The Pandemic Pivot
From the beginning, marketing your business has been about planning; carefully crafting your messaging then laying out a strategic plan to be implemented over the upcoming months for years to come. Well that is, until the 2020 pandemic. When COVID-19 hit, most of us had to throw our marketing plans out the window and address the demands that we all were facing in the moment. We had to look at everything we had planned and ask ourselves, “Is our plan going to be relevant now?” Unfortunately, in most cases, it wasn't.
During this time, we have been forced to “pivot,” thinking creatively as we re-examine our strategy and business approach. For some of us, pivoting has required us to determine how to best serve our clients when our very reason for being was temporarily taken off the table due to county and state restrictions. Pivoting isn’t just about adjusting a brand image and marketing message; it’s about redefining ourselves and stepping out of our comfort zone by being responsive to today’s needs from a product and service perspective. In such a highly disrupted world, we must evaluate our core values, our purpose, and redefine what we stand for in the marketplace. Those that want to make a positive difference will expand, adjust, and modify to think and act differently. By doing so, opportunity can be captured as we surrender to the new ‘normal’ emerging before us. This isn’t a passive moment; it’s about seeing challenges and restrictions as opportunities for innovation, growth, and connection.
So how can we identify needs and resonate with our clients?
Don’t be afraid to take a risk. Whether it’s a shift to food truck instead of in-facility operations or finding creative ways to present yourself in a Zoom meeting with clients, don’t be afraid to try a different approach. Taking risk and experimenting is essential in today’s world. Creativity is rewarded like never before. Only those that seek out new solutions will reach and connect with their clients in a way they never thought possible.
Be flexible and willing to adapt in real time. When you see a need and can do something about it, have the responsiveness to act quickly in a meaningful way. Companies that value their clients and employees in a meaningful way, making their battles during this time a priority, are winning right now. For example, restaurants that responded rapidly to providing meals to front line medical workers or businesses that created new ‘work from home’ policies to allow parents to stay home to care for their children long after the quarantine ended, built stronger relationships and secured their brand image in a positive way. Not only did they sustain, but they built brand loyalty and long-lasting client connections.
Positive disruption is good. The way companies operate internally can also have significant effects on their brand. By imagining new ways to operate and re-thinking your corporate structure, you can cultivate creativity in a new way. Positive disruption can challenge traditional methods and yield valuable rewards such as improving employee morale, building closer client relationships and boosting your bottom line.
So, what happens now?
The question remains about whether these new, more spontaneous ways of operating and creative thinking will last in coming years. For most of us, we have transitioned, refined, expanded, and transformed our brand in new creative ways that will undoubtedly impact our business positively. We have also learned about the importance of determination and tenacity. While the pandemic forced us to react in the moment versus with long-term planning, I believe that decisions we have made over the past half year about how we engaged with our clients will have long-term industry impact. For our clients and our employees, the measurement will not only be about what we ‘did’ during this time but, more importantly, about ‘how’ we served their needs ‘in the moment.’ At the end of the day, isn’t that why we do what we do and what should ultimately matter the most?
D’Lee Marshall, CEO | Founder