Marketing During the COVID-19 Crisis

Man looking overwhelmed with a crisis wondering how to develop a marketing communication strategy during a pandemic

So, I sat down to write a blog post on the do’s and don’ts of marketing during the COVID-19 crisis, all geared up to hit you with all sorts of truth bombs on what you should and shouldn’t be doing. And I could have had our designer whip up a super-shareable killer infographic for good measure.

But here’s the deal.

We’re all getting bombarded with information about how we should handle marketing during the COVID-19 crisis.

So.

Many.

Articles.

We’re being advised to keep customers informed, but to not overload them with too much information. To not be tone-deaf. To sponsor a cause. We’re being told it’s important for leaders to regularly share updates. Or the opposite: stop marketing altogether and take this time to pause and reflect.

So instead I thought I’d summarize our advice in a bite-sized, tidy fashion that you can run with:

During a crisis, keep marketing but don’t be an asshat.

That’s it.

Yeah, I said “asshat.” As in, keep working on your marketing but make sure your head is not in your ass while you do it.

So what does this mean?

It means be critically aware of your tone and messaging while continuing your marketing efforts. Although it’s not business as usual, it’s imperative that your organization shows your customers (and staff!) you are still working hard toward your mission.

If budgets are tighter than they’ve ever been, brainstorm what you can still be doing to move marketing efforts forward. Perhaps it’s finally developing your marketing plan, or updating your website. Revisiting your content planning. Finding new ways to delight your customers.

And, hey, it’s okay to sprinkle moments of fun into your marketing, including social media posts, because you can say without any exaggeration that we all need it more than ever right now.

We’re in new territory here. You are allowed to keep marketing. Just tread lightly when you do.