is a lot you can tap into right now through your online content and social media marketing. Here are some of our favourite recent examples from Instagram:
Emotional (brand loyalty and customer retention)
Nike
Human (Relevant and CSR focused)
Sweetgreen
Fun (Relatable and humorous)
Asos
Let’s get planning
Now that you’re inspired enough to conquer your social and digital marketing for as long as this period may last, it’s time to start planning.
There are three time periods you’ll need to plan for:
A. Short-term (the next few weeks)
Breathe. You’re going to need to let your creative juices flow in order to figure out what you should be pushing on your online platforms, despite your current limitations.
- Gather all your team members and brainstorm together, there is no better time than now to maximise on teamwork;
- Make the best use of what you already have available — your analytics, your catalogue, your assets, your manpower — a brilliant idea that can keep you going in the short-term is probably already in there waiting for you to find it;
- Be honest with your audience — engage them to tell you what they want to see from your brand’s social media during this difficult time, rather than preaching to them and pretending you know exactly what they want and need from your brand right now.
B. Long-term (the upcoming months)
Start considering the possibilities that lie ahead as we start heading into the summer months.
- No one truly knows what this future period is going to look like, but you ought to outline a top-line plan which is agile enough to be adapted to whatever happens next;
- Based on what you see performing well in the next few weeks, plan out the upcoming months without being too vague or too specific;
- Think about any longer campaigns that you think could make sense in the foreseeable future, as people continue to rely on their social media to find information and stay connected with the world around them;
- Don’t repeat your short-term strategy over and over until some sort of stability emerges, or you might risk your audiences losing interest and seeing through your panic.
C. Beyond (post COVID-19)
Yes, there is an end to all of this. It’s important to keep your team and customers inspired, hanging in there for the long haul together, even if things seem bleak right now.
A creative team with a receptive audience welcoming your content is all you need to make sure your brand survives this period and emerges from it even stronger than before.
- Based on what you see performing well in the next few weeks, plan out the upcoming months without being too vague or too specific;
- Think about any longer campaigns that you think could make sense in the foreseeable future, as people continue to rely on their social media to find information and stay connected with the world around them;
- Don’t repeat your short-term strategy over and over until some sort of stability emerges, or you might risk your audiences losing interest and seeing through your panic.
Why is all this so important?
While this might all sound daunting, there is plenty to feel positive about. This period shall pass. Once the calm after the storm settles, the brands that will emerge in a powerful way are those truly present for their consumers during these tougher times. We like to say that a brand IS what a brand DOES. If there was ever a time for brands to live up to the values they proudly claim to hold, now is that time.
Brand love and brand loyalty are crucial to maintain at the moment. It’s the right time to grab the bull by its horns, for the lack of a more animal-friendly expression, and start planning ahead. Now is the time to inspire and create the aspirational moments your audiences are craving, by being authentic and emphatic.
We’re not medical experts. But we are definitely certain of the power of social media in a time as strange and isolating as this. Just as COVID-19 seems to have been a wake-up call for humanity to be more environmentally-conscious, it can also be a fresh start for your brand to re-think its online presence and overall customer loyalty.
