With all the changes currently happening in the business world, it can be difficult to find ways to encourage customers to engage with your business.
We asked nine thought leaders, “What are your innovative marketing tips for 2020?”
Their answers might surprise you.
Showcase Your Adaptability
In order to get customers to engage with you during these difficult times, you have to give them something of value. As a fun marketing tactic, we are providing customers with the opportunity to print customized messages on their masks. It allows them to follow safety protocols, but also have fun with an otherwise daunting situation. Offer your customers an opportunity to engage with your products in a light-hearted way and show them that you are adaptable to the current times.
Eric Blumenthal, The Print Authority
Create “Snackable” Content
Traditional marketing tactics are taking a hit in this environment. Marketers should focus on creating “snackable” content– that is, content that is short, to the point and can be digested in 10-15 minute time frames. We are also missing out on a major part of the funnel– events. Fill this gap by creating more interactive webinars where there is more than one speaker, they are on camera and not reading from a PowerPoint, they are speaking to each other ( not at the attendee) and they take questions from the audience.
Melanie Brancaleone, Senior Tradeshow and Events Marketing
Use Trends in Your Storytelling
If you’re in the digital space and don’t understand the trends, influencers or sounds, you’re going to be missing out on a huge chunk of digital marketing right now. With video and TikTok continuing to take precedent in the digital space, invest you and your team’s time into storytelling. Gen Zs are going to come into the workforce extremely competent in video production and storytelling and it’s to our advantage to understand storyboarding to ideate alongside them.
Kate Makowski, Social Media Strategist
What Is Your “Why”
Re-align with your “Why:” the bigger reason behind the work you do and the reason your clients seek you out. If you don’t have a personal “brand,” develop one. If you do, improve on it. Engage in your community! Offer your skills, time, and services to ease the challenges of the current state of things. Be visible, be available, and be involved.
Anthony Basuil, Technical Recruiter
Be Human First
Don’t sell; educate, lead, and inspire. Deploy massive amounts of genuine empathy and connect all of your team members to an aligned vision of how you will position the brand to be a safe and secure ride to the future normal that will emerge as this one crumbles and dissipates.
Don’t Underestimate Data-Driven Marketing
We are very focused on our employer brand. For us, this means using data to communicate with candidates where they are most likely to research you. We also use data as a guide for messaging. We routinely participate in opportunities to be recognized as an employer of choice through various top company surveys. These are important as the organization has an opportunity to purchase the aggregated results of these surveys, giving us a deep insight into what we are doing right and where we need to improve. To sum it up, data should be the backbone of your marketing efforts. Using this approach, we have been able to find top-quality talent in a very challenging and tough environment.
Steven M. Brown, MSP, DP Electric Inc.
Make it Relevant
When reaching out to prospects or my network, I always make sure to make the content relevant to what is happening in their world. I ask myself “why should they care what I have to say?” That helps me make my message specific and targeted.
Be Sensitive During Difficult Times
I think for businesses, it’s important to be sensitive to the difficult times everyone is experiencing. I recommend that businesses market in a way that takes this into account. Instead of “Times are tough; buy a new car,” market your company in a way that shows how the business has helped others during the pandemic.
Jessica Schocker, Recruitment Consultant
Take to Social Media
If you have never been big on using social media, now is the time to change that. If you can create content that customers will engage with, you are sure to bring more traction to your business. Creating interactive graphics and asking questions on your social media platforms gives customers the opportunity to connect with your business. Things like “going live” on Instagram, doing small giveaways and showing people behind the scenes are also great marketing tactics to break the fourth wall between customer and business.
