COVID has shaken up the world like nothing in recent memory. This is especially true for businesses and freelancers. We’ve all learned some hard lessons and had to admit that our old ways of thinking (like trying to plan 12 months ahead of time) are no longer going to work for us.
I sat down and spoke with three brilliant people to get some advice on how business owners and freelancers can continue to profit and build their customer base during a global pandemic.
Monica Sood – Monica Ink.
People are feeling desperate right now, how can that affect their marketing strategy?
Desperate marketers make poor marketers. Right now, people want strong leaders and you’ve got to shift your mindset so that you value the value that your service brings to people’s lives. When you’re desperate in your marketing, you’re saying, ‘it’s all about me and my problems, please help me.” When you think, ‘I feel really uncertain and vulnerable right now in my business’, this is the message that comes across in your marketing!
What is your best tip for marketing during COVID?
You need to shift your mindset so that you’re razor-focussed on the value you provide for your customer. It’s amazing what happens once your customers understand how you can help them. Desperation repels people. Don’t be desperate in your marketing. Be the guide.
Belinda – Cornish Marekting
What advice do you have that can help companies and freelancers gain business during COVID?
Right now is not the time to hold back information. The more information and more value that we can share, the better.
Don’t think about what you sell, think about the people that you’re serving and what they need you to offer right now.
Can you give me an example of what you mean?
I’m currently working with an electrician. He’s been doing a bunch of videos about how to keep your electric safe and how to figure out if you actually need an electrition to come out to your house. He serves his local community, and right now, this is exactly what they need and want. They want to be kept safe, and by doing these videos he’s helping them accomplish that.
Sharing these videos on social media actually helped him in more ways than he expected. He did a few uploads about Evee cars and how they charge. Well Mercedes came across these videos after he tagged them and they ended up reaching out and asking if they could use them on their own platforms.
Can it be bad to tell people how you do what you do?
So many people worry that if they give information away, people won’t have a reason to hire them. That isn’t true. You can tell people how to do marketing, how to write a podcast or a blog…whatever your specialty is. But the average person won’t be able to do what you do just by reading your advice. They don’t have the skills you have. By sharing your expertise, they can work on improving their own skills, but will also be more likely to hire you because you’ve shown yourself as a trustworthy expert. I don’t think I’ve ever lost business for giving too much information away.
What is your best tip for building a business during COVID?
One of the biggest tips I can give for marketing during COVID is to screw the 12-month plan. We don’t know what things will look like a year from now. You should look back over the past 30, 60, or 90 days and think about what you would have done differently and what you need to do to feel like you’re moving forward. Then make that your new plan for the immediate future.
Jo Caruana – WriteMeAnything
What are you telling people to do in regards to COVID marketing?
We’re telling our clients to embrace this as an opportunity. At first, people responded as if I was telling them to poke their eyes out. But now the ones who have embarrassed this advice are gaining traction and seeing what a massive opportunity this is.
Everyone has more time on their hands these days to take a step back and think about whether the way we’ve been doing things over the past few years is the only way to get things done. Now is the time to reflect, strategize, and diversify.
Can you give an example of what you mean?
So many companies are coming out with new products and services that they wouldn’t have even considered before COVID. One business, which typically teaches cooking classes at their school, has started making recipe boxes for people to take home. They then teach the class online. It’s very different from what they did before COVID, but it’s been a success.
This is also great from a marketing standpoint because the media is loving these types of stories, so I’m also telling business owners to reach out to local media and let them know how their business has changed during COVID.
What is your best tip for doing business during COVID?
The world is coming together right now in a way that it never has before and now is a great time for business to build relationships that can last a long time.
