Three Lessons in Advertising Since COVID-19

Effective communication is always important in business, but never more so than now. With COVID-19 keeping us apart, we still have to stay connected to our own internal teams. From online meetings to virtual happy hours, it’s critical that we continue to collaborate and help clients so they continue to communicate effectively, too.

Here are three new realities in Advertising after COVID-19 got real:

Conversations have to change. We’ve already seen how large companies have pivoted their messages in common-sense ways – fewer ads with people gathering in groups or playing on the beach or making big-ticket purchases, for example. Overnight, it seemed, the messages shifted to be more supportive, uplifting, and encouraging. At Red Dot, we’ve been advising clients to be mindful of the tone they’re conveying to customers to avoid unintentional cringe-worthy missteps. We push them to think about what their customers are going through, what they need, and how we can help. Then we craft a message that demonstrates we get it – and we’re there for them.

Emails have to be strategic. With more people working from home, and with presumably more time on their hands, it’s easy to fall into the “email blast trap.” But deploying dozens of emails to your customer base simply to keep yourself top of mind could backfire badly. Make a plan. How many e-communications did you utilize before COVID-19? What issues are worrying your customers right now that you could offer assistance with? What issues do you anticipate will come in the days or weeks ahead? We guide clients to develop a strategic e-communication plan and deliver thoughtful, relevant (and well-timed) messages, so customers will lean on them for help.

Digital advertising can be your BFF. During any crisis, people crave information. That’s amplified right now, when so many consumers are working from home and reading or watching the news. They’re glued to social media, and shopping for everything online. We encourage brands to be in this space as much as possible, to capture as many of those eye-balls as they can. It doesn’t have to be a huge investment, either – we can identify target audiences to build a digital advertising campaign for any budget. The risk of not exploring digital advertising right now could be far more costly to clients when it’s all over.

If you’d like some helpful ideas about how to communicate with your customers right now, we can help! Just reach out to info@reddotad.com and we’ll leap into action from the safety of our living room couches.

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