Rarely, I talk about my profession on this blog, as it is my personal space. But last month has been crazy, because of the profession I am in. Working hours have increased, as communication intensity has increased multi-fold. Marketing, communication and branding decisions - content, relevance, channels, formats, mass messaging, customization, choice of stakeholders etc. etc. - are being taken based on instinct and experiences of past, while lockdown situation brings along with it not only uncertainty but totally unique and new communication problems. This has led to an iterative process, so that one can be on top of the things. Even in this situation one can't just afford to fly by the seat of one's pants. Marketing Communication is both art and science. That statement might sound like a much abused cliche, but it definitely rings true in this situation.
The purpose of this post is to put across some thoughts for Marketers / Communicators, based on what has happened in the last one month. Here are the five thoughts which I felt, have guided my journey over this period.
C - Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
O - Online CTAs (Call to Actions)
V - Voice Of Customers
I - Importance to all Stakeholders
D - Don't Hard Sell
1. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate - There are brands who have stopped communication altogether, especially on social media. You can't lockdown your communication, during the lockdown. And then there are brands, who are communicating as if things are normal - not addressing the current context, thus saying things which sound irrelevant or insensitive at times. It is important to communicate more as every one is anxious, locked inside their homes. Any communication which is timely and helpful adds value to the recipients of the communication. I work in financial services sector and the government has announced slew of measures that impact our customers directly. So communication has to ensure that brand is aligned with the customers and the government guidelines. This meant that we developed newer content buckets that are more relevant, more direct and more action oriented. It also meant some of the regular content buckets were stopped or modified to reflect the current times. Like our festive wishes are now focusing on "Celebrations at Home".
2. Online CTAs (Call to Actions) - Consumers have no other option apart from going online to interact and transact with you in this situation. It is not only important to transition your physical services / processes online at the earliest, but it is also important that your communication ensures that your customers are constantly informed about your online availability. Each piece of communication should have an online CTA. Develop "How to" content in form of videos, social media posts, manuals etc to ensure first time digital users find things easy. If you are missing the 'Online' bus now, you may never catch it when things are back to normal.
3. Voice of Customers - There is no better time to show solidarity and be empathetic. Listen to the voice of your customers. They will be facing problems for which you may not have even thought of solutions yet. These customers are telling you indirectly what to do for future. Keep your communication channels open with such customers who are asking questions or complaining. Ensure your ORM (Online Reputation Management) processes are in top gear. Listen! Absorb! Respond fast! Marketing teams have to be in touch with customer care teams constantly. This has helped us modify communication proactively.
4. Importance to all Stakeholders - Consistency of messaging is key in these situations. Your employees, customers and other stakeholders are equally stressed. Your brand can't be just sensitive to one segment. We have ensured in last one month, that our brand, internal communications and digital marketing teams are sharing notes more frequently. Not only communication frequency is equally intense for all stakeholders but the core messaging also is very clear and consistent- "We are with you in these unprecedented and tough times." The actual content might vary, but at its heart the message is the same.
5. Don't Hard Sell - Being sensitive in this situation is important. If you have products that are essential for these times, it is great. Otherwise, be patient. If you are doing the above four things right, you would not find selling hard, post lockdown. We used to do a monthly contest on Facebook, where we would always feature our products or schemes. But this month, the contest we ran was in a totally different space. We asked customers how they are utilizing their time, and they responded in an overwhelming way.
I am sure there are many more things that can be added to the above list. But as a marketer I like acronyms and thus produced my COVID communication mantras. What are yours? Please tell me in the comments section below.
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My theme for this year's #AtoZchallenge is Lock-down Blues. I intend to write and talk about how I deal with it, what it inspires me to read or watch or any aspect of it which fascinates me. You can read the theme reveal post here.
Previous Challenges : Letter M
2 comments:
Thanks a ton for sharing the tips..Indeed helpful & a need of the hour during this dire straits to reach out to the end consumer with empathy n be future ready..
Thanks for stopping by unknown / suvojit
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