Read our blog on our website! COVID-19 will test us all. With the underlying fact that we might not be out of the woods until for maybe a few months or so, from small to large businesses, you may have found yourselves struggling to find your place and footing in this climate. We’re here to give some brief but important insights as to how you can keep your business moving by building up your brand, protecting your staff, and honoring your values in a time of coronavirus. I am not going to list down exactly how we got ourselves in this predicament or give updates as to what has happened in the past few months. Too much invaluable information is already available online if we want to know more about this pandemic. I am not here to teach you the ropes on how you could topple down this coronavirus crisis nor encourage to market about ‘flattening the curve’, and get the world back moving. I am leaving that epidemiology to the professionals. Although, we DO have our ways to help and save businesses like yours navigate through this pandemic -- successfully and effectively. That said, this may sound superficial to discuss brands, pricing, and customer behavior, but the reality of our global economic trade means that it is just about the right time that we need to keep your fire burning. Connecting with your customers during a crisis Day in and day out, we cannot emphasize enough how great of a benefit and impact digital marketing has on all different types of businesses even in this crisis. Inevitably, more and more people at home have been depending on their purchases and gathering information online. Many e-commerce businesses can attest to how less impact they have gotten compared to stores and services that may require customers to be physically present to create actionable purchases and sales. So, taking your business online or at least improving your online presence is detrimental to your business’ growth and maintaining customer engagement. It is crucially important to maximize your return on investment by increasing the amount of traffic to your website, socials, and awareness of your brand, which can all be achieved through advancing with paid social and Google Ads. Extending your budget to digital marketing has nothing but long-term benefits for your business. It may come with a few challenges but it is a strategic and effective step that your business can rely on as we approach a ‘new normal’. Refreshing your brand and improving your Customer Experience (CX) While honoring your values and authenticity at your core, businesses should consider the following tactic to pivot their strategies. More than ever, we have time to reflect on our values and mission. Refocusing can get you thinking about new, relevant ways to engage your customers, employees, or clients in these uncertain times. This pandemic is just a short-term phase in all our timeline, but going through the thick of it with a steady long-term marketing plan is absolutely what your business needs today. The security will be felt again, towns and cities will reopen, people will go on with their lives as if none of this ever happened. But when that time comes, when people need you, they would know EXACTLY where to go. Maintaining a brand is one thing but having a brand refresh can be another. Why not take this opportunity to refresh your brand or website to prep it for the seasons to come? It doesn’t necessarily mean that just because you are quarantined, your brand should take a halt too. As more and more people focus their attention online, making small or big changes to your website can help enhance your online customer journey. Tidy up your social media profiles or inform customers about what they should look forward to with your product, service, or even just a quick update about your company. These ‘little things’ just might end up becoming the definitive change you need to steer your potential and loyal customers in your direction. Now, this can all be too overwhelming as to where, when, and how you can make these little changes happen. If you need a better insight as to where your website and online presence could be maximized for your customers, we can take a look at your existing strategy, or hear your current challenges, and discuss some solutions and competitive strategies we can create for your business. These times can truly make us all feel isolated in more ways than one can imagine, but you don’t have to go through this alone. Get in touch with one of our team today and we’ll be more than happy to help! At BRIGHTSAND designs, our full-service creative digital agency can help you build, create, and maintain long-term customer engagements and sales using online-driven solutions for your business. With our end-to-end creative and digital marketing services, your business can maintain its momentum and reach your customers despite the ongoing pandemic. We have to remember that this pandemic is just a short-term phase in all our timeline, but going through the thick of it with a steady long-term marketing plan is absolutely what your business needs today. The security will be felt again, towns and cities will reopen, people will go on with their lives as if none of this ever happened. But when that time comes, when people need you, they would know EXACTLY where to go. Read our blog on our website! About the author:

Danica is the Chief Marketing Officer of Brightsand Designs. Her background in Advertising and Marketing has made her known for her strategic imagination in aligning business goals with creative strategy and expression.