So, life has got very different for us all, and we have had to make some massive changes.
We are staying at home to look after each other.
As we experience this new normal, our businesses need to adapt and so does our marketing.
We need to be consistent.
We must stay visible; we keep showing up and do not undo all the hard work that we have worked so hard for. We also need to serve our customers and continue to sell and give people what they want.
1) Don’t be afraid to talk about what is happening.
Honestly, please don’t feel that you must avoid the situation. It is fine to acknowledge what is happing if you are comfortable talking about it.
But try and be positive about it and share things like:
A quote that is relevant, or motivational and uplifting.
Something that inspires people to look after themselves.
Talk about your business, how it has been affected by the current situation, and any plans you have for the next few months.
Share what is going on around you and your home and neighbourhood?
And don’t forget to check in on your clients and ask them how they are.
2) Be helpful
What do you know about the situation around you that will help others? Share useful resources, use YouTube videos, helpful graphics, quotes, and infographics.
3) Share your experience
Think about the things you can share with your community. Update your followers with the situation you are in; what your day looks like.
What you are doing that’s different to cope in your business and personal life.
What is your new routine? People like to see you and your world; this is your chance to share this with them. Use a selfie, a casual image of you, or share something that you are doing.
4) Adjust your social media
If you have planned social media, can you change the wording so that it is more sensitive to the current situation? It is ok to adapt, adjust, and be sympathetic with the captions that you use.
Can your product be helpful in people’s lives right now? How can you make people’s lives better? What problem do you solve to make people feel good?
5) Lead by example
Lead by example and share with people the ordinary things in your life now. Show how you are taking good care of yourself and the other people in your life.
What is going shopping like for you, or are you lucky enough to be getting a delivery? What does it look like for you when you are working from home? How are you planning on working with your families or other people in your life? Maybe you want to share your self-care routine and how you are keeping your physical and mental health in good check?
6) Pivot or adjust?
How can you help your clients during this time? Have you changed your processes to your services? Can you think of a new service to provide for them? Something to help.
Maybe use old services and package them up into something useful that doesn’t take up much of your time.
You might decide not to drive sales right now, and you might want to make your social media a place for people to feel good, hang out, get to know you, so you are at the forefront of mind when things return to normal.
People are still watching you. They may not always be commenting, but they are still there.
Keep sharing your knowledge, videos, quotes, and photos.
Here are some examples of ideas for you if your business isn’t fully functioning like it usually does:
Yoga/fitness instructors/health:
People are at home, but they can still join you online. Offer different options: Maybe a “working at home with kids” or an eBook – “How to workout at home.”
A video for helping mums and dads to relax, after a hard day juggling work and home pressures. Maybe breathing exercise videos or a 15 minute relaxation, or a how to calm your mind with yoga before bed.
You could create an online group fitness class, one to one virtual training, or use your social media to show how to still work out with children at home. Parent and child yoga, fitness, your favourite stretch poses, how to eat after a workout.
Psychologists:
You could do an online consultation or create a helpful eBook, “Your ten-day self-care routine: How to stay calm with daily mental practices”.
Social media posts – positive, helpful quotes, mental health techniques.
Share information to help parents communicate with their families about what COVID19 is.
Create fun and helpful infographics that could be Do’s and Don’ts of how you talk to your family, your friends who may have stress and anxiety about the situation.
You could also do easy tips and tricks: "How to be calm when shopping”. Help people navigate their weekly shopping – offer them advice how to prepare and navigate their shop. I was in the supermarket the other day, and this lady was getting super stressed about how to shop. Something to help people.
“Five things to do at night or five things to do every night.” or “How to help someone close to you calm down” or “How to relax when you feel anxiety creep in.”
Graphic designers:
Business owners may have more time on their hands, help them revamp their website, change, and update their marketing collateral.
Create a bundle or brand revamp service. Or you could create a design course for the novice or beginner on how to do their graphic design.
For your social media, introduce yourself, share your process, inspire people with projects you are working on, show before and afters, client testimonials.
You could share your story, the stories of people who work with you, stories about your clients, you could answer Q and A’s, share before and after design processes.
7. Use old social media posts and photos:
You can post some of your favourite old photos.
How about “Throwback Thursday” or “Flashback Friday.”
Don’t hesitate to share old social media posts, even if you’ve already posted them before.
8. Start Conversations
Remember, you are talking to people!
Always have conversations with your followers. Ask them questions:
“What is your biggest challenge at the moment?”
“Hello! How are you all feeling today?”
“Where do you live? How are you finding it where you are?”
“What’s your plan today? Today I’m going to…”
7. Start Planning
If you are staying home and have some time on your hands, now is the perfect time to start planning your marketing and learning new marketing skills.
You might want to revamp your social media pages.
Or plan your content for when things get back to normal.
I hope this blog has helped to provide you with ideas on how to survive the new normal. Please do remember to look after yourself at this time, and take a break if this is all too much at this overwhelming time.
Be safe, and keep washing your lovely hands.
I share lots of advice like this in my Facebook Group. Ready to Grow? Marketing Hub. Join here.
Hello, I am Claire Taylor, owner of Totally Taylored Marketing. I provide consulting and strategy to small service-based business owners who are ready for a marketing plan for their business.
Totally Taylored Marketing helps you create content that speaks to your customers and only put your marketing budget where your fans are. I work with you to maximise impact and minimize the time, energy and spend on your communications.
If you need any help contact me here.