Taking care of a brand is a lot of efforts. But even so, only the smartest efforts pay off. Advertisers and brand consultants have over time understood that nothing is going to be persistent and with social media trends changing every other day, you have to be ready for every little up and down.
Once in a while, there are things that one can’t be certain about. The COVID-19 epidemic has changed a lot of things. People’s short term goals are changing, so is there media consumption. There are definitely bigger concerns, for consumers and business owners, but amidst them definitely is the question of crisis communication. There are always some winners, like we saw during the times of SARS, who think outside the box and make sane decisions that help them come out as the winners even through a crisis.
- Recognize the power of social media: it is playing a vital role in brand crisis management now more than ever. Monitor your brand mentions and your feed performance.
- Being at the right place at the right time: it is important to edit and re-edit your strategy according to the course of common interests. Smart advertisers know that pushing a product during a crisis can only go so far. If you can be at the right place with the right communication though, nothing like it.
- Experiment with your creatives and break away from the monotony of pandemic-related news. It is important that you put yourself out as a woke yet empathetic brand. Be well aware of the situation but give your creatives a more pleasing turn – be a friend.
- Focus more on online service extensions: now more than ever, it is important to have a strong online presence and solid customer support. Focus your time and energy on re-evaluating your website design or reshuffling the roles of your customer support. Try to see what helps people connect with you even more.
How should you react?
A lot of businesses do face a crunch during times like these and advertising budget cuts are the first things they get advised. But all the points made above and a few learning lessons would help you get a wider perspective. A good advertising agency can help you sail your ship away from the storm. Looking for someone to help you with brand crisis management? You need a creative advertising agency. Bestow would be glad to extend a hand of friendship in these tough times.
