Pandemic Covid-19 It's happened. one with the greatest challenges in marketing history. To overcome the crisis, companies must be brave and creative. In this article, I will present some ideas about how to steer business in a time of pandemic to come out stronger than before him.
New quality of customer relations
I always thought the client was the heart of business. So during the crisis first The thing you have to take care of is your relationship with him. Think about his needs and do whatever it takes to meet them. Be aware that these needs may vary from those that he had before during the crisis, so prepare to adjust the offer.
Even if your company has not acted in this way before the crisys, now is the time to strengthen ties with customers by developing a relationship that goes beyond these purely financial ones. Such a relationship is likely to last longer than the crisis.
Pyramid of needs B2B
To help determine the most important values for customers, Bain&Company business consultants identified forty their components in five categories which consist of elements of the B2B value of the pyramid. The pyramid shows that six of forty elements focus on creating value for customers during the crisis.
This unique time is like a moment of truth in relations between companies. If you can support customers in those areas that are at the top of their needs, you can come out with a better position than before the outbreak.
Time to focus on six value elements:
- be socially responsible by doing the right thing and not taking advantage of the current situation;
- reduce customer anxiety through regular contact and transparent communication;
- be available to your customers whenever they need, offering assistance, products and solutions;
- ensure stability for your customers;
- support your customers while maintaining flexibility;
- do all this and help your customers manage, which will help them reduce the risk of the crisis.
The speed of reaction is very important. Crisis management requires firm decisions, sometimes made without a set of information, as business behavior in the post-Covid world may be custom. World blockades have increased domestic consumption. Consumers shifted their spending to more home entertainment and online shopping.
Will consumer behaviour return to pre-Covid standards when the blockades are further softened? It is hard to say, but as the study by Deloitte suggests, it will be faster to return to normal shopping patterns, and some will be more reluctant to resume working in the stationary stairway.
Consumer awareness increases
Nielsen and Spanish consulting company Garrigos + Llopis report critical factors that will affect consumer behaviour in the coming months and years.
Quality and effectiveness – consumers will demand greater guarantees on the safety of the products they buy, so manufacturers will be forced to inform widely about the reliability of their products and the supply chain.
Traceability – consumers will be much more interested in where their purchases come from, how they are produced, how they are delivered. A large role will be played by preferences for local products. Development and transparent communication will be essential.
Digitization – more shopping takes place from home. Bbariers in online shopping almost disappear. Now is the time to accelerate the development of online retail for digital marketing.
Build the brand you want to be
There is evidence that the way the company conducts its business and behaviour during the crisis will be remembered and will have a major impact on the future brand and reputation. The company that runs and inspires will grow well, unlike the one that behaves cynically and speculates for example. The way the company treats its employees during the crisis will also translate into its reputation. They can be excellent advertisers of the brand, and if they are mistreated, they can even sink it.
Written by Maria Gurrea Galve, Saragossa, Spain. Deputy Director of Legal Department at Navarro Llima Abogados. He deals with marketing and sales as a consultant/advisor in his own company, and is a senior consultant associated with Spanish marketing consulting Garrigos + Llopis