COVID-19 Lessons Will Shape the New Norm

By Kristy Bonner
VP of Digital Services

We are all struggling to keep going until the COVID-19 lockdown passes … continuing social distancing by working remotely; tightening budgets for leaner times ahead; waiting for the time when we can travel freely; and, of course, hoping something will happen to get oil prices back to a profitable level again.

Sure, some people have become hoarders; divorce rates are up after only a month under the stay-at-home order; and layoffs are at an astronomical number; but, in times like these, we must look for the silver lining if you view the glass half full.

From the glass-half-full perspective, there are several marketing and business lessons we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. And, like all unfortunate situations, we will keep the good and try to forget the bad once this is over.

Zoom in on Success

Many procedures adopted during the stay-at-home order, such as heavily scrutinized budgets, working remotely and cross-training staff will likely stay. Using video conferencing and webinar platforms is one of the top lessons learned that should stay post-COVID-19.

From virtual meetings to virtual happy hours and from technical webinars and video expert blogs to live discussion forums, these are exciting times! Companies and team members once uncomfortable or uninterested in using these methods are jumping into the deep end – and seeing a great deal of success.

We applaud all of you who took this leap and encourage you to keep these efforts going long after the lockdown ends. These are great ways to be seen as a thought leader and expert in your market.

Those who previously shied away from video conferencing as a way to collaborate with team members, meet with customers and pitch new clients would frequently use the excuse that we are a relationship-based business so we must be face-to-face. True, face-to-face is great, but there is no doubt that you can get in front of more faces by scheduling a 30-minute video conference versus a weeklong trip to meet with a single prospective customer. And then, there are the travel expenses … that may or may not pay off down the road.

Whatever video conferencing and webinar tools you are using, stick with them. Keep that weekly team brainstorming video conference as a recurring item on your calendar; continue your virtual happy hours with colleagues far way; plan to do a webinar or two each month; and keep an online meet-up in your bag of tricks to connect with clients and prospective clients.

If it is working in pandemic times, why throw it out once life returns to normal?

Make Connections

In the past few weeks there has been a record number of connections made.

Companies are amping up their social media game with more frequent and engaging posts, as well as leveraging paid boosts and social advertising to expand their outreach efforts.

>> Check out the Foster Forum and post your thoughts or join an existing forum topic.

Online discussion forums and blogs have been spawned overnight to stay connected and share information. These efforts are not new, but are a true turning point for many getting onboard and, hopefully, willing to keep these efforts going after this crisis has passed.

>> Check out Fostering Connections and react, share and add your comment.

One of the most dramatic and potentially impactful trends – at least from a sales perspective – is employee social activity. Individual LinkedIn accounts that were previously basically dormant are now updated, sharing and commenting on posts; sending invites and inmail messages; and even contributing new and insightful content from their area of expertise – all benefiting their companies. Social managers and lead marketers have been fighting to get this level of social buy-in for years. Go ahead, celebrate the win!

 

Personalize It

Today, a key buzz phrase is touch points. OK, so that’s not new since the pandemic … but now more people are onboard because a lunch meeting or a golf invite has been off the table as a way to touch base with clients and get in front of prospective customers. So, we email, invite them to webinars and share technical information online and via email, social media and text messages.

How do we ensure we hit our mark with a touch point? Personalize it! It’s all about being really relevant so a prospect feels the message was meant just for them — email them at a time that makes sense for them, not as a mass distribution at 3 a.m.; share content they care about; send them information they need in their job or industry; and offer opportunities to engage them and make them want to play along.

Here’s a trick to see if you’ve grabbed their attention using your free Google Analytics account. Upload the content you want to share to your website if it isn’t already there. It could be a PDF brochure, an eBook, a landing page with a video or page on your site with technical information about a product … all are good options. Visit Campaign URL Builder and input the URL where your content is, add a unique campaign source and campaign medium. You can then copy and share the generated campaign URL and track it later.

To see if your prospect clicked your link, go to your Google Analytics account, click acquisition, all traffic and select source/medium from the left menu and look for your unique source and medium.

Soldier On

Big corporations and small businesses everywhere are meeting and planning how to continue in these tough times. Why not recruit your best and brightest thinkers to do this on an ongoing basis?

Naming a business continuity team to deal with short-term issues and ponder big-picture ideas can be a powerful and productive step. Now is a great time to task a representative from operations, customer service, marketing and accounting to ask what if …

• We didn’t operate as we always have?
• We started offering a new service or product?
• We changed our pricing or billing model?
• We focused on a new geographic market?
• We actively promoted our products/services to a completely new industry segment?

Desperate times often lead to big breakthroughs that can be a game-changer for your company and your bottom line.

 

Time to Look Under a Different Rock?

For some, changing times and tough industry conditions will be the tipping point that pushed them to jump into a new market. For the oil and gas sector, negative oil prices amid a huge and likely continued drop in U.S. fuel consumption because of stay-at-home orders are enough to force companies into making some big leaps in new directions.

Take a look at these tips if you are considering making this move.

Basics of Breaking Into a New MarketCommit to making the leap.

• Identify potential opportunities.
• Define your market/goal.
• Build your unique value proposition.
• Make a plan.
• Learn your audience.
• Start small and test the market.
• Refine and ramp up your efforts.
• Have an exit strategy, just in case.

>> Click to read our article on Learning the Ropes When You Are Entering a New Market.

If you’ve worked this hard to ensure your company can weather this current storm, you might as well leverage what you’ve learned from this experience and, of course, celebrate the successes wherever you can find them.

In the words of the inspirational Lou Holtz, “In this world you’re either growing or you’re dying so get in motion and grow.”

Foster Marketing is here to help — whether you need to fill a few staffing holes or jump into a completely new market. Our experts have the know-how to guide you in the right direction. Call 281-448-3435 or email us today.