{"id":11254,"date":"2020-04-16T16:35:03","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T21:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/?p=11254"},"modified":"2020-04-22T14:52:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-22T19:52:33","slug":"3-marketing-tips-that-will-guarantee-your-survival-in-a-global-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/3-marketing-tips-that-will-guarantee-your-survival-in-a-global-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Marketing Tips That Will Guarantee Your Survival in a Global Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Coronavirus<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

While COVID-19, aka coronavirus, has sparked this post, it isn\u2019t the first global crisis we\u2019ve faced, and, if history has taught us anything, it won\u2019t be the last. The seriousness of this pandemic has reminded us that nothing is forever \u2013 the protective shield we\u2019ve created for our loved ones and our businesses can be infiltrated \u2013 and we must adapt to survive. Some of us will not make it, it\u2019s a hard truth, but those that do will emerge with a tougher outer shell \u2013 a protective shield that is twice as strong. The skills we hone today will prepare us for a future that, while harsh sometimes, can also be incredibly fruitful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Change Your Marketing Strategy During a Financial Crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"economy<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You might be losing money right now in our weakened economy \u2013 some of us fistfuls. You may even feel guilty that top priority for you during the world crisis is to maintain your business\u2019s revenue and to do this, you need the money of an economy that is suffering right alongside you. The last US recession, also known as the Great Recession globally, started in December 2007 and continued until June 2009. Is a recession coming again? Are we in a recession now? Are we facing economic collapse? Is this our Great Depression? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a month, over 16 million Americans lost their jobs due to\nCOVID-19. The stock market is turbulent. Brick and mortar business closings are\nwidespread. Ecommerce is facing detrimental downturns. Toilet paper sales have\noctupled. Consumer behavior and the business market have changed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where were you the day the economy went up in flames? Now, the Great Lockdown or Coronavirus Recession has\nexceeded the Great Recession of 2007 and is considered to be the largest\neconomic downturn since the Great Depression. This is something you can plan\nbut never fully prepare for. We take measures to see that our livelihoods\ncontinue. We work hard and use our intelligence. We fine-tune our social skills\nand build our emotional skills. We improve our financial literacy, but when an arguably\nunforeseen disaster occurs (act of god), sometimes there is nothing we could do\nto stop the initial fall out. The best financial strategists in the world\ncannot predict everything, even US recession 2020. As businesses and individuals,\nour financial education tells us that we must save money for emergencies \u2013 but\nthat stream of income is not endless, and that creates a time crisis \u2013\neventually, any savings account needs to be replenished. Being financially literate\nis knowing that you HAVE TO make MORE MONEY to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you keep your customers when sales have been cut\nin half\u2026or a third\u2026or less? What are the dos and don\u2019ts? You ran a good\nbusiness, customers liked you, you provided a respectable product or service,\nthings were going relatively well\u2026but now people are scared. They are scared of\nthe uncertainty of the same economy that is crippling your business. Peoples\u2019\npersonal financial literacy is telling them that they have to put their\nconsumerism on hold. However, people will make exceptions, and, as a result,\nsome businesses are booming. Liquor stores have seen a large increase in sales.\nBoardgame and puzzle sales have gone up. Industries like landscaping, media,\nand technology are profiting. Grocery delivery services are doing well.\nEssential goods or services have also seen evident sales increases, such as\nmedical supplies and disinfectants. So what\u2019s the takeaway?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Make Your Business an \u201cEssential Business\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Group<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Make your business an essential business either now or for the future. Nurture hope \u2013 whether that\u2019s an immediate hope with an instantaneous solution to a current problem or the hope for a return to normalcy (at least some semblance of it).  In the spirit of social distancing, actor and director, John Krasinski, created a YouTube<\/a> show called SGN or Some Good News<\/a> that he hosts out of his house. He features only positive news stories. With plenty of bad news coming in daily, Krasinski saw the American need for something different and flipped broadcasting on its head. Major automotive companies, General Motors<\/a> and Ford Motor Company<\/a>, have converted some automotive manufacturing plants to factories that now develop hospital ventilators; car shopping is not a top priority, but the latter is. Luxury brands Louis Vuitton<\/a>, Chanel<\/a>, and Burberry<\/a>, have altered their supply chain to create non-surgical face masks for healthcare workers. 3M<\/a> is increasing its output of respirators. Restaurants are offering heightened food and beverage delivery. Companies are adjusting to produce products and services that are relevant now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses that are trying to survive need not be ashamed of\nturning a profit based on innovation and sound promotional ideas, as long as\nyour company is continuing to solve a problem. This problem can be big or\nsmall. Even streaming services like Netflix<\/a>\nor Hulu<\/a> are solving a problem. People are\nbeing told to shelter in place, stay at home, self-isolate, quarantine; regardless\nof your stance on television, people need entertainment, and they also need\nnews, especially now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People need to stay in touch with family and friends, even\nif they can\u2019t be there in person \u2013 making technologies that offer digital communications\nand video chatting, helpful aids in the fight to stay connected. Even social\nmedia is playing a positive role in many respects, offering ways to maximize\nglobal communications. If your business is not deemed an essential business, it\ncan still be essential to your customers and improve their quality of life.\nThink of cell phones, at once they were considered an extravagance; good or\nbad, now people can\u2019t imagine their lives without them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your large organization or small business cannot offer\nenough solutions to turn a profit now, then make pizzas. Amid the heartbreaking\nnews stories, you will also see a restaurant owner and local pizza shop proprietor\nmaking free food for those who can\u2019t feed themselves; you will see landlords\ngiving breaks on rent, paper companies making medical labels; you will see car\ncompanies offering three months free financing to new car owners. In a person\u2019s\nor corporation\u2019s effort to do their part, they will not be forgotten, and nor\nshould you. Their goods and services will be needed again. So will yours. Keep\nyour customers close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Stay Connected with Your Customers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Connecting<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Just as you have taken alternative means to stay in contact with friends and loved ones, do the same with your customers and prospects. Remind them what your relationship means. Lock in their loyalty, and maintain it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach out often, especially during heightened times of\nloneliness and isolation. A phone call, a thank you card or other direct mail\ncorrespondence, an email, social media, your content. Update blogs, websites,\nvideos, e-newsletters, direct mail newsletters, print media, press releases,\npublications with your business\u2019s expert info, and more. Make sure your\ncustomers are aware of the changes you are making. People want to see companies\nthat are stepping up to do their part while using creative resources to implement\npositive change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital marketing can be a powerful force, so can social\nmedia marketing, but the magnitude of digital information at this time can also\nbe overpowering. Don\u2019t get lost; make sure you are following up in other ways too.\nReach out in as many ways as you can, local marketing and global marketing, to maintain\nhealthy relationships. Small businesses are still distributing flyers and using\nother print marketing materials as a tangible way to maintain rapport. Real\nestate agents are continuing to call clients \u2013 and hosting virtual tours. Musicians\nand other entertainers like comedians are performing remotely. Skilled workers are\nproviding instructional videos and webinars for do it yourself projects. Others\nare sending out sales materials for goods and services that can be taken advantage\nof during extended periods at home or while working remotely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to furloughed employees filing for unemployment<\/a> and seeking\ntheir stimulus\ncheck<\/a>, they are also purchasing goods and services that they deem essential\n\u2013 again, not just to their survival, but their quality of life \u2013 mentally,\nphysically, emotionally, and spiritually. As a business, you must cater to\nthis; send your customers care packages with your business\u2019s own unique ways\nand marketing methods to ease their suffering during self-isolation. Adjust\nyour marketing materials as you would want other companies to \u2013 what are you purchasing\nduring this time, what are your own emotional touchpoints that could lead to spending\neven when trying to be frugal? Business marketing tips and tricks don\u2019t need to\nbe dishonest, at the epicenter of marketing 101 is marketing advice that will\nalways ring true, reminding customers that even in times like these, they\ncannot get by without your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing your business still remains, at its core, a meaningful\nconversation with your customers that produces positive results for the both of\nyou. Cheap marketing ideas can come in handy right now, organic marketing\nactivities, and what\u2019s more organic than a good conversation? Take to social\nmedia (it\u2019s more a way of life now than ever), take to the mail, take to the\nphones, take to shouting from the rooftops that you are here to help, and when\nyou can\u2019t find a rooftop, start with your own backyard. Make the gesture as a\nbusiness to help out your neighbors. Word of mouth travels faster than you\nthink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Get Personal with Your Business Marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Finger<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I read another blogger who said that there is nothing funny about the COVID-19 virus. While I agree that there is nothing inherently funny about the global pandemic \u2013 did you know that some people thought coronavirus was related to Corona beer<\/a>? Did you see the meme about how Tiger King<\/em> will save us from the coronavirus? Did you watch the gif where Kermit the Frog dances to a Fleetwood Mac song after several glasses of wine during quarantine? Humor is how we cope. Laughter boosts many things, including immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, so even laughter is doing its part to help us stay healthy in these trying times. But humor is not the only way we cope. Sincerity helps us cope too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When reaching out to your customers, and often, be real or\nbe funny, sometimes you can be both. Humor is tricky, especially when trying to\nrelate to a large group of people, but anyone can be sincere. If you are unsure\nof one strategy, use the other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When being real with your customers, highlight your own\nconcerns, visions of the future, and anecdotes for improving your present, to\nmaintain relationships. Think of what you are purchasing during this period that is not \u201cessential,\u201d but still essential to you.\nWhere does your own business fit into this? In sincerity can sometimes come\nfear, but fear is an effective marketing tool; there are those marketers who\nuse it wisely and others who abuse it, be a business that uses it wisely. In\ncertain cases, people may need to purchase a product or service because their\nlife depends on it, but the guarantee of that life and the assurance that\nthings will get better should now be at the heart of every message. Follow this\nadage; if your business is not part of the solution, it is part of the problem.\nBe a solution to your customers, be the <\/em>solution\nto your customers, and you may just come out of this okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

123Print<\/a> can help you come up with\nsolutions to stay connected to your customers and loved ones with unique\npersonalized gifts, print marketing products, and greeting cards. Ask about our\n\u2018Mail for Me\u2019 service.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article, otherwise titled 3 Ways to be an Essential Business (Even if You\u2019re Not) in a Global Crisis, deals with the top marketing techniques to stay relevant, stay connected, and stay in business during a catastrophic event when you could be the last thing on a customer’s mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":11260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1957],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11254"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11254"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11306,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11254\/revisions\/11306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}