Business planning and brand messaging for this reality – and for your comeback!

Listening to thought leaders in multiple podcasts and articles in the past few days we have more marketing messaging thoughts to share. Let’s just jump into this – now is the perfect time to get it together and make a plan. Now is not the time to go dark in communicating with your team or your clients and prospects. Work, don’t worry. Focus on your comeback. Plan for your relaunch and the rise of what is coming next.

The right business plan and marketing messaging is critical right now. Find out where the opportunities are to educate people on how you are doing business right now – today, how can they work with you in this moment. Give them clear steps and a call to action. Then start planning for how you want the next 4 months to look.

You will need a few different messaging plans. Communicating in the quarantine means that your website messaging, automated emails and social content needs to address the situation. Don’t be tone deaf to what is going on. You need to pivot your messaging and BE HELPFUL. Be empathetic, but strong.

Our problems have changed drastically in the past 2 weeks, so what problem do your customers have right now that you can solve? Two weeks ago we had too many choices, too much distraction and actual money to spend. Now we have very few accessible choices, are bored, and have limited financial resources. How will you bring value to your customers?

Educate people about how you are doing business differently and also keep promoting key messages and services that are relevant in the next month. People will need to plan and get use to things being slower, harder and more inconvenient, but it doesn’t have to be agony for them either. Make their life easier in little ways. The more businesses can tell people what to expect the better.

BUSINESS PLANNING

This is business planning at its simplest (simple does not = easy)

• How are you going to make money as a business in the next 30, 60 and 90 days – what are you going to sell to your customers?
• Create a plan to evolve your new approach every 3 weeks.
• Can you repackage existing products, reword your website and product page to match? Be lean and efficient with your offerings.
• Does your team know the plan and have you given each team member a specific focus and task?

BRAND MESSAGING

• Does your message reflect new pain points of your customers and the culture right now?
• Do you have a sales funnel or a way to reach your customers?
• Create a simple way for them to see how they can work with you and reach out to your customers – email them!
• Now is the time to love on them and help them the best way you know how.

You need to over communicate now with everyone – team, customers, prospects. Be empathetic to what is going on and be an authority. People need to know you are confident and calm. Constantly look for ways to add value to their already chaotic lives.

Create curiosity about how you can help, give them valuable information and then see how you can work together. Things are grim right now, but we are all still living our lives, still making buying decisions and spending money. Create messaging that has completely pivoted to our current needs.

Some of the messages you need to put out there are selling future plans, products or opportunities. You may not be open for business right now, but we are all still dreaming, looking to the future evolving our plans and lives. There are so many eyeballs right now focused on content, social media, online platforms and in virtual groups. How can you be their guide – the sidekick that get them through this?

Start planning your comeback. Once we are out of this how will you rise 2, 4 and 6 months from now. Start thinking of how you will be smarter, leaner and better than before? Don’t wait start planning now!