Effective Marketing Communications Post-Pandemic

We can certainly describe 2020 as unprecedented. Since the start of the pandemic, virtually no business has been untouched by COVID-19. Whether you’ve adapted to new ways of working, or you have modified your product or service offering, maybe you’ve discovered new channels? We have all adapted to our new world. We have also seen a paradigm shift in marketing communications. It is a fine balance to strike between selling and sending out covid-related messages. Let’s look at how some of the big brands have handled this.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we saw messages coming from company CEOs. Whether they were ever seen by the CEO is another topic! These messages were different, they displayed compassion, when supermarket shelves were practically empty due to people panic buying, Tesco understood that it was difficult for us to buy essential items. They were helpful, Tesco restocked their shelves daily, they implemented quantity control to prevent people from stockpiling. They showed urgency, Tesco introduced time slots for key workers and vulnerable people, they quickly put in place social distancing and hand sanitising measures in stores. Their communications were frequent, and they were down-to-earth. A total contrast to pre-pandemic marketing content. Those “thought leadership” pieces, “day in the life of…” content now seem false and rather pompous.

Strike a Balance between Promotional and Covid-related Messages

I’ve had some clients say to me that they have stayed away from covid-related marketing messages and want to play it safe. Personally, I don’t think that we can brush it under the carpet. However, it is important to strike a balance between sending covid-related messages and promotional content. Let’s look at some B2C brands who have created inspiring covid-related marketing campaigns and let’s address what lessons can we learn from them?

Be Timely

Guinness issued this “St Patricks Day” message. The tone of the video is upbeat. The core of the message is communal care. This video “humanised” the brand. It's key to show people that you are in touch with what's going on, if you react too slowly you will come across as out of touch.

Show Compassion, be Helpful

This next one is an emotional masterpiece; Dove’s “courage is beautiful” video. Not everyone gets to stay at home during the pandemic. This video is dedicated to our front-line heroes. Dove is portrayed as a brand who cares and helpful because of their donation to healthcare workers.

Let’s move on to something more light-hearted. Burger King has showed us that you can inject sense of humour and it can be done in a tasteful manner. Watch their “stay home with the whopper” ad.

Content-led Strategies

According to new research from McKinsey & Company, it’s never been more important to have an effective online and social media presence than now. Your online content needs to set you apart from the competition. How good is your content? SEMRUSH produced a cracking infographic which summarises the effectiveness of different marketing content. It's well worth a look. The effectiveness depends on which stage your audience is at in the sales funnel. As marketers, we produce different content for different stages of the sales funnel. At the top of the funnel (TOFU) when users are at the information gathering stage. The “how-to” guides are much more effective than the product manuals at driving traffic to your website. At the bottom of the funnel (BOFU) when users are at the decision-making phase, product overviews and customer reviews are significantly more effective than using podcasts or webinars to stimulate a purchase. If you haven't done so already, it’s time to undertake a content marketing audit. Make sure that you have suitable content for each different stage in the sales funnel.

Ultimately, marketing messages in the new world are about understanding your audience, being sensitive to their needs, identifying where you can add value and send messages which resonate with them. The pandemic has taught us to be adaptable, therefore today’s quote of the day is “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” Leon C Megginson

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” Leon C Megginson