 Welcome to the journey. Today we're going to talk about five marketing lessons from businesses that thrive during difficult times. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of the way small businesses operate, from budgets to strategic planning to community engagement and marketing. And this experience has shed light on how brands can be resilient through these challenging times with the right messaging. However, if you're struggling to find a new marketing cadence to reach your audience as effectively as you once did, and if you're wondering how to simultaneously improve business during difficult times, here are a few tips to help find inspiration, ideas, and perspective shifts. But starting off with pivoting your message, you can never know when a crisis will hit. But when it does, it may mean that the marketing strategies you've already invested time and money into have to be put on hold. How will you reposition your product offerings and services to meet the needs of your consumer base? Create a win-win for your company and for the customers looking for solutions to support their new normal. Yeah, and to adapt, you need to quickly rethink your customer journeys and change the tone of your messaging. The emphasis will be different for each sector. Many retailers I know this includes creating a seamless e-commerce experience, enabling customers to complete everything they need to do online for initial, you know, the research that happens at first, and then the purchase to service and returns. For auto companies, this could mean establishing new digital distribution models, so like handle trade-ins and financing and servicing and home delivery of cars. Another marketing lesson is to discount your services for a purpose. Finding ways to give back to your local community can have a long-term positive repercussions. People often feel helpless during crisis, I know I do, and knowing that they can make a difference with your cause can give them a feeling of empowerment instead. Yeah, people are also looking for things that can ease their anxiety. I know I am. Yoga for the win. So offering them something in return for their support is a great way to demonstrate that you care and to create a mutually beneficial relationship. During a crisis, focus your messaging around tangible things that can help your supporters get through this difficult time. This can mean things like creating virtual programs to help them be quarantined boredom. If you have any, let me know. Or doing something as simple as sending out a list of tips on how they can support the community while maintaining social distance. Really pivot any prior events to virtual events so that you can not only still raise funds for important programs, but supporters can also continue to take action on behalf of your cause. So one thing I like to advise SMBs, leverage your current resources. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to thrive during these downturns. Instead, take a step back and take a look at your current marketing resources. I know 86% of consumers believe that brands should act as a safety net during a crisis, filling in gaps to the government's response. Many for-profit companies have actually done this by partnering with nonprofits focused on food insecurity, homelessness service, healthcare access, and more. Really during a pandemic, you may have noticed this response and how clothing manufacturers shifted their resources to make and donate face masks or how distilleries began producing hand sanitizers for emergency responders. Nonprofits can partner with other nonprofits too. Consider how a free and value-based tool like this can be a marketing asset for your business to show value while also boosting traffic, brand impressions and conversions. Our next marketing lesson is to really lean into SEO. Knowing how to leverage the needs of your consumers in a way that's natural and authentic to your brand will always pay off. In fact, 64% of consumers said that they prefer content about COVID-19 news, public service announcements, things like that from brands. And actually 46% said they look to brands for optimistic messaging about better times ahead. Yes, you use available data like these to shape the type of content that you produce. And then by knowing what your audience wants to see, you'll be able to produce content that results in higher user engagement. You can also gather your own data. You can use surveys like Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, and then ask your supporter questions about how they have felt about your messaging on the pandemic and listen to them. If there's anything maybe they'd like to see you do differently in the future and then also what types of content they prefer. I'd also encourage you to partner with influencers. While celebrities may be treated as heroes under regular circumstances, types of crisis highlight the true everyday heroes like your first responders and health care workers. So for example, I know Dove is known for its marketing that emphasizes natural beauty. And during the COVID-19 crisis, the company stayed on brand with that messaging but pivoted to highlight the real faces of health care workers at the end of their shifts. And in doing so, Dove created an emotionally powerful portrait that humanized the moment and the brand. It was so awesome to see that. And really the network of people connected to your business can become one of your greatest assets. Leverage users who are key influencers to help spread your marketing message while also supporting a cause. However, nothing is more tone deaf than a picture perfect post during a global health crisis. So make sure your messaging is appropriate. So rather than navigate the uncertainty of marketing during COVID-19 or any other crisis, brands may feel compelled to go quiet or just ride it out. However, this can leave you playing catch up to reengage your audience when things do start to improve. And it may also make your audience question how much you care about your community if you just disappear when times get hard. Updating your marketing and relating to your audience will really help you thrive as a business while also strengthening those relationships. Now, if you're feeling stuck, use these marketing lessons to jumpstart a refreshed marketing plan so you can stay relevant, provide a value when your audience and customers needs you the most. That's a wrap. Leave us a comment below and don't forget to subscribe to our channel. And ring that bell so you're the first to know when we upload another video. This is A Journey. See you next time. Bye.