Uncertain Times

Between a pandemic, politics, and social unrest, most of us are feeling unsteady and uncertain about the future. Smart marketers are paying attention and shifting their approach.

Start with empathy

Anyone who is feeling overwhelmed needs a little extra support. If you want to make meaningful connections with your customers during uncertain times, it’s important to meet them where they are. Don’t expect them to come to you. Think about what they need, where they need it, and how to bring it to them.

Can you deliver your services in a new way? Can you offer a little something extra that lightens your customer’s load? If you are a hairstylist, perhaps you can offer house calls. If you are photographer, maybe you run a promotion to capture the “masked” family photo that will always be in the memory books. If you sell cookies, create a get-out-the-vote variety. Or it might be as simple as sending a handwritten note to your top clients to just say “thinking of you.” 

Say it simply

Whatever you do, just be sure to do something that feels simple, helpful, and supportive instead of creating more noise that will add to your customer’s feelings of being overwhelmed. Pay attention to your language. Keep it direct and approachable. Offer bite-sized, feel-good messages. Use real words, not business talk. And speak from your heart, not your sales brain. The current market situation is creating an opportunity to become a brand that can connect at a deeper level and prove it cares for customers. If you can optimize that opportunity, your customers will become more loyal than ever.

Keep it clean

The look of your materials matters too. When we feel overwhelmed, we are more attracted to things that are comforting. Calming colors, rounded shapes, and lots of white space give the mind a break and the eye some peace. Think about hierarchy of information in your design. Start with the most important things you need to communicate and pair them with simple visual cues that are scannable and well organized. Make sure your call to action is straightforward and only requires one step. And remember to use inspiring photos and uncomplicated graphics to communicate messages rather than using more words.

Finding new ways to connect and paying attention to the little details of language and design can go a long way to show you understand your customers and are there to support them, even in the most difficult of times.