The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted businesses—small, medium, and large. As unemployment rates rise, consumer confidence drops, but if you can, it’s important to keep marketing your business.
In addition to all the financially-able consumers who want to help the economy by supporting small business, the Australian government’s coronavirus stimulus package for low-income earners is being rolled out from today, delivering $750 into the accounts of many Australian households.
This one-off, tax-free payment is specifically designed to encourage households to support businesses that are struggling to stay afloat.
“Frankly, it is about a cash injection into the Australian economy, which supports small businesses and supports medium business,” said Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
It’s understandable that in such an uncertain time, marketing your business can feel insensitive. Will potential customers perceive you as uncaring if you’re marketing as if it’s business-as-usual? However, many customers are actively seeking businesses to support, so don’t short-change yourself out of their willing dollars by being impossible to find.
“If you use the fundamental lens of finding feasible solutions to customer pain points or problems, you should be able to make good decisions,” suggests MIC CEO David Williamson. “It’s all about creating customer value, and customer value during this period is providing quality products at a competitive price point, delivered on time.”
We’ve put together a list to help you reshape your marketing approach for this crisis.
#1 DON’T Exploit the Situation or be Alarmist
It’s frowned upon to use scare tactics to market your product. Creating a sense of urgency is one thing, such as “Only 25 appointments available—book now to reserve your spot!” However, scaring people into buying is poor form, and this looks more along the lines of, “Only 2 face masks left! Don’t risk your life—buy now!”
Your marketing efforts can reflect the concerns of your customers—just avoid capitalising on their fears.
It’s important to think of the longer-term customer relationship, and the impact some of your messaging might have into the future. Customers might not remember your marketing specifically, but they’ll remember how they felt in reaction to it. Ask yourself how you want to be remembered.
#2 DO Reassure Customers that You’re Prioritising Their Wellbeing
Show your customers that you’re taking the situation seriously. Send your newsletter subscribers an update outlining how you’re working to adhere to all governmental measures (you’ll have received many from businesses big and small already). Reassure customers that it’s still safe to buy from you—and provide any business updates, such as changes to service delivery or shipping delays.
View some great pointers on how to compose your COVID-19 communications on the SendGrid blog.
Please note, it would be best to avoid sending out COVID-19 updates that are actually thinly veiled marketing emails. This is unlikely to go down well.
#3 DON’T Make It About Your Business
Many global brands have received criticism for taking an all-talk, no-action approach to marketing through this crisis. Reimagining business logos with an element of social distancing (as seen in the Coca-Cola and McDonalds logos below) can seem like an effort to promote safe behaviour. However, if topical redesigns are all your business is doing in relation to the pandemic, consider not doing it.
To the millions of consumers suffering the consequences of the pandemic, it can come across as self-serving and exploitative. The world needs action, not consumerism, so don’t make the virus all about your business.
This point also includes sales that are ostensibly to “help out” customers but are clearly just promotions to make money. For example, offering 20% off your product or service for the first three months is just marketing. That’s not going above and beyond to truly help people out, and customers will recognise that. It’s unlikely that small businesses and startups are in a position to make significant offers, so perhaps avoid framing any sales as coming out of the goodness in your business’s heart—and just call a sale a sale.
#4 DO Adjust Marketing Campaigns and Schedules
Audit your existing marketing and any campaigns you have scheduled. This can be a large-scale campaign or something as simple as next week’s social media posts. Assess whether it’s sensitive to the current situation or should be paused for a later date.
Consider the kind of marketing content to prioritise. People are scared and seeking reassurance. Marketing that aligns with supporting or nurturing your customers would be more appropriate than an excited campaign about a new product release.
You don’t have to scrap all your marketing plans, but perhaps consider bumping out the timeframe for delivery.
#5 DON’T Become a Pandemic Expert
You run a small business or startup. Your customers don’t expect you to report on the virus or offer predictions. The simple truth is that no one knows how long this situation will take to heal. Keep any references to the outbreak sympathetic and avoid the urge to speculate.
If Norman Swan is receiving criticism for not being an infection disease expert, you could risk the brand of your small business if you start speaking as an armchair expert.
#6 DO Frame Your Marketing with Empathy and Authenticity
People are feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed by grim reports on the news. Marketing with empathy not only involves acknowledging the current hardship, but also understanding the brittle mental state of you customers—and not adding to it.
Offer a positive tone (but without ignorance). A short, sympathetic reference to the crisis is enough to lead you into your post or newsletter. Allow yourself to be honest, as this reveals the person behind the business and breaks down barriers. We’re all humans in this together.
If you’re not sure whether you’ve struck the right tone, share it with your friends and family. People outside of the business who you trust to be frank and tell you if your marketing isn’t ringing true.
Here at Melbourne Innovation Centre, we really liked this article on Protocol, entitled How (not?) to Market Yourself During a Global Pandemic. Not only is it informative, it’s also a great example of authentic marketing, from the tone to the candid responses.
There’s no denying it’s a really difficult time to market a business—and many of your competitors will be backing off their marketing for this very reason. If you can afford to keep up with your brand’s visibility, please do, as the market will be a lot less competitive for a while. We hope that in the coming weeks, as many Australians spend their stimulus money, you will see some of this flow through your business.
In summary: act—but act responsibly
Stay safe and take care.
The Business Resilience program is designed to assist Victorian small businesses affected by COVID-19. Support includes free access to online workshops and resources.
Business Resilience Workshops
Eligible participants can attend free virtual workshops on topics pertinent to the impacts of COVID-19 on small business. This includes strategy and resilience, finance and technology, customers and marketing, human resources, and mental health and wellbeing. Visit our Business Resilience Workshops page for upcoming topics and booking links.
The Business Resilience program is delivered by Melbourne Innovation Centre and the Digital Solutions program.
