Social Distancing: How to Set Your Marketing Apart In a New World

One of this year’s most-used phrases is ‘Social Distancing’ (you might be doing it right now). Far from being kicked to the dictionary curb at the end of 2020, social distancing will have taught us a lot about ourselves – AND about how to market in some pretty creative ways.

Here are 6 Ways Marketing Has Changed because of the Pandemic:

• Ramped Up Creativity – Marketing has taken ‘This ain’t your daddy’s Cadillac’ and flipped it on its ear. We’ve all seen Super Bowl-worthy advertising whether in print or online or TV. Creativity is a necessity when trying to market during trying times.

• Incorporating (more) Humor – Not everyone has the same ‘ear’ for humor, and some might caution against funny lines during a pandemic. But humor is also memorable, and it connects the prospect to your campaign in an uncanny way – even if the humor is bad (read: Dad Jokes).

• Sprinkling in Messages of Community – There’s no better time to market community than during a time when everyone needs to pull from the same side of the rope. Social distancing has siloed us all, but it’s also given marketers the opportunity to reach huge groups of people at the same time. It reminds me of Coke’s classic campaign to “Buy the world a Coke.”

• Laser Focus on Strategy – Social Distancing has provided a searing look into the marketing strategy company’s use and divided them into two camps. Those who got it right (comedic skits, compassionate arguments, highlighting charitable giving, etc.) and those who got it wrong (pushing a product BECAUSE of the pandemic). Strategy isn’t just the wording used. You have to consider the vehicle, the tone, and the approach. All of those components are critical, especially today with more ‘captive audiences’ than ever before.

• Understand (Almost) Anything Goes – There is no more ‘Tried & True’ in terms of getting your message out there. If standing six feet apart and wearing a mask in the grocery store has taught us anything, it’s that there much less ‘normal’ in the new world of marketing.  And could be as simple as a 60-second TikTok video.

• Making an Impression, Winning a Client – Use the pandemic to your advantage. Wait! I know that sounds bad – at first. But everyone is paying attention to things they might not have been two months ago. Prospects are exposed to thousands of messages online, in the mail, and on TV. Rise above the gloom and doom. Give them something different, positive, and relatable that creates a lasting impression when they think of your business and what you can do for them.

In the beginning, I think people might have been scared or timid when it came to advertising their businesses. ‘Is it too soon?’ ‘Is asking for business right now in bad taste?’ ‘How long do I wait?’ ‘SHOULD I wait?’ If time has taught us anything, it is that the show must, indeed, go on. Marketing looks different now – you can see it reflected in TV commercials and the postcard campaigns you’re seeing in the mail. But the point is this: it’s okay. Social distancing and other effects of this current, strange, and uneasy time have just shown us that we still need one another. We still need to market and people still need what we have to provide them. It’s okay. But we also have to make sure we market the right way, the most effective way.

Give Opportunity Knocks a call. From a respectable distance, our Success Coaches can help you make sure you’re maximizing your postcard campaign potential. We’re here to ensure your campaign takes the right paths, uses the most effective techniques, and reaches as many potential clients as possible both now and well into the future.