As business owners, we are all faced with a new challenge and a unique landscape in which we must ask ourselves how and where to pivot our brand identity and how to adapt our marketing initiatives. Let's explore some valuable ways to improve a companies communication while being empathetic, sensitive, and hopeful in the overall approach.

Be Mindful and Empathetic:

Our marketing efforts must be more cohesive, strategic and ultimately empathetic. Brands can either help or hinder our collective experience of what we are all going through. So be mindful of your core customers and what they are currently facing in their daily lives. Ask yourself how you can come from a place of compassion and kindness to care about their needs. Being raw and authentic contributes to your brands human appeal and an empathetic way to connect with people.

Context is Now King :

These are unusual conditions so put things into perspective. Images should not show a busy shop. Videos could be made from your phone rather than a heavy production. Adjust your messaging, "Get in touch" would not be suitable now. Be personable and times-sensitive.

Address the Sensitive Times Thoughtfully

Pause campaigns immediately that don't fit the times we are facing for a later date when things bounce back. Also, prepare some campaigns for post quarantine. Though this is a global pandemic, its impact is local, so we must be diligent in how we angle our brands.

Create Community Support and Good Will:

This is the ideal time to be dialed in to your community. Send email blasts, or if possible, send out emails personally. Stay relevant and consistent on social media of what your company is doing to contribute, whether that's donations to communities affected significantly by Covid-19, or giving discounted prices to essentials workers.

Adjust Your Ad Spend, But Don't Completely Kill it:

Depending on the size of your company, reduce your ad spends. You want people to still remember you after things eventually recover.

Some larger companies actually came out on top during other recessions or world issues by staying top of mind and doubling down on cheaper ads. The examples are endless, Wells Fargo, Netlix, Citigroup, Uber, just to name a few.

Re-Innovate your Product/Service:

Seth Godin, marketing expert and author of the best-seller, "The Purple Cow" suggests going back to the boardroom (in this case your home office on a zoom call) to improve your product so that it is remarkable, and ultimately re-marketable. Consider re-imagining your product/service, customer experience and your brand message.

Lowe's changed their message to "Ready to help". They also restructured their content with Youtube tutorials for "Home Becomes Makeover Series" to transform your home into better use during quarantine.

A&W restaurants immediately adjusted their campaigns to a personal message from the brand ambassador on his mobile phone at home, rather than a full production commercial in their usual public setting testimonials on new burgers.

Restaurants that have no in house seating, have offered their menu options in frozen goods with ingredients and recipes. Minhas brewery transformed their beer company to produce hand sanitizer.

Produce Hopeful Content That Educates And Inspires

Don't stray too far into political angles or touchy subjects, as a company, you want to be solution-orientated and diplomatic in your efforts, there is enough panic as is.

Employee generated content can be extremely powerful. Show an inside view of what your company is doing and how they are handling the difficult times. Conference call pictures, a new skill learned during the down time.

Conan O'Brien recently crashed an employee Zoom call meeting for the Palo Alto company Tibco, which received some amazing exposure, in a fun way.

There are many positives narratives to this adverse situation too that can be focused upon; the Earth healing, a rise in community support, pollution decreasing, humans are learning to slow down and become more grateful.

Spreading hope and optimism and creating content around that for your brand is not just a good PR branding angle, but it's a great collective purpose for your company. And it is also much needed during this pandemic.

Michael Sanghara

Co-Founder of www.sparklabsmarketing.com

Instagram: @michaelsanghara