COVID-19 and the lockdown implemented to contain the spread has certainly put a rein on the advertising budgets and also has put up the question of the relevance of advertising and promotion during this unprecedented time. But is it really okay to just stop all promotions and do nothing for a while or you should go on full throttle, irrespective of the situation? This is a time when you need to give your business promotion plans a fresh lease of thoughts and fine-tune your advertising spends quickly.
It is only wise to follow some basic Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to advertising during this period of lockdown but before taking any decision, the first consideration should be your industry, as the lockdown has affected different industries in different ways. While some industries, have taken the maximum hit, some other industries, particularly the ones related to the web and e-commerce have added on as far as their relevance and popularity are concerned.
In the changed scenario, if you are operating in the travel, tourism or hospitality industry, it might be the right time to take a step back as far as the promotions are concerned because your target customers will not really like to see tempting outdoor images and captions that tell to travel the world, during this particular period. However, though your industry might be the worst hit, putting a complete stop to all your promotional efforts might not be the right thing to do even in this situation.
Control your Outdoor Advertising Budget but wisely
Even if your industry is not amongst the worst-hit list, controlling your outdoor advertising budget might be a wise thing to do now. Minimizing any kind of promotions on airports, railways, or cinemas will be a good step. Similarly, outdoor hoardings and signage will also turn less effective in this span as fewer people will go out and see them. However, we do not suggest to stop the outdoor advertising altogether. As the government has already started to relax the lockdown slowly, people have started to come out of their homes and this will only increase with time. Moreover, it is also important to keep in mind that due to the current situation there will be much less competition in outdoor advertising, hence creatively exhibiting your brand out there at this time can be really helpful to make a mark.
Spend on Digital Promotion
As people are compelled to stay indoors, it has increased their online time and now the browsers are slowly becoming the readers. So, it is a good time to channelize your marketing efforts for full-throttle but timely digital promotion. If you have not yet given your best for going digital or your online promotional efforts were only half-hearted, it is the time to fill up that gap. For any help, starting from building your business site, to ensuring proper social media presence and marketing the team of professionals at Media Masters can help you with quick & effective solutions in your budget. Media Masters boasts of exclusive plans to scale up your digital presence and digital marketing efforts during and after the lockdown.
Bank on Creativity
It is really important to plan all your advertising and promotional efforts intelligently during this time of crisis. Considering the sentiment of your customers is vital. Going creative in your promotional campaigns with a call to help people cope or entertain instead of directly selling products or services is the way to go. Homebound people are craving for entertainment and you can intelligently cater them with camouflaged videos and content that only subtly pronounces your brand or products and primarily entertains your audience. Planning your content with a social cause in mind can be quite effective. Creativity always make a mark. So, try to put your online promotional campaigns with a creative mood, with tags that people can relate to at the moment. Create connectable quality content that people will like to read and remember.
Focus more on Building Brand Value
This is a time when brands need to think long term and focus more on building brand value rather than immediate sales figures. Spending to help people cope with the pandemic is one sure shot way to build brand weight at this time. The help can be of any size but it needs to convey the right message in the right way, so that people feel more connected with your brand. Giving discounts and coupons during this time can also be a good move as it will reduce expenses but will prevent people from completely curtailing their habits and likings. You really don’t want your customers to change to a low-cost brand due to the mounting financial pressure. Coming up with discounts and offers that help customers to get more for less expense, is an effective way of customer retention at the moment.
Communicate more with your Customers
Direct communication with your customers is the need of the hour. Communicating over social media, E-mailers that focus more on sharing rather than sell, messages, and even direct telephonic conversations with customers can be really helpful to build trust and better customer relationships which is sure to bear fruit in the near future, if not immediately. Stay in touch, help your customers cope with the situation in a better way and you might be doing the best thing that will give your brand the edge in the future.
To plan your advertising and promotions intelligently and efficiently during this unprecedented time, opting for professional consultation is only wise. Media Masters has a bunch of special promotional plans tailored to the needs of different industries and can provide you with all and any assistance you might need to make the right stand.