Should You Be Marketing During the Pandemic?

Before I jump into my marketing-related message, I want to first say that I hope you and your family are healthy—feeling both mentally and physically well during this global health crisis. If you’re lucky enough to still have a job (many aren’t so lucky), I hope you’re safe at home working remotely during this pandemic.

Second, I want to give a huge THANK YOU to those essential workers on the front lines, from healthcare professionals, mail carriers, and grocery store workers to home-delivery drivers, garbage collectors, and restaurant workers still providing take-out services.

Now, on to the marketing question of the day. During the challenging, uncertain time, should you still be marketing during the pandemic? And if so, what should you say? How do you effectively communicate in a crisis? As the coronavirus pandemic throws the world into upheaval, businesses of all sizes in every industry struggle to find the right balance and the right messaging.

Should you be marketing during the pandemic?

For starters, yes, you absolutely should be marketing during the pandemic. When this global health crisis eventually passes, you want to make sure you weren’t silent for months just waiting it out. While you do need to be careful with what you say (more on that in a minute), you also don’t want to be MIA until summer. Don’t just disappear for a few months and expect your audience to still be there. Remember, it takes months (and even years) to build trust with your audience. Don’t abandon them during this global health crisis.

Right now, your audience craves a sense of normalcy. If you suddenly go dark on social media, pause your monthly newsletter, or stop publishing those weekly blogs, that just feeds into the uncertainty that’s already swirling around. While it’s okay to briefly pause your marketing so you can reassess your strategy (you DO have a strategy, right?), stopping completely is a bad move.

Now more than ever is the time to pivot, empathize, and provide value. This can take many forms, from webinars, blog posts, and newsletters to eBooks, social posts, and videos.

What should your messaging be during challenging times?

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What will resonate with your audience?

Your audience wants to hear purposeful, relevant, responsible, timely messaging. They want to know how you’re responding to the coronavirus and how you’re stepping up to help in some way. As you continue to market during the pandemic, weave in the human aspect with effective storytelling. By now, we’ve all heard uplifting “do-good” stories. Distilleries are shifting their production from alcohol to hand sanitizer. Hotels are providing free rooms to hospital workers. Apparel companies are producing masks instead of clothing. Businesses of all sizes are stepping up. Here in the Orlando area, I’ve watched the behemoth Disney donate perishable food to local food banks. But I’ve also seen a mom-and-pop restaurant sell “breakfast sponsorships.” They’re asking customers to pay for breakfast to be delivered to hard-working hospital staff. Pure genius! The creativity and collaboration that’s taking place right now are simply astounding. Businesses of all sizes are rising to the challenge for a greater purpose beyond profits.

Beyond communicating how you’re helping, your messaging can tap into the emotional aspect of what we’re all going through. Touch on the together-but-apart facet of social distancing and the shared sacrifices we’re all making coupled with compassion and sensitivity. Your messaging can provide comfort, support, and reassurance, which will resonate with people feeling so much uncertainty right now. And your messaging can be optimistic, uplifting, and hopeful, paving the path for a better tomorrow. Finally, don’t overlook the value of evergreen content, especially service/how-to articles that help make your readers’ lives better in some way.

What’s the right way to communicate in a crisis?

There is no “one right way” to communicate, as it totally depends on your business and your industry. But there is a wrong way to communicate right now—staying silent.

Do you need help from a seasoned freelance writer?

If you need help crafting your internal or external communications—whether it’s evergreen or timely pandemic content—please reach out to me. I’d love to help if I can. If not, I’ll try to refer you to a writer who can. And if you’ve never worked with a freelancer before, check out my blog post titled How to Find a Professional Freelance Writer.

Do you need help staying positive or homeschooling your kids?

On a more personal note, if you’re struggling to stay positive and feel hopeful right now, I encourage you to check out my blog post titled Staying Positive During the Coronavirus Pandemic for 30 days of inspiration. Also, if you’re teaching your kids at home now that schools are closed, you might find Homeschooling Hacks During the Pandemic helpful. In this blog post, I shared some tips and insights from my 10 years of homeschooling my two sons.  I hope all of this information helps make your life a bit easier and less stressful right now.