What should your current tactic be today as you market your brand? Compassion? Aggressive selling? Business as usual? Frankly, the answer isn’t so clear cut. Your campaigns should always be a balance of many things, but right now, the lines are pretty blurry. It’s easy to lose sight of what kind of content your target audience is looking for in this “new normal.” Believe it or not, you can still be useful to your audience, even if your business isn’t considered essential. Keep your brand top of mind by interacting with and entertaining your audience via social media or email campaigns. Check out what these brands are doing for a few ideas:
ABC Mouse
Are you expected to monitor your child’s education at home? You might have seen commercials for ABC Mouse and their curriculum for kids ages two through eight. You can get their help for free for a month during the quarantine while you get the hang of teaching your children at home.
Audible
This leader in read-aloud entertainment is releasing certain audiobooks to help students (and their parents) nurture their love of reading. What better way to keep boredom at bay than listening to a riveting story read to you by some great voice actors?
CK Mondavi and Family
The four sisters behind CK Mondavi wine labels Aloft and Dark Matter are hosting virtual wine-tastings. “Pass time and enjoy our wines as Angelina tells you our story and explores the vintage and bottle (or bottles) you have selected from your cellar,” says the brand’s press release on the matter. They’re offering tastings via Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, or FaceTime. We think this is a fun and unique way to interact with the public when they can’t come to you.
HBO Now
HBO is releasing movies and exclusive shows with no subscription so their customers can watch for free while they are waiting to go back to work (and possibly no longer able to afford their cable bill). Part of the genius behind this is that viewers see the quality of HBO’s shows and movies, get hooked, and will hopefully subscribe once the free term is over.
Linked In
Even social media platforms are coming to the rescue. If you find yourself with free time, why not use it to better yourself? Linked In is offering 16 free courses on productivity while working from home.
MGM Resorts
Were you planning a Vegas vacation and had to cancel it? While you might not get the same wow factor as you would with resort surroundings, you still can catch a glitzy, glamorous Vegas show or two. MGM Resorts is providing plenty of content on their YouTube channel, including popular Vegas shows, Together at Home videos, how-to’s with resort chefs and mixologists, sneak peeks into backstage life, and more.
MLB
Some of us really miss sports. That day in July when baseball is on All-Star break, and the rest of the big four are off-season used to be hardest day of the year. Now we just don’t know what to do. The league is doing what they can to help. One representative from each team plays against another in the video game, MLB The Show.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
What could be better for calming frayed nerves than watching jellyfish dance or otters play? The Monterey Bay Aquarium can help you with that. Even though you can’t visit the aquarium in person, they are streaming live feeds of several tanks and animal areas over Facebook. You’ll get to know the animals in for you to visit them when the aquarium opens again.
Netflix
Streaming giant Netflix understands its user base like no other. Sure, this is their time to shine, but even a well-loved and much used platform needs to keep interacting with its audience and get new content in front of them. One of their Instagram posts showcases a split screen photo with a bored-looking couple sitting on a couch. The text reads, “Feeling stuck? Comment with your most recently used emoji and I’ll tell you what to watch!” Not only is this the perfect way to get their audience to interact, it’s also the perfect way to get new content in front of viewers who play along.
Take a peek at what these and other brands are doing and ask yourself, “What does my business have to offer that can benefit people while they’re self-isolating and social distancing?” The answer to that question will come pretty quickly if your brand is entertainment-related. If your brand isn’t part of the entertainment industry, you’ll have to get creative. Now is a great time to establish a YouTube channel for your brand if you don’t already have one. You might post tutorials or other informational videos there. You might do some fun Facebook or Instagram Lives where you chat with the public or show them how to do something cool.
Your brand might not be able to provide products or services in the traditional way during our present situation. If you take the resources you have at hand, however, you should be able to come up with some fun ways to entertain your audience while keeping up with brand awareness. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Don’t grind to a stop because you’re not sure if your target audience wants to hear any advertising right now. Fire up your creative side and entertain the people!
