Branding In The Time Of Coronavirus
If you don't know what your brand stands for in the best of times, you may find it particularly hard right now to find your way through this global crisis. Now, more than ever, brands need to be clear about who they are serving and why. Their clients and customers are focusing on their most essential needs, turning to the companies they trust the most, and seeking authentic connections. Of course, these things are always true, but especially right now. In a moment of crisis, if your company isn't a leader, you are probably struggling to break through the noise.
The good news is, you can always take the time to figure out what you stand for. Better late than never, right? Take a step back and plan. No one needs another rushed email or irrelevant social content. Instead, take this moment to gather your team and ask yourselves two critical questions:
1. Given everything else going on in the world, why should people care about your product or service? If you’re selling toilet paper or the latest tv show, this may be a simple answer. But if not, you may need to dig a little deeper to figure out what you are uniquely positioned to offer the world right now. Maybe it’s not your core service or product, but maybe there’s a slight modification that fills a unique need in this moment. Ask yourself: are you really offering something distinct from what is already out there, or are you just adding to the noise?
2. Why should anyone devote the limited time, money, and attention they have to you? Individuals are being laid off by the millions, while others are trying to balance full-time jobs and full-time childcare. Everyone is oversaturated with media, stress, and fear. Families are making unthinkably tough decisions about how to spend their time and their money, and no one has patience for any nonsense. Your value proposition needs to be crystal clear, and your messaging needs to be relatable, heartfelt, and timely.
If you’re struggling to answer any of these questions, ask yourself if you know your audience well enough to know what's true for them right now. Everyone is experiencing the storm, but for some it's just a drizzle and for others it's a hurricane. Is your audience struggling to meet their basic needs or are they struggling to find connection? If you don’t know, is there a quick, easy way you can reach out for answers? Maybe through a short email survey, a poll on social media, or a call to a few key clients. Get back to the basics of putting yourself in the shoes of your ideal consumer.
Ultimately, if you're not helping people in some way right now, then you're making a globally terrible situation worse. No one is going to invite you into their universe if that’s the case. In this moment of crisis, people will gravitate to the brands they love the most, and those bonds will grow stronger. Everything else will fade into the background, and if that includes your company, it may be hard to recover when we come out on the other side.
