COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus, is spreading quickly across the globe, with millions of people observing “social distancing” and governments insisting that non-keyworkers stay home except for essential food and medicine shopping. How does this affect your PR and marketing strategy? Let’s take a look at what you need to know and do during this challenging time.

Why Coronavirus will affect your business

As a business. you have to consider what to do now to survive and thrive beyond the pandemic. You need to know how to properly address this issue and what actions will help you to maintain mindshare. As a marketer you have to acknowledge that your PR and marketing strategies can’t continue.  Business as usual isn’t appropriate during this time. Why not?

Because people are worried and in some cases panicked. Due to this their attention is not on business developments or product offerings. And if you try to interrupt their thought process with such messages, it will fall on deaf ears or even be met with a level of disdain, and could damage your hard earned brand reputation.

So what can you do?

There are some things that you should avoid during this time, as well as some things that you can focus.  It’s all about being adaptable. 

“Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change.”

Richard Branson

How to Adapt Your PR and Marketing During COVID-19

1. Work from Home Whenever Possible

Be sensible and work from home if you can during this time. Not only does this keep you safe, but it also keeps your company out of the headlines as a possible cause of virus spread.

2. Stay Relevant to Your Audience

This is not the time to focus on your business needs. Look for ways to put your audience foremost and address their needs and concerns. For example, if you are a financial institution, you might produce content that addresses ways that your audience can save money during this time or how their small business can adapt to decreased customer numbers and purchases.

Whether you are a product or service lead business you need to adapt your tone and message, straight away.  Review all your scheduled emails and social media posts.  Edit them to reflect your new objectives.

As marketers we use demographics to profile targets audiences.  In time of crises profiles change. Demographics need to be reviewed or shelved and psychologies considered for both product and service marketing.  Some examples we’ve created include:

1. Worried Workers: Some people (Self-employed and Gig workers) will be worried about uncertain income and resources.  These people will be motivated by budget and essential needs. They may need to look into alternative income streams or advice on how to live on a lower or uncertain income. They may also look at upskilling or retraining.
2. Contented Creatures: Those who are quite happy to be at home, enjoying the down time and income isn’t an issue. May have pets or children they want to indulge.  They will be looking for new hobbies or ways to pass the time productively but in a very stress-free way.
3. Hardly Home: Keyworkers, exhausted, worried and potentially feeling undervalued and very vulnerable. Need reassurance and appreciation. Secondary audience for these people may actually be their spouses or family and friends to help and support them.
4. Chair Champions: Home workers that are in a position where they are busier than ever, are pretty much glued to their chairs and screens and will feel they deserve a treat, they aren’t worried about income.

These people will not be found in any one postcode, they will be everywhere.

3. Stop All Non-Essential Press Releases and Launches

Press releases and launches are a key part of any PR strategy, especially B2B PR. But the fact is that now is not the time for your latest announcement —unless it simply can’t wait. The reality is that nobody cares right now. Your target audience is focussed on the current situation, not your company news. So put off that press release or product launch until things calm down. Unless your company has discovered the vaccine or has manufactured hundreds of life saving ventilators please don’t use the pandemic as a hook to communicate company news. Even then this could verge on being distasteful, wait until the pandemic is over.

4. Work on Shelved Projects

We all have those projects that fall down the priority list, waiting for when things slow down. Well, now is the time to give them your full attention. This could include writing brand guidelines, review your brand values, creating and publishing a new website, creating animations, company or product video or podcast, designing a new offer, or even developing a corporate social responsibility or thought leadership strategy. Gather your team (not literally) and brainstorm projects you could focus on.  Certainly create project teams, this will bring your staff together and keep them communicating and have a positive focus. Having purpose is going to be really important for maintaining good mental health as we adapt to our new normal.

5. Invest in Content Marketing

For now in-person events and conferences are cancelled or postponed. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to keep your audience engaged in your brand. Research ways to do things online to support your revised marketing and PR strategies. Create webinars that people can log into from home. Do a live video on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram that will engage your audience. Take time to produce regular videos that will benefit your strategy even after the panic dissipates.

Recent research indicates that pay per click advertising rates are cheaper now that ever.  Consider doing some targeted paid advertising on your social media channels.

6. Build Your Social Media Presence

Social media is going to be a mainstay for everybody during this time. So, this is the ideal time to invest in your social media strategy. Make sure all of your information is up to date. Look for ways to improve your social profiles and feeds. Upload relevant content that keeps you and your brand front of mind. Analyse your audience, review your messaging to make sure you increase your reach.

If you haven’t got a social media presence or strategy here are some basic ideas for content that you’ll want to include on your website. Direct your social media messaging to:

• regular blog posts
• white papers
• infographics
• videos
• an “about us” page
• free online tools
• curated content

7. Optimise Your Digital Space

Whether it’s your blog, website or third party sites where you’re listed, you can take the time now to make sure these are fully optimised. Tidy and refine your SEO to ensure your current content is as visible as possible. Certainly update all old information. Identify what is and is not working within your strategy and adjust your tactics and budget accordingly.

8. What Can You Do To Help?

Look outward for ways to help your community, including your employees and customers who have been affected by this virus. Whether it’s with resources, technology, or skill-set, what you can do to help during this stressful time?

Now is the time to be altruistic, create free valuable content or experiences that will build your brand recognition and a loyal base after the pandemic. Personal trainers are providing free live exercise sessions for children and family all over the world. So if you have a service that can be shared online do it now, and consider doing it for free.  If your competitors or peers are doing it for free and you charge, that’s going to damage your reputation. Research what your competitors are doing.

We have been providing support to local and national businesses to help them to continue marketing in challenging times. If we can help you, we are here (at home). Get in touch. We’d love to chat.