As COVID-19 hit the shores of our beautiful British Columbia, there was an untimely rush to meet our teams around the drawing board and hatch a new marketing strategy. Those 6-month plans you worked so hard to complete were now unsuitable in the face of turbulent times. What were you going to do – and more importantly, how were you going to stay connected with your community whilst continuing to build your brand?

As marketeers, we have been forced to find new ways to connect, be it hosting our first Instagram Live broadcasts or building new fundraising campaigns to help our community. When it comes to marketing, the truth is that our landscape is ever-evolving and many times we must re-evaluate our strategies. Whether it’s a ‘not-so-successful’ campaign, a new digital platform we need to incorporate into our plan, or like now we find ourselves caught in the disruption of a global pandemic, as busy professionals we sometimes fear the time it will take to make changes and the extra costs we may incur as a result. But here’s why alterations to your marketing strategy don’t need to be stressful:

1. Developed not destroyed

“All my ideas have gone to waste” said the marketer during COVID-19.

Rather than approaching our documents and spreadsheets feeling frustrated, let’s think about how we can enhance them further to fit new demands. What analysis can we take from our previous plans to help frame our new one, what ideas could we use as a springboard to create similar concepts with a new angle? We must develop ideas, rather than hit delete.

2. Think outside the box

Social distancing has taught us many things, (one being that we really miss seeing our local community!), however it has also presented us with an opportunity to get creative. If you can’t meet your clients in-person, can you host a Zoom meeting? If you can’t host that networking event, or invite people into your shop, can you organize a home delivery or schedule a Facebook Premiere? Connection is key to every business and finding new ways to start conversations is invaluable.

3. Reflecting on our plans oftentimes achieves better results

Self-reflection is essential for our personal growth, and the same goes for the work we produce. We must frequently take a step back to evaluate what worked, and what didn’t (because Edison didn’t build the light bulb in a day!). In doing this, we reduce the amount of unnecessary ‘fat’ and are left with clear, concise and most significantly, successful strategies.

4. Increase management skills

Let’s face it…amendments to our carefully laid out strategies is no small task. We must manage our time, our stress, present new key messaging, goals and tactics to our team members, and ensure that it produces the results we hope to achieve.

Founder of My Networks, Melissa McDonald states: “There are many nuances as you develop your skills as a marketing specialist. However with every new piece of content you create and every new strategy you produce, you master the many skills involved to know what works for different brands, streamline workflow and find the joy in aligning with those teams to brainstorm new ideas!”

5. Your community is here to help you

What does the word company mean to you? To us, it means an interwoven network…it means more than one person, one idea, or ‘one-fits-all’ model. Your community is what makes your business thrive, which is why it’s so important to build trusted relationships and connections. Whether you want help with an Instagram post and need clients to submit photos, someone to proofread your newsletter, or simply advise you how to grow your reach organically, there are many networks of people out there willing to help. All it takes is one email, one phone call, to make twice the impact.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read our first blog post. We hope you found the information useful and look forward to posting more over the following weeks. Feel free to email us at mynetworks.ca@gmail.com with any questions about your marketing strategy. Stay safe!