2020: it came, it saw, it conquered. But, definitely not in a good way.
As a business owner, your adaption skills were pushed to the limits. You were forced to change your business plan overnight, meet your customers where they were, and find creative ways to keep your business afloat. We’re sure you learned a lesson or two along the way, but how do you plan to carry these lessons over to your business in the future?
At GreenMellen, we learned some big marketing lessons this year that we hope to carry into the New Year and beyond.
Express and Show Empathy to Your Audience
If we all got a nickel for every time we heard someone say, “we’re all in this together” or “during these unprecedented times,” we’d all probably double our stimulus checks. But, there was a good reason why we heard this so often: brands saw the importance of expressing empathy and connecting with their customers on an emotional level.
When writing or speaking with your audience, pandemic or not, remember that they’re coming to you for solutions to their problems. By speaking to them in an empathetic way, it shows you’re supportive and value their concerns.
Going forward, make sure to pay attention to how you’re crafting your words and how you might be intruding on your customers’ lives. That’s been more obvious now, but it has always been the case and will be more prevalent in the future.
Diversification in Your Marketing is Key
If you speak to any financial advisor, they’ll likely offer this sound advice: never put all of your retirement savings in one basket. The same idea should be applied to your marketing efforts, and COVID-19 only strengthened this concept.
Think about the businesses that utilize tradeshows and conferences to generate most of their new business or find new offerings for their customers. Overnight, they needed to find new ways to get in front of their audience and rethink their entire marketing and sales process.
If those businesses had an all-rounded marketing plan that included multi-channel engagement, they would be able to reach their clients where they are outside of those tradeshows and conferences.
Diversification in your marketing is just as important as your investments. By spreading your efforts across multiple areas, you have a higher chance of reaching people no matter where they are. And you’ll be more resilient to radical changes in the marketplace.
Keep Company Information as Up-to-Date as Possible
In March 2020, when everything started shutting down, many of our website maintenance clients asked for our help telling their users how they were handling COVID-19 through their website. These changes ranged from adding a web page or blog post where they would constantly update their new hours or operations, to changing the verbiage of their website entirely.
Once these changes were made to their website, they then made sure this information was shared everywhere possible, including email, social media, and more.
This year, we learned that your environment could change at a moment’s notice, only to change again two seconds later. Keeping your customers and clients updated with the latest information is not only a great way to show transparency, but it also shows you aren’t ignoring the current landscape.
2020 was not easy for any business, but with these marketing lessons in mind, you can make sure your marketing efforts withstand the long-term effects this pandemic brought.
For more assistance with your marketing strategies, contact GreenMellen today! We’ll help you keep your marketing diversified and resilient well into the future.
