First, I want to extend to you my wishes that you’re doing well. Like me, I’m sure you are taking the necessary precautions to stay healthy and prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. During these challenging times, you might be tempted to cease all of your brand marketing, advertising, and promotions. My advice is simple:

Don’t stop now.

Resist the knee-jerk reaction to put the brakes on your marketing. When we come out on the other side of this pandemic (and we WILL come out of the other side of it) you’re going to want to be top of mind of customers who want to buy your products or services. If you stop marketing, people might just forget that you’re even around.

How can I market my business during the current crisis?

Rather than stopping all of your marketing, consider instead changing your strategy. Instead of selling, inform. Instead of daily email blasts, send emails weekly (or monthly). Instead of doing the same thing you’ve always done, pivot to something different. Here are some specific ideas for this difficult time:

• Don’t sell: It may come off as tone-deaf to sell these days, as people continue to read and hear news about the Pandemic. Besides, with the increasing unemployment rate customers may not have money to spend. So selling may come off in poor taste. Find ways to provide value, without selling.
• Write, write, write: If you find yourself with more time on your hands than usual, then write about what you know. Writing can set you up as a thought-leader and subject matter expert (SME) in your field. Post what you write to your blog. If you don’t have a blog, post it as an article on Linkedin in your profile.
• Call your customers: Make a list of your current customers, past customers, prospects, and referral partners. Call each one just to check-in, and ask how you can help them right now. If may not lead to any new billable business today, but it will go a long way to being top-of-mind when we come out of this crisis. Remember, that smart device in your hand you use for texting, it’s also a phone.
• Offer gift certificates: Offer a way for customers to purchase your services in the future, if they can’t use them now.
• Offer DIY solutions: Give people ideas for how they can do things themselves. Not only will you be providing helpful information (value), you’ll also be proving you’re a subject matter expert.
• Update your website: You have the time, so do it now. Are your services up to date? Do you have current testimonials? Should the CTA’s (call to action) change? Have you posted anything to your blog recently?
• Pivot: You may need to consider an entirely new way to deliver your services these days. Consulting virtually, walking a customer through a DIY solution, or doing something different altogether.
• Work on your personal brand: The harsh reality is that some of us may need to find a J-O-B when we come out of this. Aside from your business, you might need to just make a name for yourself, in order to land a job. Start writing. Polish up the resume. Update your LinkedIn profile.
• Say thanks: Reward & recognize your customers for their continued business. Send a gift certificate, offer a discount, give some extra services, etc. If you can’t afford to do something monetarily right now, plan ahead to how you can do it in the future. Of course, you could also just simply say thanks with a thank-you note sent in the mail or by email. Better yet, call your customer personally and let them hear it in your own voice.