Over the past several years, marketers have seen the rise of \u2018brand activism\u2019. It\u2019s due in part to consumers\u2019 growing preference for brands that support social good.<\/p>\n
In fact, an August 2019 study by <\/span>Markstein<\/span> and Certus Insights determined that 70% of consumers want to know what the brands they prefer are doing related to social and environmental issues.\u00a0 Moreover, 46% pay close attention to a brand’s social responsibility efforts when they purchase a product.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the age of Coronavirus, supporting the greater good will be even more important.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When chaos<\/span> knocks, for many companies there\u2019s a pivot. It often <\/span>become<\/span>s<\/span> l<\/span>ess about marketing <\/span>and <\/span>more about <\/span>\u201chitting numbers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, a sole focus on the numbers may not be enough. Reaping upside <\/span>in the <\/span>recovery requires businesses to reveal their<\/span> brand\u2019s \u201cbeating heart\u201d<\/span> during the downturn.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n W<\/span>hat you say<\/span>,<\/span> h<\/span>ow well you\u2019re listening<\/span>, h<\/span>ow empathetic<\/span>, truthful and helpful<\/span> you<\/span> are<\/span> will <\/span>be part of consumers\u2019 decision<\/span>s<\/span>. <\/span>How you treat them<\/span> will inform whether they spend time and money with you or your competitor.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Tell the truth and treat people with respect,\u201d<\/span> says <\/span>Youval<\/span> Meicler<\/span>, CEO of Texas Mattress Makers. <\/span>Meicler<\/span> has been in business for 41 years and faced significant challenges in the wake of <\/span>Hurrican<\/span>e<\/span> Harvey<\/span>.<\/span> To support his customer base and the community at large, he gave away countless mattresses to his community.<\/span> According to <\/span>Meicler, \u201cthe rest will work itself out when you take care of the community<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Consider <\/span>a sampling of industries below. These suggestions are inspired by real-world responses to customer <\/span>needs in the age of Corona<\/span>virus<\/span>. Be<\/span> sure to share your <\/span>thoughts<\/span> with other business <\/span>leaders <\/span>in<\/span> the<\/span> c<\/span>omments<\/span> section.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Credit cards. <\/span><\/b>Remind clients of <\/span>your <\/span>online account-management tools <\/span>and how those tools<\/span> can make a difference when <\/span>stress is high. Make it easy to get in touch<\/span> with your brand<\/span>. Offer updates on everything connected to trave<\/span>l, given current restrictions. In a word, you need to become a vital informational r<\/span>esource.<\/span> Consider also how lowering fees or delaying payments might help your customer base.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Shipping. <\/span><\/b>If your brand <\/span>has endured over a long period of time, <\/span>r<\/span>emind customers that Corona<\/span>virus<\/span> is n<\/span>ot your first \u201ccrisis rodeo.\u201d<\/span> Keep your small-<\/span>business clients <\/span>updated <\/span>online, and<\/span> offer them access to<\/span> customer support teams. Show your commitment to government guidelines<\/span> \u2014<\/span> how workers minimize contact, <\/span>follow <\/span>hand-washing requirements<\/span> and keep <\/span>facilities <\/span>clean and disinfected<\/span>.<\/span> Help provide your customers answers to their questions, such as,<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Is it safe to touch boxes?<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tech<\/span><\/b>nology<\/span><\/b>. Will your services be disrupted? Will product shipping be delayed? If your corporate teams are working from home, let clients <\/span>know the \u201clights are still on\u201d in your firm. O<\/span>ffer customer support around the clock<\/span> and provide free technology services to those who may not normally gain access. Outside Washington, D.C. school systems are providing free Chromebooks to students in need so they can participate in distance learning.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Retail. <\/span><\/b>No doubt, retail is among the hardest-hit categories during Coronavirus. But just because the doors are closed, doesn\u2019t mean the customer relationship is over.<\/span> As <\/span>Meicler<\/span> point<\/span>s<\/span> out, \u201csuperior customer service is priceless, especially in hard times. If you have the capacity to help people ge<\/span>t to the other side, <\/span>that\u2019s what you<\/span>\u2019re supposed to do. That\u2019s what\u2019s kept <\/span>my business alive.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Drug stores.<\/span><\/b> In a crisis, consumers see urgent care centers, drug stores and pharmacists as the front line of defense. <\/span>They<\/span> receive your <\/span>communications <\/span>willingly and eagerly so don\u2019t be afraid to share your messages loudly and proudly, with<\/span> highly visual <\/span>and clear <\/span>creativity<\/span>. <\/span>Consumers want to know your<\/span> updated store hours, drive-through shopping options, online <\/span>s<\/span>ervices, <\/span>and more<\/span>. <\/span>Consider o<\/span>ffer<\/span>ing<\/span> free prescription delivery, and free shipping with no minimum<\/span>. <\/span>If you have a rewards program, be generous in this period with promotional add-ons. Make it easy for customers to use th<\/span>eir reward <\/span>points every day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Online banks. <\/span><\/b>The possibilities <\/span>for online banks to do right by their stakeholders <\/span>are endless. <\/span>In the past,<\/span> we have seen online banks <\/span>suspend fees of all kinds and defer payments for auto loans and home mortgages<\/span>, <\/span>similar to<\/span> what banks in California have recently announced<\/span>. One leading brand pledged substantial funds<\/span> to address emergency needs\u2014food, health care, emergency housing, and childcare\u2014for communities where its staffers lived and worked. <\/span>Others have covered short-term disability benefits for those who are ill. All these types of initiatives <\/span>are worth amplifying.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beauty<\/span><\/b>. <\/span>While retail doors may be closed and consumers aren\u2019t going out as much, feeling beautiful within the confines of the home is still important to consumers and will be incredibly important when recovery begins. Make sure your brand stays front of mind by w<\/span>a<\/span>i<\/span>v<\/span>ing <\/span>shipping fees<\/span>, providing makeup tutorials and supporting <\/span>consumers\u2019 health and wellness during difficult times.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Marketing with heart <\/span>means infusing your brand with humanity<\/span>. Focus on clear marketing messages presented with sincerity. Consider <\/span>initiatives<\/span> and campaigns that provide real value in a time when many are hurting, anxious and need <\/span>assurance. Maintain personal connections and show that your brand is doing all it can to help your customers and your communities through this period of uncertainty. If you go the extra mile for them, they will walk the extra mile back to you as soon as they can<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With the spread of COVID-19, supporting your local community has never been more important. Here are a few ways your brand help locally and meet your customers on the other side when the smoke clears.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cause-marketing","wpautop"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tegna.com\/advertise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}