The Coronavirus pandemic is reshaping society as we speak. The major world crisis we are facing has already changed how we used to travel, buy, work or interact with others. And, with no precise time frame for returning to “normal”, we can only adapt to a “new normal “.

Over one-quarter of the world’s population has been confined at home as an unprecedented measure to stop the spread of the disease, and many economies are facing the most significant economic contraction on record.

The Australian Market 

Since the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis, the Australian economy has experienced the most significant changes in the last 100 years. The economic environment had never changed so rapidly before, which put a lot of pressure on business owners and marketing specialists.

We are now forced to review marketing campaigns and constantly adjust to stay afloat proactively. No one knows where we will be in three months, so we have to be mentally prepared to respond quickly to changes in a continually fluctuating market.

Carefully Analyze Data and Adapt to the New Situation

In these challenging times, business owners and marketing professionals must understand how people’s needs, wants, expectations and buying habits have changed to find the best marketing solutions that enable brands to survive and make the most of the crisis. New marketing and advertising strategies need to be considered to align with the current climate.

Communicate with your audience.  

If you have been thinking about new ways of communicating with your targeted audience, now is the perfect time to act. Start that podcast, use that social media channel, start blogging, send those email newsletters, and do whatever it takes to connect with your customers. You may also contact existing (or potential) customers on the phone, Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, or any other form of digital communication.

Video is no longer optional.

If you have delayed using videos in your marketing campaigns, now is the time. Zoom’s exceptional growth marks a definite shift in people’s desire to consume video content.

Update Your Messages 

However, in times like these, when promoting products and services, you want to be extremely careful about the tone of voice and your choice of words, as the public has become very sensitive to how businesses are promoted. People are in a different mindset than a couple of months ago. This means marketing specialists must show more empathy and offer clients helpful content that helps them solve their issues without shamelessly exploiting the crisis.

Reinvent Yourself

You can continue to make sales if you reinvent your marketing strategy, offering people solutions to their current situation without inducing fear or looking opportunistic.

Use Google Trends to understand what people are searching for, what they are mainly interested in, what they are worried about and what you can do to help them. Looking around, you will notice that most businesses have adapted. Companies with a robust online presence changed their promotional messages, and analog businesses became digitized overnight to avoid bankruptcy.

Offer Your Products/Services in a Safer/Contactless Way 

If you haven’t done this already, it is time to get creative and find a way to offer your products/services to your public safely. Many psychologists have started to provide online consultations, most retail companies are delivering their offerings at home, restaurants are making home deliveries, and attorneys offer legal advice via Skype/Zoom meetings. Of course, this doesn’t work for all businesses, but if there is a way for you to get to your customers, you need to find it.

Analyze your content and further develop it.

Your website is the backbone of your business, as it gives consumers a clear idea about your brand, its values, its story, actions, and behaviours. Your website presents all the services and products you sell. Now is the best time to look at your company’s website, detect its strengths and weaknesses, and see what improvements can be made to ensure it reflects who you are and what you offer to the public.

It’s time to create new content, provide better-quality images and double-check all internal links. Your online presence is essential for your business’ success; therefore, your website must look sharper than ever. You can publish new content more often. There’s a vast demand for informative, entertaining content that connects people and promotes wellness.

Blogging is one of the best ways to create search engine-friendly content and keep your readers engaged and informed about your recent activity. Focus on educating your consumers to position your brand when people are searching for products/services within your industry.

Delay Product Launches 

If you have been working on a new product/service that would have been well received before the crisis, you should probably postpone the launch to a later date. Focusing on your client’s new needs is a much better idea now.

Sales and Marketing Should Be Aligned 

Always remember that sales and marketing work together. This is even more important in times of crisis when your marketing decisions should be based on a thorough understanding of people’s needs, desires, and interests.

Professional Development is a Must 

A savvy marketer uses this time to achieve new skills that might help them get ahead of the competition after the crisis. Depending on the guidance you are looking for, there are lots of training resources out there.

Build Relationships 

What if you could try to meet like-minded business people with the same type of clients? Maybe you have always wanted to do this, but you have all been busy. This is the right time to meet, exchange ideas and nurture relationships that might be helpful later on.

Think in the Long Term

Most businesses have lost a percentage of their customers. To compensate for the loss, you could develop a few strategies to find new customers and offer the remaining clients some benefits, such as gifts, flexible payment terms, putting contracts on hold, etc. Lost clients can also be nurtured by engaging them and informing them about your new offers. To find inspiration, check your direct competitors’ websites, social media accounts, and campaigns to see how they cope with the current situation.

SEO is the key

You have probably noticed that the money invested in paid ads no longer generates a good ROI. So, it is high time you switched to SEO to gain new leads. Focus on all those technical changes that could bring positive results and resolve your SEO video strategy. Updating local business listings can also get valuable traffic and leads, so optimize your GMB account. Also, it’s never been more critical to create new quality content. So, make a content calendar and stick to it.

Significant Changes, Big Opportunities

As scary as the current situation may seem, there are always ways to improve so that you can emerge more resilient and wiser. Let’s not forget that big businesses such as Dropbox, Airbnb, Slack, Uber, and Stripe were founded during the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. These companies are living proof that major crises also offer big opportunities for innovation.

What About Marketing Budgets?

Fearing the recession that will likely follow the global health crisis, some business owners are tempted to cut their marketing and advertising budgets. But that’s probably the worst thing you can do right now.

Marketing budget cuts should be made after a careful analysis of each channel to avoid cutting those ROI-positive channels that could ensure the business’s success. Analyze your Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter accounts, and if you have some ROI-positive channels, it is time to invest in them to make even bigger profits.

When markets resume, companies that handle the situation well and have smartly invested in marketing and sales will outperform their competition. If you have not gained your public’s attention now, it will be much harder to do so once the crisis ends.

So, don’t wait for your competitors to get stronger. Look for new opportunities, adjust to the current situation, show empathy and professionalism and help your consumers get past this challenging situation more efficiently by offering valid solutions. Don’t give up. Your efforts will pay off.

Here is an excellent video of Seth Godin explaining How To Reach Your Audience: