The pandemic that we’re experiencing right now has drastically affected a lot of businesses whether big or small. In order for your business to survive, you need to adapt to the changes that are happening. Well, that’s why we’ve come up with these COVID-19 marketing tips to help you out.

We know it’s hard to shift gears with your marketing efforts, especially if you’ve already prepared for the past months. But that’s just the way it is, unexpected things happen and only those businesses who can come up with new strategies quickly can survive this crisis.

5 COVID-19 Marketing Tips To Help Your Business

 Given the current situation, now is the time to double your efforts to market your business. However, you need to market responsibly and not overdo things or it will just do more harm than good to your brand.

These COVID-19 marketing tips may or may not be applicable for your business but they can serve as a good starting point to develop an action plan.

You don’t have to re-do everything, but you can just decide for a new timeline with your campaigns and change a few elements to it. It will take some time before everything goes back to normal so make use of the free time you have to observe your market.

1. Evaluate How You Communicate With Your Audience

The way you communicate with your audience whether through words or images tells so much about your brand. If you’re not careful about how you convey your message, it might make things worse.

Do not use images or copy that encourages gathering. Even if you’re just using stock images and not actual photos, try to avoid photos where people are touching or gathering. Do the same thing for your copy by avoiding phrases like “Let’s have a party” or “Get in touch with us.”

Before you make your content go live on social media, blogs, and emails, have a quick look at your images and your copy. Swap them out with different images or words to avoid getting negative comments from your audience.

2. Tweak Marketing Campaigns & Timelines

While some businesses can quickly tweak their campaigns, it’s not the case for everyone. There are risks involved, particularly money, if you make changes to your scheduled launches and promotions.

So what do you do? Try to pause all of your campaigns first and re-evaluate your timelines. If you’re launching a new product in the following weeks, there’s a big chance that it may not return good results. In fact, it might even make your brand look insensitive given the current situation we have today.

3. Don’t Take Advantage Of The Crisis 

Now, do remember that regardless of any situation, taking advantage of a crisis is always a big NO for businesses. It’s so easy for a post to go viral these days so all it takes is just one negative feedback from your customers and you’ll have a hard time fixing your brand’s image.

Here are some things that you should and should not do during a crisis:

• Be Transparent – Show your audience that you are doing your part to help with the COVID-19 crisis. Does your store practice social distancing? Do you provide aid for your employees? Are you giving discounts? Keep your audience informed with any changes that happen to your business.
• Avoid Misinformation – While it’s important to educate your audience, choose content that won’t cause panic or misinformation. Make sure that the content you publish is sourced from credible sites or articles. For example, it’s not a wise idea to share an article on how bananas can help cure the virus.
• Change Your Tone – Promoting your services is okay but be sensitive enough when you do it. Don’t use words like “COVID-19 Sale” or “Pandemic Sale.”

The key is to show empathy. Your customers are more than just sales figures, they’re real people with real lives, both personal and professional.

4. Show Your Audience How Your Brand Can Help

Customers buy goods and services because they get value in return. Now, businesses should understand that providing value for their customers can also be done in different ways, and not just though goods and services.

As a business, you can do more like working with agencies that offer humanitarian aid. For example, you can organize a donation drive that would help feed homeless people in your local community. You can also do a charity sale where a portion of your sales will go to a chosen beneficiary.

Remember that you’re doing this for the people and not for your business. Just do it genuinely and people will recognize your efforts.

5. Spread Positivity

Almost all news and media sites are talking about the COVID-19 virus so it’s okay to sprinkle in some positive content that’s not about the virus. It’s times like these where people need a glimmer of hope that things will return to the way they used to be.

Here are some things you can do:

• Use Employee Generated Content – Now’s the time to lean into human stories. You can create a short video on how your employees are dealing with the quarantine period. In fact, why not post a video of your online conference calls too? It will show how much you care for your employees.
• Post memes– Memes related to our current situation are okay as long as they’re not offensive or insensitive. For example, there’s this parody video that shows the effects of the COVID-19 virus. The meme depicts the reality of what most “work-from-home” employees are experiencing right now. 
• Talk To Your Audience Directly – As the owner of a business, your clients must hear from you too. A simple video with some words of encouragement is enough to spread positivity.

Be Flexible With Your Marketing Efforts

There’s no specific timeline on when this crisis will end. Businesses need to be flexible enough to adjust their campaigns right away. Stay updated and keep up with the trend so you know what steps you need to take. 

However, you don’t need to pressure yourself. If you’re one of those business owners who would rather wait it out, that’s fine. Pause all your marketing efforts and take this time to rest and spend time with your family. As states open up for business again, evaluate your messages and tactics and see how you can improve your company’s marketing, while moving forward in a world that will certainly look different.