We’re still cranking away over here and staying healthy at home. We hope you and yours are healthy and well during this unprecedented time.
From a marketing perspective, there will be so many lessons that surface after the pandemic. However while we’re still in the thick of it, we wanted to share some advice for business leaders who are deciding what to do about PR or social media.
Following are four suggestions that we’ve found are working.
Media still has a job to do. They still have to cover the news and they still have to write their stories. However we need to be smart and mindful with what we are pitching and when. And, of course, our old-school manners go a long way right now - simply asking how the journalist is doing, first checking on if they’re working - is the right first step. Remember, they’re humans too and they’re in the same pandemic together.
Growth opportunities are there if you look for them. This is a time where CEOs or other business leaders can rise to the top and be recognized for their leadership skills. We’ve talked with a number of business professionals on how they can share their advice in a timely and relevant way on how to lead during this crisis.
People are online more than ever. Guess what we’re all doing when we’re #stayinghome? We’re online and checking social media. Interestingly, for the brands we manage on social media, our March numbers were nearly double the previous month in nearly every instance. That’s likely because while we’re not at the forefront of the pandemic, people are still interested in what some of their favorite brands are doing.
Now is the time to be a connector. Marketing professionals are inherently connectors. We like bringing people together, we like bringing brands to life through a story, we like sharing the news. Now more than ever, we need to be doing this. I’ve shared positive and negative thoughts (not on social media blast, don’t worry) with what brands can be doing. I’ve given advice to business leaders who I don’t have on the roster. I’ve donated time and treasure to a nonprofit that’s making a difference amid COVID-19 with their Coronavirus Emergency Fund. (News alert: they’ve delivered 4,000+ meals to Chicago families and counting). This is in the spirit of paying it forward. And we’re in this together.
Good luck to you and your team during this time. And if you need help, please reach out. We’d love to hear about your challenges and how we might be able to help.