Should you pause all of your marketing right now?

It's hard to know what to do right now.

Everyone's asking questions and to be frank - NO ONE HAS BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE. So, there's no definitive answer.

But one thing's certain.

We can't go on marketing our companies like we were before.

If you peek into Slack communities, Facebook groups, Twitter, or reddit, you'll find threads of people slamming brands and companies for what appear to be half-hearted attempts to "show that they care" or worse, that they don't even know that the COVID-19 crisis is going on.

Whether it's lack of relevancy, twisted sales pitches, or tone-deaf communications, people are quick to call you out. 

Because of this, it can be tempting to push pause on everything until this blows over.

But please, don't stop.

Now, more than ever, people are consuming content. They're actively looking for value.

Your audiences are heading online to search for information, connect with experts, get questions answered, and be entertained. The world is a captive audience and you have the opportunity to help, educate, and connect with them. 

While there are hundreds of webinars you could watch and process about the situation, you can't possibly take in everything coming at you.

So here's a quick hit list of things that you should consider in the next 30 days:

1. Revisit your content calendar. Don't ditch blog posts that you were going to release this month. You may be able to use them later. Just revisit the topics you'll be covering and assess their relevancy to the current situation. 
2. Restructure your offers and outreach. As a friend of mine said last week, "If it smells like sales and marketing right now, it's gonna fail. Or worse, offend and forever damage the potential relationship." That popular ebook may not be relevant right now. Your planned sales promotions may look desperate, or worse, like you're taking advantage of the situation. So restructure and proceed according to the temperature of the situation.
3. Continue business development efforts - but strive to be helpful and build the relationship, rather than focusing on the sale. The days of "I guess you're too busy to make this a priority" messaging is gone (and if you send that, you can bet someone will screenshot it and throw it on a forum). Be genuine and use a template you can customize to show that you care. Bonus points if your marketing team can create relevant, helpful content that you can lead with in your outbound efforts.
4. Reallocate budgets. For some of you, the closing of businesses or going remote will cause big losses. For others, social distancing opens up budgets that would have otherwise been used for in-person events. Repurpose that budget into marketing projects that you keep putting off, or have shelved due to lack of time or attention. This is a great time to invest those resources in foundational work that will lead to longer-term gains. 
5. Show your human side. Dogs, cats, kids, and fish are all welcome on Zoom calls these days. It's an excellent time to showcase the people behind your company. Welcome this in social media posts, sales updates, and vendor communication.
6. Work on your subject lines. If you're upping your email game, you'll also need to step up your headlines. Inboxes are slammed with content and the only way you're getting through right now is with relevancy or comedy. Tread lightly on the latter. 
7. Get involved in online communities. There is so much discussion happening in online communities right now. It's an excellent time to just be an observer - gather insights on what's being discussed, and use that as inspiration to help. Whether that's new product innovations or simply gaining a deeper understanding of how your target audience communicates, don't miss your chance to get involved. 

Finally, I'll be releasing some video and audio content in the coming days - in short, bite-sized pieces - to help you navigate this from a marketing perspective, and fight the overwhelm that tempts us to do nothing. 

As I wrap up here, please let me know what questions are on the top of your mind and I will answer them in future emails, videos, etc. 

> Drop them in the comments below, send me a DM, (or tag on twitter - twitter.com/alischwanke) or email ali@simplestrat.com.

Stay safe and healthy!