Marketing when it’s not all bunnies and rainbows
Ideas for hospitality, retail, and services
People have long memories. While they may be distracted with the enormous personal and economic shifts taking place, they will notice how they’re being treated and served during the COVID Lockdown. And they’ll remember who gets it right and who doesn’t.
Finding the right tone for communicating with customers during a pandemic is about threading the needle. You’re trying to stay relevant and present in their lives, and you’ll probably have an instinct to sell — since that’s what so much marketing is. But resist that urge.
Many haven’t. Even some of the smarter brands out there have gone off the rails a bit, and starting pushing product that they can’t even offer (from hotel rooms to tabletop), or continuing to use the same visuals that they used before COVID to promote products. Essentially, they’re being tone deaf.
Why? Because they’ve given into fear. Because they are in denial that the world has changed. It’s human nature. But it’s also a time in which brands and their PR and marketing teams need to hold fast to the following mantra:
You’re in this for the long term.
The long term relies on relationships.
Relationships rely on empathy and trust.
Pretty basic. But that should be the focus in marketing now… it’s time for the brand marketers to gain ascendency, and for the growth marketers to take the back seat. But yes, growth marketers, it does allow you to get in front of your customers and stay there. Just be sensitive. Here’s how:
Engage now. Don’t hide. If you’re silent and you just show up with your hand out when the world opens up, you haven’t been there for your customer and many will remember that.
Find your purpose. Your brand should have a purpose, and that purpose should guide you in your communications. Know how your purpose touches your customer. Then find ways to deliver on that purpose, likely in virtual ways.
It’s not about you. Don’t just send out “service updates” or self-pitying “we’re working so hard” statements. Everybody gets that. This crisis is about people. People who are sick and dying, people who are being let go, people who can’t gather with their loved ones. Focus on the human story.
Be of service, don’t sell. How can you serve remotely? A Hyatt email came through my inbox this morning urging customers to Take Time to Care for themselves and giving them a 20% off of popular mediation app Headspace. Not bad. It could go further to be better integrated into what Hyatt stands for, but it’s the kind of thinking that’s needed at this time.
Be a leader. This is a great time to be touting what you’re doing to be of service in the community, and spelling out how this will help your guests and customers in the long term. Or have your chefs share their favorite recipes from their own kitchens, or a bartender sharing tips on their favorite drink, or a concierge sharing their favorite outdoor places that still allow social distancing (when non-essential outings are allowed again.)
UP your service game. This is not the time to skimp on customer service, particularly on the phone. People are stressed and need human connection. They also have time to get to the things they haven’t had a chance to address (that long-ignored wrong bill, that understatement of loyalty points, that upgrading or downgrading of service, etc.)
Be about the now. It can’t be business as usual. Having been in the communications game around during 9/11, I keep seeing marketers make the same mistakes as they did then. By focusing on clear skies ahead or when people can start traveling or getting out of the house or spending money, you’re missing the point, and possibly, irritating people. Be empathetic with where people are now and support your customer base in what they are doing, today.
Be transparent, be human. Talk a little about your here and now. What’s happening in your empty/almost-empty hotel, cafe, store? Sure, you can talk a little about the deep cleaning, but this may be a chance to let people behind the scenes into your space when it’s not crazy busy. Interview your unsung heroes: there’s a lot of interest in those front line workers today. Your head of housekeeping might not be a bad place to start. As long as you share, and don’t sell, this connects them to you…and when they’re back, they’ll be more appreciative, and engaged. One company doing an incredible job on this front is East Fork, a pottery and home goods company based out of Asheville, NC.
Be vulnerable. Vulnerability is critical in building relationships. (Hello Brene Brown.) Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson’s video on COVID was heartfelt, affecting, and utterly masterful. You could hear the emotion in his voice, and it made us appreciate the brand more. Here was an honorable man, trying to do the right thing, and admitting that it was ripping him up. Wow. Acknowledge that normal may never reappear, that you don’t have any more information than anyone else does, that you don’t necessarily have your sh*t entirely together. It’s OK. In fact it’s right on.
Inspire. Being vulnerable doesn’t mean that you can’t inspire. Arne Sorenson inspired through his vulnerability. You can inspire in the content you share, or the stories about what you’re doing. For hospitality, it can be stories on the ground of some of your big destinations and talking about what’s happening locally. More than anything, focus on people, not just place or the service. Focus on your customer and what they love, and use that insight to inspire.
We’re all going to come out of this, probably significantly changed. Let’s take our customers, guests, and clients on a journey during this rocky period and come out on the other side, together.
