You’ve watched the news, seen the curve, heard the stats (unless you’ve been living in a cave, which right now is totally acceptable, or you’re the Governor of Georgia). The world feels radically different than it did a few months ago. And as coronavirus fears escalate and uncertainty grows for businesses, the majority of marketers-if they haven’t been laid off, that is-are now delaying campaigns, scaling back programs, postponing product launches, canceling events, and reducing their overall budget.
But as marketers, we know that now is not the time to scale back, at least not drastically. Rather, it is an opportunity to be smart about our go-to-market strategy and where we should invest or divest our marketing spend. Not to make light of the situation (people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake after all), but your business depends on maintaining momentum during this crisis. Otherwise you will have to work a lot harder to jump-start later. Marketers are perfectly positioned to help keep momentum going and continue to fill the pipeline, all while preparing plans to help their company propel forward when the time is right. We are nimble and smart, and can adapt in extraordinary ways. Especially when we stay connected and help each other.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some tips, best practices and recommendations on how to survive in this brave new world as a marketer. Some of the things I plan to cover include how you can stay relevant and help your company pivot, how to maintain momentum and not lose (too much) progress, and how to develop and set in motion plans and programs that will allow your company to hit the ground running and, dare I say it, thrive when this is “over.”
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but having weathered many a downturn, bust, disaster, and failed business, I do have some. Hopefully these insights will help you make it through and keep pushing forward. I also look forward to hearing from others in the community. I encourage everyone to share the tactics and solutions that are working for them during this crisis. We’re in this together – six feet apart!
