Don't Panic - Pivot

Written By Adam Sewell

Today is March 19th, 2020 and today we woke up to a different world. I don’t usually like to date my articles, but it felt necessary this time around.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we are creating a historical change in how people and businesses operate. The market is at a 3-year low, businesses are being forced to close their doors, and huge corporations are moving their workforces to home offices.

Through all of this, there has been a clear and obvious uncertainty in the marketplace and that is completely understandable. Since 2017, we have seen our economy thrive. Record highs in both the markets and employment rates have led to companies having the budget to maximize their marketing efforts across all mediums.

Thousands of companies were born into this booming economy and have never experienced a down market, and for those that have, it doesn’t get any easier.

So, I wanted to take some time to pull together a few ideas on the do’s and don’t during a pandemic from a marketing/business standpoint.

  • DO- Take advantage of a less saturated ads marketplace.

    • This is not news. During a down market, companies are looking to save money wherever they can, and to a certain extent, you should too. But with all these companies looking for ways to save money, the first place they are going to look to cut back is recurring payments. Yes, you probably had a marketing budget, and yes, you have probably been told to cut back, but understand that we are in a place of opportunity. A place where you can stand out from the crowd during a time when social media use is at an all-time high. Don’t be scared to invest that money to get your product or service in front of people, because when this is all said and done, you will be in a great position.

  • DON’T- Be afraid to try something new

    • There are many ways that you can take advantage of the fact that most of the country is working from home. Look at your current strategy and ask yourself “how can we continue to communicate our messaging during this time?”

      Several of our clients have approached us and asked us for advice on this. Some of them have chosen to reallocate their budgeting (more of this to come) into resources that can be utilized online rather than in-person. Some have chosen to pivot their commercial video production campaign into a motion graphic video campaign. This allows them to continue to execute on their vision, continue to move forward with their campaign, and not have to worry about the restrictions enforced on large video production sets.

  • DO- Reallocate budget

    • We are approaching the end of Q1. Everything is shutting down. Tradeshows, conferences, client visits, in-person meetings, everything. We are at a unique point in time when your marketing dollars have magically found their way back to you. If your company is like most, you aren’t going to see that money again once Q2 rolls around. So, what to do?

      There are many ways you can spend your marketing dollars during this time. I would suggest taking a step back, taking a deep breath, and analyzing what has worked so far this quarter and what hasn’t. Got it? Good. Now that we have determined the key strategies that have worked for you so far, start to cross off all the ones that involve human interaction. If you have anything left in your list, voila! My work here is done. If you have a page filled with crossed-out phrases, don’t panic.

Here are a few suggestions that could help you during this time that can be completed from the comfort of your living room:

  • Motion graphic animations.

    • These can come in the form of explainer videos, tutorials, service overviews, brand videos, etc. you name it, it can be made in a motion graphic.

  • Old footage, new video

    • Take advantage of video editors. We do this for a living and know that companies have a lot of gold sitting on hard drives gathering dust. Reach out to your local video production company and inquire about having them pull together fresh new content from media that you have sitting around.

  • Social Media

    • Now is a great time to investigate that ever-elusive social media channel that you’ve been neglecting all these years. Dig up some old photos, tell stories, engage with your audience. At this moment in time, the entire world has something in common, so you’ve got a lot to talk about.

  • Ad Spend

    • Piggybacking off the last suggestion, taking that reallocated budget and putting some $$$ towards social media and Google ads is a great way to create some familiarity with a new audience.

  • DON’T- Let communication within your teams slip

    • With most teams now working from home, it can become challenging to keep motivation and accountability high. Make sure you are scheduling meetings with your teams weekly/daily to ensure your team stays on task and is kept in the loop with any developments that may arise.

      Assigning key performance indicators (KPI’s) is more important than ever. Assign, measure, and track.

  • DO- Tweak your marketing delivery

    • Just because your planned marketing efforts have changed, that doesn’t mean you cannot communicate your message to your audience, it means that you need to change your delivery.

      The chances of your company spokesperson giving a presentation in front of a 1000-person audience in the next month are low. It’s probably not going to happen, but that doesn’t mean the message doesn’t get communicated. Take advantage of online resources like zoom meetings, live webinars, blog writing, and so on and so on. People still want to hear from you, so make sure you are giving them what they want to stay ahead of the pack.

  • DON’T – Do nothing.

    • This sounds obvious, but I feel like it needs to be said if not just for your mental sanity. We live in a world where the hustle and bustle can easily get the most of us. Being so caught up in the actual work that we do sometimes gets in the way of working on our businesses. Now is a great time to do some of the much needed “housekeeping” you’ve been putting off.

      • Here are a few simple suggestions:

        • Update your website

        • Build some new email templates

        • Create new systems

        • Revisit your business and personal goals

        • Take an online course


Remember, we are all in this together and we will get through it. There is still lots of work to be done and lots of ways to maximize your time during this tough period.

Don’t Panic - Pivot.


Some trustworthy sources for COVID-19 updates:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

Adam Sewell
Previous

How to Color Grade ANY Video in Davinci Resolve
Next

Lead Generation Using Video