Hit the Reset Button, Jack! How-to Survive in the New Normal
Image via Pinterest/Zara United States
At NYS HQ, we talk a lot about slow marketing, sustainable PR and evergreen strategies that will support a business as far as its investment can possibly take it—and then some after that. So even through times like these—when your advertising budget might shrink, your tactics might change and your messaging will 100% be reworked (as you “adapt” to your “new normal” and “pivot” your strategy in response to “these unprecedented times”)—while the world has changed, your mission has not. The most effective marketing strategies at their core will always remain the same.
While the pandemic has sparked this shift to short-termism , evidence shows that building and maintaining a strong brand presence remains one of the best ways to reduce business risk in the long-term. Here are eight ways you can keep your marketing alive through tough times:
1. Hone in on your brand evangelists
Even before things got hard, you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t!) have tried to be all things to all people. No one knows your customers better than you do; and no one knows your brand better than your best customers. Spend some time figuring out who your most loyal customers are and what they need from you now, and focus your marketing efforts on them—they’re the ones who will buy from you first, the ones who will promote your products and services to others, and the ones who will be with you for the long-term.
2. Be relevant to the current situation, always
Blanket copy is not going to work right now and forever more in the new normal; you’re going to need to be personable. Think about your target audience—what have they been through? What are they up to now? How can your product or service help them? With social media and surveying tools like Survey Monkey, if you get stuck you can even ask them! Your messaging needs to be laser-focused and, most importantly, aligned with what’s happening in your local community and the world-at-large. Don’t neglect the fact that everything will continue to change and develop—and often at short notice—so keep adapting and moving quickly so that you’re relevant to the current environment and your audience, always.
3. Reallocate your media spend to where your audience is now
You didn’t hear it here first: people have been spending more time online, and many are continuing to do so as flexible and remote working becomes a viable long-term thing. As the way people consume content changes, inevitably so should your tactics for getting in front of them and this might mean exploring new avenues, like podcast sponsorships and YouTube advertising, which you may be surprised to find are less saturated than traditional mediums.
Side note: While we’re firm believers in the marketing mix, if you need to reduce your investment or streamline your strategies to ensure your advertising remains activated then, trust us, this is a better approach than none at all.
4. Don’t be afraid to repurpose the assets you already have
If you’re short on time and cash, don’t hit your head against a brick wall trying to reinvent the wheel. There is nothing in the marketing playbook that says you can’t get scrappy and make the most of what you’ve got! Turn a print advert into a digital campaign, brainstorm a new campaign headline or simply refresh the messaging, or be brave and run with that big idea or creative concept you were too afraid to roll-out pre-COVID. If there’s anything that this time has taught us, it’s that life is too short not to take risks (and that banana bread is good for the soul, but not the waistline).
5. Your community is one of your greatest assets—lean into it!
In a time of crisis people are seeking communities they feel safe with and can trust. Shared experiences are more important now than ever. While there are still restrictions around physical get-togethers, you can deliver on this by providing virtual spaces while your brick-and-mortar operations are getting back up and running or by continuing to harness your captured audience with great organic content. Incredibly strong communities have been built online during the pandemic and will translate into new and more loyal customers for the future.
6. Swap highly curated content for user-generated content
Sometimes, a collaboration with the right influencer who has an engaged following of your target audience can be more effective than a bank of product shots created by even the most talented team of professionals. Often a smaller investment as well, not only is the result highly original, re-usable content but also an unparalleled authentic connection with their audience, that helps with brand awareness, brand perception and can influence purchasing behaviours unlike any other medium.
7. Outsource what you don’t know
Agencies can be more nimble than in-house teams, add a skillset you don’t already have on hand, manage a project you don’t have the bandwidth for or, most importantly, look at your business, its marketing objectives and approach from a fresh perspective that you may not be able to see when you’re so close to the business (or just tired after months on the corona-coaster).
8. Rest, Reflect and Rejuvenate
While the early days of lockdown gave us all a shot of adrenaline as we quickly adapted to our new reality, months of firefighting can take its toll on energy and inspiration levels. However, this enforced period of reflection could be just the time we all needed to re-evaluate life beyond it so don’t underestimate the value of taking time to rest, find new inspiration and focus on the things that you love most about your business. We’re going to be in this for a while, so we’ll see you on the slow marketing train.
