Amp Up The Brand Positioning Amid Coronavirus
Every crisis has a silver lining. Rather than getting your company stuck in this emergency time, use the time to take a better look at the bigger picture in front of you. Look for creative ways to engage with your customers.
Over the past few months, the world has been reeling with the aftermath of a deadly virus called Coronavirus. The business has taken a nosedive in almost all the industries. Though most of the restrictions imposed by the countries are necessary to stem the impact of the disease, we also need to understand the impact they will have on the sales of most of the companies around the world. However, you need to also understand that it is the time to invest in advertising as consumers still need to eat and consume. Start thinking out of the box to keep your customers rolling along with you. Let us explore some ways as to how you can do so:
Deploy your Company’s Thought Leaders
This restriction time, when meetings and trade shows are getting canceled, offers you the luxury to take a step back and think about the bigger picture. This creative thought process is necessary in today’s times when face to face meetings are getting canceled. It gives us time to analyze and tackle the big issues that your industry is facing, something you didn’t have time to fix when things were going smoothly. Led by your top executives, set up virtual informational webinars to replace the canceled trade shows. Featuring online executive-level talk tracks, it will help the people in the industry through thought leadership. After all, it is one of the top reasons why people travel for conferences around the world.
Check-in with your customers
Get your sales representatives their own official video conferencing account so that they can chat with the stuck at home customers in virtual meetings. Ask them how they are facing the crisis and how your company can help them. If they are expecting your company to deliver products and services in the wake of this lockdown that you are unable to fulfill, discuss with them the strategies you have once all this is over. It is important for a strong brand image that the customers hear of these plans right from the horse’s mouth individually. Not only will this help in a strong brand positioning after the business is normal again, these ones on one meeting will help your sales team to identify which customers have been most affected by the crisis and what you can do to help them after this passes over. In case yours is a B2B company, these video conferences will further help your clients to strategize and explain the plans to their own customers.
Schedule Future product demos
A new year is a time for strategizing and making future plans of investments. However, these have now been delayed considering the volatile market condition. This further hobbles the growth plans for many companies. You can shorten these delays by organizing open webinars where they can learn more about your technology and see live hands-on demonstrations. You can also consider joint demos if your company is fully integrated with several other platform providers. Ask your sales team to market the link for these video meetings and keep them open so that anyone with the link can drop by at any time of the meeting.
Start an online networking community
People travel all around the world for conferences so that they get to meet their peers and discuss upcoming industry practices and ask questions. In fact, for most people, networking is the top reason for attending these conferences. You can help them in this endeavor by starting an online community where your customers can engage in a peer to peer discussion with the top executives of your firm. However, do not keep it just for the crisis. Make it a regular forum for your customers and it will surely pay in the long run for your business. There are several plug and play services available that will help you in the setting up of the same as quickly as possible.
Market Communication
In this when everyone is feeling socially isolated, you can tie your content marketing initiatives with your social media strategies so that you stay connected with your audience.
Never waste even a single moment of a crisis. Even though travel is restricted and business is slow, you will have a lot more time in your hands to better your brand in the market. Employ the tools available in your hand for a stronger brand positioning in the market. One way you can do the same is by engaging with your industry peers by writing thought to invoke leadership articles in industry-specific publications. Share your vision of any future opportunities you feel there is to seize, future growth trends of the industry, and the roadblocks ahead. In order to have an active market communication, keep your social media channels engaging and active. Not only will it help you in staying connected with your customers, but it will also help you in communicating with them regarding the latest news and your expertise. In these times when everyone is feeling socially isolated, you can tie your content marketing initiatives with your social media strategies so that you stay connected with your audience. Another way of communicating your message is by podcasts. These help you in telling your brand story to an interested audience willing to listen to the same while opening up new avenues for you to explore. Get invited into one of the industry-specific ones as an expert guest or you can even try starting your podcast channel.
Optimize your website content
This lockdown also gives us the opportunity to improvise the website experience for your audience. Optimize the website content by making sure that it communicates a relevant message and speaks to customer concerns. It should be up to date and relevant and you can add to the same by including blogs, videos, posts, and customer success stories.
In the end, do remember: Every crisis has a silver lining. Rather than getting your company stuck in this emergency time, use the time to take a better look at the bigger picture in front of you. Look for creative ways to engage with your customers. Remember, the economy will pick again once this is all over and the company that invests in its customers at this time will reap huge rewards. Do not panic as a business will pick up again. Just ensure that rather than getting stagnated in a rut, use the time wisely and concentrate on your future strategies and ways to strengthen your brand positioning in the market.
