In 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic swept the world, the phrase “new reality” came into use. As soon as society had got used to the changes that had taken place in almost all spheres of life, reality changed again.
How can businesses continue to function and not lose their positions on the market in this “latest reality”? What marketing and business strategies should they apply? There is no single answer to these questions, but we’ve tried to put together our observations. Share them with you.
Content, including SMS mail-outs, is still one of the most effective marketing tools. That’s why we’ve decided to focus on it.
Combine a variety of different content formats and marketing channels. You can inform your subscribers via SMS that you have written a new post on social media. Also, you could include ‘subscribe’ buttons at the bottom of articles in blogs, allowing users to sign up to receive your SMS.
So here are a few of our observations on better ways to use content for promotion in the current conditions.
Don’t be silent
Don’t think that now is not the right time to share any kind of content with your clients. The “wait and see” position won’t bring any benefit, although it may seem safe at first sight.
In reality, this approach can be bad for your business because:
- You risk completely disappearing from the information space. If you don’t remind your audience of your existence, they may quickly forget about you.
- You’re in danger of losing audience loyalty. Those relationships that you‘ve built with customers will cool over time.
- You’re depriving yourself of an operational channel for communication with the audience. If you keep silent, it will be difficult for clients to understand whether your company is still in business and if you’ve been able to adapt to the changing conditions.
You could take a break, but you should warn your customers that the company is not yet ready to publish content. The audience must understand that the brand hasn’t disappeared; it is nearby and ready to answer any questions.
Adapt your message to the situation
It was never a good idea to mindlessly churn out and distribute content, but in tense times, this approach can rapidly lead to a real fiasco for the company. Of course, a market remains for all types of product, but the motivations and impulses for making purchases have changed.
What and how to publish is up to you. After all, you know your audience. However, here’s are some things you should definitely put off for now, regardless of your company’s area of business:
- Playing on emotions such as fear, panic and worry. A few months ago, you could boost sales with messages in the style of “Hurry to sign up for a foreign language course before the old price is updated! There’s only one spot left!”, but now people have a completely different attitude to active calls to do something or buy from people. Don’t test the nerves of an already slightly irritable audience; use a neutral tone of voice.
- Jokes and memes. Humour has always been a support in difficult times, but it can be overdone. Be careful what kind of humorous content you use, because now it’s especially easy to cross the line.
New sincerity
The pandemic that we faced two years ago taught us how to rebuild communication with clients. It was then that the concept of “new sincerity” appeared, with brands speaking honestly to their audiences, hiding nothing.
This year, a “new sincerity” will once again help brands maintain or build relationships with their audiences.
Tell how things are going in your company right now. Openness and honesty are what the audience now lacks.
Feedback
If you are in doubt about what content will be appropriate, ask the audience what they would like to hear from you right now, and what is on their minds. The survey might help you to both:
Get a list of current issues that concern the audience and use it to create content with tips etc.
Show your concern for subscribers, because you care about their opinions.
Don’t forget to give feedback. It’s important for clients to know that the brand hasn’t abandoned them, that you’re there and ready to help in any way you can.
The world has changed and is continuing to change, and the brand’s task in these conditions is to adapt, and not insist that everything is going “as usual” or remain silent.
There are many ways to communicate with the audience. Find yours, which will help your company to keep the trust of customers and continue to be resilient.
If you include SMS mail-outs in your marketing campaign, then, on the Intis telecom platform you can find many useful features for creating and sending bulk messages. Registration on the platform is free.
