Each sector of the world is facing unprecedented obstacles as COVID-19 changes the way people, businesses and organizations run their day-to-day operations. 

Marketing your business or services in a way that is tastefully tailored to the experiences of your clients and the rest of the world is a task now assigned to every marketing team across all professions. 

Here are 5 ways to revamp and refresh your marketing strategy during COVID-19. 

1. Support your staff.

Hopefully, you support your staff every day. But, now more than ever, it’s super important. Staff members are facing the same work challenges as you, and it’s never clear how their home-life could be affected. 

Consider hosting digital events for your team, whether that’s a weekly check-in or virtual happy hour. Nothing about shelter-in-place measures is normal, but building a virtual routine with your staff can help with productivity and accountability. Plus, you have the chance to check in on your team on a regular basis and provide as many resources as possible to help with any issues or concerns that may arise. 

Provide work-from-home tools and training as well to help your staff become more acclimated with working from home. Popular tools include Zoom and Google Hangout, and service providers like Google and Adobe are offering free upgrades and access to services for the time being to help you provide the best resources for your team.

2. Support your clients.

Once your staff is secure in their new work environment, don’t forget that your clients, customers and patrons need extra attention, too. 

The last thing you want to do is lose patrons during COVID-19. Maintain good communication, and ensure clients that you have taken internal measures to help combat COVID-19 and its spread. Update them on work-from-home measures, best ways to contact them and consider setting up a FAQ page. 

Think outside of the box to ways you can offer discounts on services and products to continue to attract veteran and new customers. Additionally, think of how you can evaluate your imagery and language to better support the current time. Don’t call it a “COVID-19” sale, but a “thank you” sale.

3. Adjust your services to best fit client needs.

No matter your field, consumers need resources and services to fit their needs right now. Where they once were splurging on what they loved most, they may be rethinking their investments. Where they once felt sure of their career, they may now be jobless. 

Consider producing services for clients that are of little to no cost to you. One of these services could be a webinar series designed to inform and educate consumers on tips and tools for surviving the COVID-19 changes. Her Story of Success joined Insperity to host a webinar series to provide thought leadership about key topics regarding working in the time of the virus. View the webinars here. 

You could also consider shifting your marketing focus to providing resources to consumers such as tips for working from home, handling finances during this time and providing for others. 

These kinds of services are what consumers need, and if you make a valuable impression, they will remain loyal once a new “normal” is found. 

4. Alter current plans/cease all non-essential releases

Just as you may need to change your language and imagery, you might need to change your social media strategy and release schedule. Think about what your clients really need to know now, and consider postponing anything that can wait. 

It is recommended to steer away from releasing any new products, whether that’s apparel or music. Continue to focus on what you can use now to support your clients, and share those stories with potential clients. If you can show that you acted well with your consumers during a pandemic, they will know your ability to help them in “normal” times.

5. Work on back burner projects

Take this time to take an internal look at ways to further enhance the organization by investing time into back burner projects that you keep meaning to do but never have the time to do. Maybe that’s catching up on updating your policies and procedures, or filing away old reports. Find ways to further your business by looking behind at what you may have missed. 

But, also look forward and draft a strategy for post-COVID-19 operations. Discuss how you will get everyone acclimated to the workplace after they’ve worked from home for so long. How will you ensure the company is ready for releases once the world begins to move again? 

And, maybe consider building a Standard Operating Procedure for Working from Home. It’s unlikely another event like this could occur within your lifetime, but it doesn’t mean it can’t. Define what working from home looks like for your staff members so that when the time comes, you are ready.