The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a lot of new changes in the marketing industry, particularly how businesses promote their products in this strange and difficult time. Not only that, but consumer behavior has also changed, and it’s not always for the better.
With these changes come new rooms for error, and a lot of businesses have come to realize that too late. During this global crisis, what kind of marketing will people deem appropriate? And even if we’re already a year into the pandemic, are people still highly sensitive about the way brands promote their products?
With all these questions in mind, let’s take a look at some of the worst mistakes that businesses can make when it comes to marketing during a pandemic.
1. Trying to make a product pandemic-relevant
There are products that are essential during this pandemic, but there are a lot of others that are not. For instance, high-quality cadaver bags are pandemic-relevant and should be rightfully advertised as a way to aid the coronavirus efforts. But if a brand is to do the same to a flat-screen TV (“make quarantine entertainment better!”), they can come off as insensitive, unethical, and downright tacky.
With that in mind, it’s important for businesses to avoid using this marketing tactic if they don’t have enough reason to use it in the first place. If a product is not essential during a pandemic, a business should not advertise them in that way and instead use a different kind of tactic to make audiences see the value of having the product at this time.
2. Still ignoring mobile readiness
With how much time Internet users spend on their phones, it’s no wonder why business websites that are not optimized for mobile are rare to see. However, that doesn’t change the fact that there are still websites that fail to optimize for mobile browsing, and it can well be the reason that their customers are not buying from them.
If a business is still ignoring the importance of mobile capabilities in this day and age, they are definitely missing out on the thousands of online users that browse the net through their phones. And during this pandemic where people are spending more time indoors than ever before, optimizing for mobile is clearly a crucial factor for all businesses.
3. Using overused lines
There was a time in early 2020 where “we are in this together” messages were a great way to sympathize with audiences and bring hope into a hopeless situation. But after a whole year, these messages are already overused, and thus no longer effective in delivering the message the brands want to send to their customers.
There’s nothing wrong with showing sympathy or trying to cheer others up, but businesses should find another way to do it other than using these lines. After all, audiences will appreciate messages that are more thought-out and meaningful, rather than the same line that every other business has used.
4. Spamming
Spamming is and will always be a poor marketing tactic, but it is definitely worse when done during a global health crisis. People are already on edge. Most are relying on the Internet for information (and oftentimes, stimuli from the outside world). If businesses try to take advantage of this fact by spamming them with marketing promotions, that’s the best way to end up in the Spam folder.
However, this doesn’t mean that businesses should abandon email and SMS marketing altogether. But instead of sending frequent, non-valuable messages to customers, businesses should focus on creating content that people actually want to read. Moreover, they must space out their messages in a way that won’t be considered spamming, but is still frequent enough to keep their brands in customers’ minds.
5. Being insensitive
During this difficult time, many businesses become insensitive even if they don’t mean to. However, keep in mind that successful marketing has a lot to do with sending the right messages that are apt to current events, and there is no way to go around this.
That said, businesses should get an outsider’s opinion before commencing a campaign or posting something online. This way, they can get feedback if their message can be seen as insensitive, and, therefore, be able to correct their approach before their audiences see it.
There’s nothing easy about marketing in the middle of a pandemic, but avoiding these mistakes can make it more manageable. Moreover, if you are still fortunate enough to run a business, doing due diligence and knowing what to avoid is the least you can do.
