Marketing During COVID-19
As we all try to navigate these uncharted waters, we have had many of our clients asking us marketing questions we thought would be useful to share within our channel community. We will regularly post answers to your questions to help and support one another.
Because now, more than ever, Marketing Matters.
Marketing During Covid-19 Q&A
Q: What should I do right now?
A: Start with your customers. We’ve talked about nurture marketing for years but if there was ever an opportunity to really shine at nurture – this is it. Not sure you want to invest in nurture? Worried about your own revenue stream? Remember that a key rule in any weak economy or recession is to preserve the revenue you have. Be there for your customers now and you’ll be locking in their loyalty (and revenue) in the future.
Think about all the ways you can help and connect with your customers and map that out in a quick plan. Be prepared to re-assess that (almost daily) and to make adjustments quickly as things change.
Q: What if I target an industry hurt particularly hard by closures?
A: It goes without saying that a huge dose of empathy is required here, but it doesn’t mean you have nothing to offer. Your clients are probably looking for a way to diversify or protect their businesses. Call them, listen to their issues and offer 1-2 ways in which you can help them. One example might be to work with the software publisher for relief on licensing/payments or offering them extended or minimal payment terms (sort of like a mortgage holiday but in this case a payment holiday).
Host a call with as many of your clients as possible just to connect and listen. You’ll likely gain insight and ideas to help that business stabilize or diversify their product offers.
Q: Should my marketing messaging address what’s happening?
A: If you don’t address what’s happening today, you run the risk of appearing completely tone-deaf. On the other hand, address it in the wrong way and you could be perceived as being opportunistic. What’s the balance? It may depend on what your offer is. If you are truly offering support (for example, a webinar on how to use Teams), it’s unlikely you would be perceived as being opportunistic. However, if you are using an email to sell a product that might help people work virtually, be cautious. It’s okay to reference the situation, but you don’t want to be seen as taking advantage of the situation to profit. If you’re like most of us, you are getting dozens of emails like this every day. Take time to read through those and see what resonates with you then follow their lead. The best advice – be genuine.
Have a Marketing Matters question you would like us to answer?
Email us at info@ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com with the subject line ‘MM Question’ and we will get your question(s) answered from our team of experts.
Have a pressing marketing issue you need help with?
Schedule a 15-minute session with one of our senior marketing consultants, no strings attached, and we will help you in any way we can. Email us at info@ThePartnerMarketingGroup.com with the subject line ‘MM Call’.
