Quick Tips in Quarantine: Keep Moving Your Brand and Business

March 19, 2020

A Healthy Business Process

Health and safety is first. Check.

Family, friends, and dependents all settled in. Check.

Keeping business and colleagues and everything moving forward…? If you can’t check that one off confidently, we have some tips and resources to help.

With the COVID-19 forcing the world into quarantines of varying degrees, the term “business as usual” is just not in play. Small business, big business, and entire industries are hurting. Nothing is normal. Nothing is easy. Nothing is ideal.

But it’s not Game Over. It’s just a new game…

Once the family and actual LIVING situations are configured, it’s important to get creative, get real, and put some things in motion for commerce. It’s time to pay attention to some details and angles that you’ve ignored for far too long.

Bottom line: it’s an irregular time for business, so it’s time to do some irregular marketing approaches.

Here are a few quick tips for you and how we can help!

Share

Share what you’re doing. Customers want transparency, right? Tell ’em! Give a few insights to what you and your crew are doing. Facebook, Instagram stories, blogs on your site – just a peek into your day will help humanize your brand & further likability.

More likability now means can mean easier sales for later.

Passion

This is the time to show/tell not just what you do in your business, but WHY. Use social media to hit them in the feels. Describe why you do the things you do. You can make money a number of ways.

So why did you choose the business you’re in? What are the extra special things that you do or your team does that goes the extra mile? This is the opportunity to share what drives you, what matters, and why you’re the best for them.

Expertise—Own It!

If you’re passionate about your business, you like talking about it! Offer some helpful advice with some messages, articles, or some of your go-to news links. Provide your customers or even new lead some infographics or some how-to information that they can apply now or that they can partner with you on to create.

Now is a good time to review some case studies and share what you’ve learned from successes and failures. One popular move is to offer discounted consultations. Share a taste of what you know in creative ways – quick-hit videos on Facebook, phone calls or Skype with targeted customers, email your key client list, look for trends in your industry that you can relay to your people…

Stay hungry, be humble, and keep ’em coming!

Different Route

If your competition is blitzing social media, think about another medium that they’re neglecting. If they’ve been winning at an area of business, look into another line that you feel strongly about – one that you can support, nurture, and grow.

You just may find a new lane that you’re surprisingly good for and one that they’ve overlooked. Capitalize on location, information, and message avenues they’re not prepared or equipped to delve into.

Re-Assess Customer Nurturing

If your sales funnel has a kink or two, now is a good time to dig in and problem-solve.

Do you have a poor email drip series to follow up with leads and customers? Or is it nonexistent? Do you have a gap between the promise and production team?

This is the kind of strategy work we can help with at Americom Marketing. But it’s also a good time for you to re-evaluate things that are often a little more complex than time allowed.

Write

Write some commentary for your website. Take an article in the news (say a pandemic for example or industry news) and write your opinion on it. This fresh, new content for your site is good for search engine optimization (SEO), plus it shows your customers you’re active.

Not a natural writer? There are some helpful tools like www.grammarly.com and other content-starters available. For deep dives, creative or technical writing, and more involved sales-funnel text — call us! We have award-winning, experienced staff writers at Americom Marketing. We can create custom content for every need.

Another Angle

This is a good opportunity to re-evaluate workflows and opportunity costs.

  • Is there a better way to package up your shipments?
  • Is there a more streamlined process to go from sales to production?
  • Is there a byproduct I’ve overlooked? Missed revenue from something I already have?
  • Are you relying on only one revenue stream? Could be a disadvantage when you’re in a pinch like this…
  • There are restaurants out there right now that are forced to become a to-go restaurant. Easy transition for some – but trouble for others. Some are not BUILT for this type of service. So they’re scrambling to act like something they’re not and operational efficiencies, costs, and personnel don’t have the flexibility needed. Something to think about…

Clean

Forced downtime means free time for some of your employees. Divide up tasks and clean the office, clean your files, organize pesky email inboxes, and so forth.

Take 2 hours over 2 days and you’ll not only feel accomplished, you’ll feel refreshed. They say cleanliness is next to godliness, so give it a shot and get some clarity. Cleaning your workspace may help lead to a clean workflow. A clean, clear vision is physical and mental.

Core Values

It’s a good time to revisit your core values. Let’s face it, you never have time to continuously examine your brand, your business model, or properly invest in your vision. Mission statements are good, but you have time here to dig deeper.

Look through the microscope of your strengths, weaknesses, the motivators, the distractions, and the commitments you’re willing to make.

Examining what you’re built for and what you’re willing to do vs. what you’re NOT willing to do is vital when starting your business. But if you’re not INTENTIONAL about it, it’s easy to get away from those virtues and beliefs over time.

One example is a company who grew a little too fast in ancillary services. They said “YES” to a lot of things outside of their core services and values in the course of a couple of years. The high revenue was great at first; but the expenses to deliver those promises proved costly, making for razor thin profit margins. Saying “yes” had them running around, spending money in areas they’d never set out to do and ultimately left bad results with customers they could never please. They simply got away from their core commitments and got into territories they weren’t willing to support.

It’s all about knowing your brand, having real integrity, and capitalizing on strengths. Revisit what got you here— list out your beliefs, core values, and brand standards as it can shape the growth of your company in trying times. You just may find some rejuvenation. Pray on it, meditate on it, work through some whiteboard sessions, and ask for some opinions from allies. Put in the work and you can re-discover your brand.

Need help? We’ve got you covered. Our team is well-versed in brand strategy and development. We can help walk you through best practices, theory and brand guides to help with vision, values, and implementation.

Resources

Our Americom Marketing team is passionate about all things marketing. From product launches to content creation to media buying strategies and more, this is where we eat, sleep, and breathe every day. No matter if we’re in the office or quarantined to our kitchens, this is how we’re wired. And we’re happy to share.

Our business is your business. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our marketing and creative consultants if you are in need of assistance during these times. Our team is working hard to keep customers informed.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay in contact with us so we can help get through it together!

Americom Marketing experts are here to help you grow your business. Reach out to us today!

Also in Americom News

June 6, 2023

Grateful for our wins at the Press Club of Southeast Texas 32nd Annual Excellence in the Media Gala! We are thrilled to share the exciting news of our recent acknowledgements at the…

March 14, 2023

If you’re not satisfied with your Q1 results, it’s time to reevaluate your marketing efforts and consider working with a local full-service advertising agency like Americom Marketing. Our team of experts specializes…

June 16, 2022

In today’s business climate, it’s more important than ever to have an online presence that is effective and efficient. Your website is often the first impression potential customers will have of your…