The past few months have been really tough for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has been testing times for brands, consumers and work force equally. There is still confusion on adapting the right strategy, especially now when we know that the pandemic is still not over, but we need to move on. Brands are still seeking the right step between using an empathetic tone or sales led communication. Considering the current sentiments of the consumers, it is even more critical to carefully craft the right creative strategy and adapt a thoughtful approach to strike the right chords and at the same time get into the consideration set of the consumers. Here’s listing out few important considerations that brands could adapt to while planning their strategy in the near future
Remember this too shall pass!
Human race has overcome a lot more and there are many examples to prove it, like Japan’s success after World War II, India’s 83 World Cup victory to name a couple. We are more than capable to overcome big challenges and historically there are enough and more examples of restructuring and emerging as winners. In 1958 one of the most celebrated clubs, Manchester United lost majority of the players in a plane crash, but they still keep coming back stronger to achieve greater heights of success. Hence we need to attempt to defeat the pandemic every single day and work towards resolving it to achieve normalcy.
Step into your customer shoes
As a brand you might want to achieve your sales targets however the consumers don’t buy to increase your sales. They only buy if they are able to connect with a brand story. It’s best to think the consumers side of the story and communicate what they want to hear at this point in time, creating relevance and connect. Let’s all consider the fact that all our customers are human who are emotionally driven vis-a-vis just target audiences.
Adapt to the new normal
There are few steps every brand will have to take to ease out the consideration and buying process for consumers. Technology enables us to ensure we make it convenient for consumers and as a brand make ourselves available, along with safety measures. Sometimes it’s all about reaching out through technology to re-establish a connect. It’s a great idea to tell consumers how necessary steps have been taken to keep them safe. Technology will enable brands to connect with the consumers to provide convenience and solutions due to which they might be currently hesitating to step out.
Be human
While we all want to achieve normalcy as soon as possible, let’s consider that the world has been hit with a huge crisis. Consumers will appreciate brands who are human in the way they talk to them and have an emphatic approach. We all know that life needs to move on and brands who achieve the balance between empathy and sales will be able to connect with the consumers.
Continue advertising
The last thing we would want to do is stop advertising! Not advertising is as good as expecting our immunity to increase without exercise and proper diet or stopping the watch to save time! Consumers with larger time space available want the brands to communicate to them. Today consumers are watching TV, enjoying OTT platforms, spending more time on social which gives the right media attention that brands always desire of. With the right approach and tone of voice brands in fact can get a better ROI during current times.
Lastly, to reiterate and putting all this into perspective, we had a Real Estate client who was struggling to get people to come and visit their site. Leaving aside the thought of getting sales, they were hesitant even to communicate to potential buyers. What followed was above stated steps put into action. With an emphatic tone of voice, right use of medium and media, the brand was not only able to connect with the consumers but also generate interest in their project. Creating safe and personal site visit instilled confidence in the buyers and the result of which was selling 23 Villas in a month!
With the lockdown being eased out, its time to roll out new strategies, new campaigns and unleash the creativity to achieve normalcy and for some it might be even better than before!
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