Marketing During The Coronavirus Pandemic

What to  do in marketing during the Coronavirus Pandemic We have a ton of uncertainty in the world right now, and this is to be expected given the situation we find ourselves in with a virus that is spreading and healthcare systems nearing and some surpassing capacity.  In short, people are worried about many things right now.   In all of the worry and uncertainty in the world, these are the questions you should be asking yourself about your business and we will tie these into marketing in a bit.  What value can I bring to the marketplace in a time like this?  (we will think about good times later) How can I create a message that delivers that value without expecting or asking for anything in return? How important is it to me to be considered the emotional champion for the marketplace now and in the future?  How does my current marketing position my brand?  Am I a call to action'er or am  I a value provider?  Be a value provider, revisit 1 through 3.   Now that you have went through that exercise, it is time to put a plan in place and take massive action against that plan.  Why?  Because you are already unprepared for what is coming economically, this should have been part of your marketing all along, and if you don't start now you may see even worse times ahead.  Many businesses will fail during this time.  I'm not trying to be negative, I'm just trying to give you the truth and some idea of how you can take action right now.  How do you take action:  Where is all the attention?  Meaning, on what media channels/platforms does the majority of the marketplace give their attention.  (I can tell you the majority is social media, but find out for sure for your organization) What can I do within that channel/platform to get my message of value to the marketplace, specifically on these platforms.  How large is the marketplace?  How many people are there?  How many people can you help? (remember it is not about your products or services, it is about providing value to people) Craft your message.  Get help from an agency if you need it.   Promote your message and value on owned, earned, and paid media channels to the greatest of your ability and the highest  levels of reach and frequency.  Why do you want to do this?  There is one thing that is important for a business' long term success and it has more to do with giving things away than selling anything.  The holy grail of marketing has, and always will be providing value to people without expecting or asking for a thing in return.   Why? Because that is how you create a positive emotional connection with your brand and a person's subconscious mind.  The subconscious mind is what drives decisions in the conscious mind.  This is always going to lead to your brand being the leader now and in the future so long as your customer experience is great.   Look at Coca Cola.....have you ever been asked to buy anything from them?  No, they don't do that.  Instead they try to tie positive memories you have or have had to their brand.  They do it well and they rule the Cola world, and they always will so long as they keep this key understanding and implement it.  I encourage you to take a look at your overall marketing and communications strategy.  Is it focused on brand or is it focused on sales?  A sales focus will never be sustainable for extended periods of time.  A brand focus, so long as you are doing it correctly will always be sustainable and will create unbreakable bonds, so long as your customer experience is great.  People will always turn to those who they have an emotional connection with.  They will not know they have an emotional connection, but they do and that is the way you want it.   Marketing is for the subconscious mind, sales is for the conscious mind.  Much easier to sell things when the subconscious already is making suggestions of you to the conscious mind.  In fact, the easiest way to sell is not to sell.  If marketing is done right, you will never have to sell.   Brand, Positive, Emotion, Connections, Value Always here to help.  -Marc