While we Flatten the Curve| Here’s a chance Rise to the Occasion
Marketers of all kinds are finding themselves challenged as to the tone and approach to take in reaching out to our clients or prospects. I for one, have been concerned about respecting everyone’s “space” as they adjust to this new work environment. But several conversations that I had this week inspired me to “take to the keyboard” and share some experiences that will help us the COVID-interval to our greatest capacity. Here’s what I observed.
Expanding our Common Ground: Overall, this unexpected pivot in our business and personal life is humanizing and driving us to be more informed about the people with whom we do business. For example, most people have retreated to their residential communities to ensure the well-being of their families and colleagues. This alone helps us understand more about each other and find more common ground. After all, where we choose to live has a lot to do with who we are and how we like to spend our non-work time.
Work is being done, in some cases more efficiently: What has really intrigued me is to look behind the scenes at both large and small companies. A friend who works at a large enterprise reflected that her team is finding tremendous opportunity to do things for which their customers rarely take time. As their business works closely with the advertising community, she is watching companies reassess their brands and pivot to incorporate the new environment into their thinking and focus on the essentials. With excessive travel eliminated, she is also seeing an opportunity for more customer education with greater attendance at virtual workshops as more senior level are available to participate.
Everyone needs a home in the Cloud: Cloud-native companies from all sectors or brick and mortar entities with a strong online presence are in the spotlight. A fellow marketer reflected on her uptick in new clients in this arena. Most startups across many growing sectors from Healthcare to FinTech are set up to operate virtually and were well ahead of the Corona-curve. But those who aren’t there yet could stand some peer-to-peer guidance or encouragement from their customers that they will support them in an online environment. Small retailers are going to acutely feel the pinch here – those of us
Skills Reassessment, Realignment, & Recognition: Conversations with large and small companies also reflected a shuffling of the deck and realignment of personnel – taking a serious look at skills needed to operate in a virtual environment. For some, it’s a chance to shine. At a #HollisterStaffing online conversation I attended last week, I was impressed at how the admin team of one company took on the leadership role in teaching their senior team how to work with online tools – a great way to show initiative and practice peer leadership skills. Hopefully this effort and others that come forward in this environment will be recognized, rewarded and showcased post crisis. Other companies are reassessing what can be outsourced, done part time, or full time. There are many marketing networks and individual independent experts set up to support companies that may have to let go of full time staff. Companies like Creative Circle, Catalant and Business Talent Group are a conduit to many skills sets.
Things that CAN be done: In the BTB universe (where I spend my time), there’s also a huge opportunity for market research and in particular a look at a company’s value proposition/s by vertical or other market sectors. It’s timely to re-engage in strategic interviews with customers when they are reflecting on how to better serve their own client base. The pandemic has given many companies an opportunity to try new things with relatively little risk – because they had to. Now it’s time to see if the new form of delivery is sustainable.
A second area that deserves attention is customer, employee, and partner education. It’s a critical time to learn new skills, keep communication lines open, expand audience engagement, and seek feedback from your ecosystem.
A final sobering note, is that it’s time to reassess and strengthen our communication skills. As many are working more independently and using more forms of communication – writing, speaking, and listening are more important than ever. Our communication has become “byte-size” and we are losing impact or worse, setting the wrong tone. While our online tools empower us to “do it ourselves” not everyone is equipped to communicate clearly to a wide audience. . For the moment we are all marketers and producers and have a chance to rise to the occasion!