Council Post: How To Maintain Momentum In A Time of Crisis

Times of crisis can greatly impact your business. While navigating the impact of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, you might feel like everything has slowed, such as current projects, sales and even your business pipeline. Face-to-face meetings and traditional networking have been put on hold, and you might also find it challenging to close contracts. So, what can we do?

As a CEO and chief strategist, I believe you can use this slowdown as an opportunity to build your brand and authentically connect with your audience. You might not see a financial reward from these efforts immediately, but they can pave the path for a strong future so that you’re poised for success and ready for business when things pick back up.

Reinforce your brand promise and how it applies to the current crisis.

Everyone knows we are in an unprecedented time. If your inbox is like mine, it’s full of businesses announcing new policies to build consumer trust and precautions that trusted establishments will be taking. While these provide your customers with updated information, there is an alternative strategy to deploy, which is to align your brand promise with this moment.

Marketing and branding should always align with customer needs, whether emotional or physical. This moment is no different. For example, consider a family-owned home security business: Their outdoor security cameras can’t protect against a virus, however, the company can emphasize its long-term focus on community safety and its commitment to ensuring safety that endures.

While everyone’s loved ones are staying safe at home, the home security company has made it clear that it can help keep families secure as well. They can meet customers with that message via online search, in their mailings, on their website and in their social media. Whatever your industry, citizens right now share a common set of deeply held concerns. You can draw on that to authentically celebrate how your values and offerings are relevant today.

Create future work through pro-bono consultation now.

Offering free expertise is a valuable way to create a pipeline for future work. It can reinforce your current client relationships and attract those curious about your services. For current clients, this allows you to understand what’s on their mind today, as well as address their needs and concerns for the near future.

For you, this also allows you to know what business to expect or not to expect later in the year. It’s also a great way to get to know potential clients and have an honest, low-pressure qualifying consultation. From this consult, you can determine if the client is a fit. Use this time both to talk to new people and to ask current customers about their future business plans.

Take your core offering online.

While social distancing measures are in place, treat them as an opportunity to build your following and service your customers in a new way. We know that many people access social media daily and that while they are spending more time at home, their access to social media is unlimited. Consider taking your offering online and how you might promote it via social media.

For example, I have recently seen a luxury fitness chain offering yoga classes DJ’ed by world-renowned artists for free to their social media followers. Membership or not, their classes are now available for all to preview. Similarly, I observed a cooking school that is offering bread-making classes for free via Instagram; you only need to follow them. I have even seen an apparel brand help people prep their closets for spring, with step-by-step closet-cleaning tips via their social media channels. While their audience might not be in immediate need of resort wear, the brand is helping customers create order in the middle of chaos and make room for new garments that will arrive later this year when those same customers are able to travel again.

This is the time to build momentum for your business. Be vocal about your brand promise, and speak to your customers’ uncertainty. Help them fill in the blanks as to how your brand addresses the current reality, and lay the groundwork today for a prosperous tomorrow.

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