The Rapid Spread of the Advertising Virus — Social Media Marketing during the Covid-19 era.
An unparalleled opportunity for exponential growth
This is NOT the time to go dark. Your audience and loyal customers need to hear what you’re up to more than ever before. Covid-19 brought along loads of changes and issue, especially to the business sector. However, I believe that during this pandemic, some brands took the opportunity to strengthen their firm, to the point where consumers felt even more connected and attached. We have never been consuming so much media. Henceforth, companies are investing loads of money to boost eyeballs needs. Online advertising and digital marketing has become a vitality to maintain brand presence and remain top of mind for customers. There’s a sharp rise in demand for online content. But, people want more and more!
Your customers want to hear from you. There is no room for blackouts. Communicate. People want to know how your brand is coping with this situation, what are the challenges you are facing, and what you are doing to solve the issues. Do not have the mentality to sell. Instead, have a clear mindset of how you are going to survive this terrible phase we are living in, with substantial and tangible work. For instance, you can support the front liners that are dedicating their time, health and energy to help out others, or send out a positive message thinking of how you and your customers will be back together very soon after this tough time. You need to experiment to find out the best solution for both your brand and your audience. It’s imperative to stand up and voice out, since a lot of brands are opting out and thus, this is the time to create an uneven impact on your audience (over your competitors).
One cannot say that advertising hasn’t changed over the 3 months of pandemic crisis. It’s completely understandable and perfectly timed. Marketers nailed their campaigns when they managed to shift and adapt their message according to what was happening in real time. For example, when health authorises closed down all nonessential and retail stores, such shops took action and translated their sales online via e-commerce websites and platforms. Other brands re-dimensioned their marketing campaigns to directly target the virus — whether it’s an emotional ad (Courage Is Beautiful) like DOVE, who saluted and honoured the courage that front liners are showing (Schild, 2020), or HP who produced over 25,000 3-D printed medical gear such as face shields and respirators to aid hospitals and their patients (Landi, 2020). These are the kind of actions and responsibilities people will truly remember.
We are living in a time where you need to build strong relationships with your customers and have them respect you for playing a much larger role in their lives especially now. “There is nothing like an overdose of communication during these times” (Bapooji, 2020). We are human beings, we need to communicate and tell our stories. So, let’s keep the virtual communication ongoing, develop meaningful content, while safeguarding our health and the one of our loved ones.
This blog is a project for Study Unit DGA3008, University of Malta.
References:
Bapooji, S. (2020, May 6). What Marketers Need To Look At Post The Covid-19 Era. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/350247
Barker, S. (2020, April 5). How and Why to Use Social Media for Marketing During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Retrieved from: https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/04/social-marketing-during-covid-19.html
Harvard Business School. (2020, April 30). Managing Through Crisis: How To Market During COVID-19. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6sYo4UYFmE
Landi, H. (2020, April 6). HP, 3D printing companies ramp up efforts to supply critical medical parts. Retrieved from: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/hp-other-suppliers-ramp-up-efforts-to-use-3d-printing-for-critical-medical-supplies
Schild, D. (2020, April 11). Doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers are honored in Dove’s ‘Courage is Beautiful’ video that shows the bravery of frontline workers. Retrieved from: https://www.insider.com/dove-video-coronavirus-nurses-doctors-medical-workers-2020-4
Whiteside, S. (2020, April 17). How marketing creative is evolving in the COVID-19 era. Retrieved from: https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/opinion/how-marketing-creative-is-evolving-in-the-covid-19-era/3538