As publicists, brand marketers and agency owners, many of us are not prepared for coronavirus. Most of us have never lived during a pandemic, let alone personally experienced one. This is where crisis communications training will become invaluable. We are used to helping clients with short term PR fiascos or crisis communication issues. But make no mistake—we must prepare for an ongoing crisis. This will not be a crisis that will go away any time soon. As brand marketers, don’t keep marketing with your head in the sand.
As social media marketing and PR professionals, we often plan for the unexpected. But no one could have accurately predicted or planned for the massive disruption coronavirus could have on virtually every industry worldwide. Now is the time for brands and agencies to have the tough conversations.
Where do we go next?
How will our marketing change in lieu of coronavirus?
What should agency professionals do during this time? How do you market and publicize during a global pandemic?
Coronavirus effects on the Marketing & PR industry
In the agency world, how marketers handle coronavirus will separate the pros from the amateurs. Remember when everyone thought they could buy social media services for a few hundred dollars because their kid in college could do it? Now this will reset the playing field.
This will be a time when it will suddenly be glaringly obvious why certain agencies charge a premium for marketing and PR services.
The bottom of the barrel marketers will keep marketing through this as if nothing is going on. Their posts will be tone-deaf. They will not pause scheduled tweets or pre-written content for campaigns and will continue to market as if we were still living in a pre-Coronavirus digital media environment.
The premium agency pros, however, will know now is the time to pause and reflect. Strategy means knowing when to stay silent just as much as it means knowing what to post and when. Clients may hem and haw and ask, “What am I paying you for if you aren’t going to post anything?”
They are paying you because you know the difference between when to shout from the rooftop and when to be quiet.
Do not use this as a cheap marketing ploy to get more customers for your brand. Unless you are a medical professional, tread lightly with the content you put out. This means doing a total 360 on your social media marketing strategy. Now is not the time to share the beautiful creative you had prepared ninety days out. Save it for another day or another quarter.
Coronavirus will impact every sector and industry including marketing, public relations and social media.