Marketing Communication in the wake of Coronavirus (COVID-19). Your 2020 Crisis Marketing Strategy:

It’s estimated that in total COVID-19 will cost the global economy $2.7 trillion. And not only are people and companies losing money but they are losing traffic and conversions on their website and impacting their businesses as well. Let's face it, there is or was no blueprint of such kind of Crisis! So one needs to have build a crisis marketing strategy so that the business can go on at the end of the day.

Everyone’s thinking about short-term and long-term strategies for messaging and marketing. I am sure you’re researching, strategising and brainstorming internally with your teams?Digital marketing strategy has always required a mix of art and science, and the difficulties and pressure - to get that mix right is heightened in times of uncertainty such as during the coronavirus outbreak. Crisis marketing communication is the need of the hour so here are my 2 cents:

1 - Evaluate various possibilities and create effective communication plans

As an organization, you also need to communicate with your stakeholders, such as investors, suppliers, and vendors. Assess and evaluate various possibilities that may happen due to the crisis (COVID-19 in the present scenario), and how they may impact the organization and its stakeholders. Develop holding statements or response modules for every possible situation so that you can communicate with your stakeholders on-time. Holding statements should cover the crisis/scenario and the steps your brand is taking to tackle/manage the situation. It should be empathetic, action-oriented, and should steer away from speculations and unverified updates.

As with any rapidly-changing situation, today’s developments can quickly become outdated. Be ready to respond to any other COVID-19 developments or updates so you can keep your employees and customers safe and healthy. One simple tactic would be is posting travel and health information about the coronavirus on your websites. BE A RESOURCE. And keep your customers engaged and hooked on whats happening with COVID-19

2 - Adjust your brand voice and tone

Post fewer updates when the opportunity calls for it since there is less attention amongst fearful readers. Your content should be empathetic. When writing the body copy of your COVID-19 email, connect with your recipient by acknowledging their anxiety, but keep a calm, objective tone throughout the email. Provide clear, up-to-date information on how your company is dealing with the impacts of the virus. Your reader will understand the shift given the situation, and your brand will actually seem much more human.

3 - Pick the Right Communication Channels

Twitter handles are currently aflame with the freshest epidemic news content. Consequently, Twitter is the most engaging platform currently. Non-profits and media brands on Instagram have been trending the most since their content is relevant to the ongoing epidemic. The worst-hit brands on Instagram are in sports, hospitality, travel, software, and technology. Creating corona virus-related content on Facebook is so far the only way to keep an audience engaged.

When choosing the right communication channel remember to:

• Be very sensitive and post content that does not come off as awkward in the light of the ongoing epidemic and the strain of social distancing
• Build content that creates trust through long-form campaigns and projects. Long-form video, podcasts, series, entertainment, essays, training content, and articles are the best way to go now.

4 - Spend wisely on Paid Media during the crisis

• Ensuring budget is being utilised on campaigns and keywords where you can meet demand
• Review device preferences – mobiles are the preferred device for commuters, but what if those individuals are no longer commuting. Is it worth re-evaluating your chosen devices?
• Keep an eye on what your location data is telling you, with less users travelling or working from an office this data may shift
• Reconsider your KPIs so they reflect the current climate

5 - Monitor your Analytics carefully to evaluate user behaviour

• Use annotation markers within Google Analytics to mark key events, announcements or changes to your marketing as this will enable you to better understand any changes in traffic. Examples include ‘ad spend budget reduced’, ‘office hours reduced’ or ‘government announcement made’
• Stay alert to visitor behaviour to better understand how current events are impacting users in order to identify issues or spot new business opportunities:

If anyone is facing a crisis for their business in this extra ordinary times, please DM me and I would be happy to collaborate and bring a meaningful solution to your crisis.

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