Effective Marketing and Lead Generation During a Crisis

COVID-19 and other crises such as political unrest and a struggling economy continue to affect us in 2021. Last year, marketers saw the need to sharply pivot in their tone and content. But with unfavorable conditions continuing longer than anticipated, marketers are looking for more effective ways to reach their audience and generate leads at a time when many businesses are struggling. Marketing staff wonder how to reach audiences in a tactful way at a time when morale is low and budgets are tight. Luckily, there are some proven steps to effectively advertise during a crisis in a compassionate, compelling way that avoids sounding tone deaf. Here’s where to start.

1. Show empathy and provide support

No doubt everyone could use a little empathy right now. Times are tough, and many businesses are having to make difficult decisions to remain viable. But marketers need to go beyond hollow “we’re all in this together” messaging. Showing empathy through your marketing must be genuine, and it must be actionable. Your clients need to know you’ve put some thought into what they’re going through, including how you can help or at least connect with them.

Your customers also need to know what you’re doing internally to better assist your clients. Advertise your special hours, contactless services, cleaning and disinfecting protocols, and virtual events and meetings. Let them know if you endorse fundraisers and donations that support health care workers or help businesses like theirs recover. Offer special deals for referrals, waive onboarding fees, and so on.

It’s also important to show by your tone and content that you mean what you say. Prove that you understand the specific challenges your customers face by giving them resources that will help (more on this in the next section). Think of your business as the friend who, in a crisis, doesn’t stop at “I know how you feel,” but adds “and I’m here to help you get back on your feet.” 

2. Offer relief through valuable content

Never has value-driven content been more important than right now. Companies are looking to streamline their workflows, reduce costs, and avoid making cuts to their workforce. If you aren’t already, now is the time to become a “go-to” source for your industry by offering content that addresses these pain points. Provide helpful guides, eBooks, LinkedIn articles, blog posts, pillar pages, podcast episodes, short videos, and other helpful content on your website and social media channels. If you’re overwhelmed, start by leveraging older, evergreen content and adding original content regularly. If you’re a small or mid-sized business that doesn’t have the time or manpower to create or maintain a content marketing strategy, check out Roikings’ services here.

But before you can do any of the above, you first need to consider what specific challenges your customers face. Get granular by asking specific questions: Are they based in a state or country that is more affected by COVID-19, and are they dealing with lockdowns and limited indoor capacity? Is their industry one of those that has been hardest hit, like restaurants, travel, and hospitality? On the flip side, is their business booming or expanding, and do they need help scaling it? No matter what it is, start with the problem and orient your content around helping your customers solve it. 

3. Build trust in your brand

Like it or not, your customers will remember how you responded (or failed to respond) during a crisis. You want to be a brand your customers can trust and turn to as an industry leader. Establishing trust is crucial, with 8 out of 10 U.S. customers stating that they will keep buying from a brand they’ve learned to trust. And 78% of customers report that they’ll recommend the brand to those they know. So how, exactly, do you establish this trust in a time of crisis?

It’s important to get to know your customers. Listen to them, and take note of their changing needs. There are several ways to do this, and using all of them will provide the most impact. Create customer surveys, engage with customers on your social media channels, and join online groups that cater to your customers’ industries. Offer gated content and include a question or checkboxes where customers can share their specific challenges or what resources they’re looking for. Be transparent and reliable: Tell your customers what actions you’re taking to care for them and for your employees. Research shows that this — and not messages of hope or optimism — is what impacts customers the most during a crisis.

Looking for more marketing help? Let Roikings be your very own marketing team; we offer social media marketing, thought leadership articles, and more to get more leads in the door.

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