Webinar Marketing in a Crisis

On-demand Webinar

Marketing, In Crisis

None of us know for certain what the new "normal" will look like or when we'll arrive at it. It can be a challenge for marketing to help their companies succeed in an environment where everything is shifting, including priorities. This group of marketer experts explores the current environment, what brands are doing that works, and how to move ahead.

Watch the on-demand webinar below, see our key takeaways, FAQs, and let us know if you have further questions or just want to hear more about what others are doing.

On-demand webinar: Marketing, In Crisis

Connect with us

Our key takeaways:

Kepler Knott “Focus on attention and engagement, from Uber Eats lunch-in’s to donating the “currency” best suited to you and your customers – e.g., IRONSCALES 60-day free trial for anti-phishing protection.”	Julie Bryce “Highlight the heroics of your customer, not your brand. Lean on them and publish quality new ones as you Market in Crisis - remember, your product/service/offering is the supporting character. Your customer and prospective customers are the heroes”.	Lou Killeffer “The key to commercial success in America’s reopening will be a renewed focus on the customer; on how they’ve changed and what their new expectations of you and your competitors are.”
Christina Noel “Remember to show empathy. Your brand is how you make people feel. Think about accessibility (nearly 1 in 5 people in the US have a disability), and identify opportunities to stand out with memorable, positive relationships with your ideal customers."

Questions:

If you’re selling a high-end B2B service, how do you avoid eroding your brand by lowering your rates?

In general, donate vs. discount. Consider donating your time, product, or service in cases you deem deserving, versus discounting. This keeps pricing steady/defensible while responding with empathy to situations that require a different approach. It’s hard to “go back” once a discounted period is done.

What if I am selling a service that is important but not “essential” – I worry that attention and budgets for that go away first?

We think timing is everything here. Maybe less contact but with more “umph” when you do reach out is an option – e.g., a letter from the CEO to customers with some offer or give away to maintain and keep your product or services on their minds, for “further action” when the time is right.

Do you think my buyer has shifted at all from “the usual suspects” and do I need to include messages that might appeal to other people like HR, risk/CFO, etc.

Yes, but really the buyer universe had likely already expanded. For example, in B2B tech services, there are on average 5 different stakeholders for big-ticket buys of SW and SW-enabled services, from end users up to C-level. Experiment with different target audiences on LinkedIn ads, dialing in on specific prospects types in very measurable ways.

Additional resources and links:

All Elements | MeetingMaker: a lightweight tool to manage your 1:1s, temporarily free during the Pandemic stay at home period. (thanks Julie!)
Client communication framework: Colleague Chris Donato created and open-sourced via LinkedIn and Google Docs, mentioned in the webinar. (thanks Julie!)
10 Strategies to Successfully Adjust your Life & Business in a Time of Crisis: helpful resources from mission-driven leaders (thanks Christina!)
Feel less awkward during Zoom: recent blog post to help you look sharp & feel less awkward on Zoom (thanks Christina!)
20-questions-to-a-better-business-brand: a good first step to re-examine everything about your pre-COVID-19 GTM strategy. (thanks Lou!)

And from some of our attendees...

Another accessibility issue is CAPTCHA. Make sure you have the ability to utilize audio captcha on your website (thanks to Erin Edgars)
Another company that is local to RTP is LCI Tech, which focuses on digital accessibility. (thanks to Jamie Ousterout)

Giving back:

For our community support, we are aiming to raise funds for our three go-to non-profits focused on food, shelter, and opportunity. We are several hundred dollars into it. Click on the logos below to learn more:

StepUp Ministry StepUp Durham offers free employment readiness training, personalized job coaching, employer referrals, and supportive services to job seekers.	Farmers Food Share Our mission is to reshape the disconnected food system by removing barriers to growing and accessing local food.	Refugee Community Partnership RCP builds vibrant, protective ecosystems of opportunities, resources, and relationships, while forging transformative solidarity among neighbors.

Kepler Knott

“Focus on attention and engagement, from Uber Eats lunch-in’s to donating the “currency” best suited to you and your customers – e.g., IRONSCALES 60-day free trial for anti-phishing protection.”

Julie Bryce

“Highlight the heroics of your customer, not your brand. Lean on them and publish quality new ones as you Market in Crisis - remember, your product/service/offering is the supporting character. Your customer and prospective customers are the heroes”.

Lou Killeffer

“The key to commercial success in America’s reopening will be a renewed focus on the customer; on how they’ve changed and what their new expectations of you and your competitors are.”

Christina Noel

“Remember to show empathy. Your brand is how you make people feel. Think about accessibility (nearly 1 in 5 people in the US have a disability), and identify opportunities to stand out with memorable, positive relationships with your ideal customers."

If you’re selling a high-end B2B service, how do you avoid eroding your brand by lowering your rates?

What if I am selling a service that is important but not “essential” – I worry that attention and budgets for that go away first?

Do you think my buyer has shifted at all from “the usual suspects” and do I need to include messages that might appeal to other people like HR, risk/CFO, etc.

StepUp Ministry

StepUp Durham offers free employment readiness training, personalized job coaching, employer referrals, and supportive services to job seekers.

Farmers Food Share

Our mission is to reshape the disconnected food system by removing barriers to growing and accessing local food.

Refugee Community Partnership

RCP builds vibrant, protective ecosystems of opportunities, resources, and relationships, while forging transformative solidarity among neighbors.