How Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Can Survive and Thrive in The Post-Coronavirus Environment

How Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Can Survive and Thrive in The Post-Coronavirus Environment

by | Apr 27, 2020 | Business & Marketing Strategy, COVID Marketing, Insights

How Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Can Survive and Thrive in The Post-Coronavirus Environment

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Introduction

It goes without saying that businesses around the world have experienced unexpected and immediate disruption since the outbreak of the coronavirus. Remote work and video conferencing have boomed, business travel has taken a dramatic hit, and individuals and businesses – especially those considered essential – have aggressively pursued hygiene, as per the CDC’s guidelines. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) especially have faced intense pressure and uncertainty, as many have had to cease some or all operations.

As expected, many SMB leaders are focused on managing the challenges of the present moment: how to keep their employees and customers healthy and safe, and how to help their business make it out on the other side of this pandemic. The businesses that will sustain growth over the long-term, though, are the ones that are simultaneously planning for the future. When the quarantine ends, businesses open back up, and people return to their offices, life will be anything from “business as usual.” The coronavirus has caused discontinuities in business that may have long-lasting effects, which SMBs need to start considering and acting on now in order to create and sustain long-term growth. 

The purpose of this piece is to provide recommendations on how to formulate an action plan, with both immediate and long-term tactics, to help you position your business to be even stronger and more competitive in the weeks, months, and even years following this pandemic. It’s certainly a daunting time, but remember: many small businesses (perhaps even yours) survived the Great Recession against seemingly insurmountable odds; with the right tools and a thoughtful approach, you can survive this, too.

“It is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

— CHARLES DARWIN

Summary of Key Recommendations

 

  1. Liquidity will be critical for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to survive; the key to recovery, however, will be maintaining customer relationships with high priority customers who account for 80-90 percent of sales and margins. Most companies will have to cut costs – especially fixed costs – but they have to protect the base. Make sure you take advantage of any government loans or grants for which you are eligible.
  2. Companies must not only follow health and safety regulatory guidelines, but proactively communicate safety “as a differentiator” to employees and customers, making workplaces as safe as possible.
  3. Employees are anxious right now, so open communication and transparency is critical. Business leaders must communicate policies and expectations around the ‘new normal,’ including health and safety, office policies, social gatherings, and working from home. Employers should enable flexibility, understanding that employees have unique circumstances, and should keep morale up to reduce employee turnover.
  4. Continue to invest in marketing and sales. Communicate with customers and prospects through the transition to the “new normal” across multiple channels. You may need to update your team’s technology capabilities and skills.
  5. Several discontinuities have started to emerge and these will drive new products and services, new business models, and other innovations. Innovative companies who see these discontinuities as opportunities will adapt to change, transform themselves, and come out of this crisis even stronger. These discontinuities include:
    • Consumers now have a greater focus on health, cleanliness, and personal protection.

    • Employees want to enhance their remote work environment.

    • The online world is exploding for all types of businesses (both B2B and B2C) with online ordering, home delivery, home entertainment, virtual sales interactions, customer meetings, and events.

    • Unfortunately, some smaller competitors will go out of business, which will create partnership or M&A opportunities for the survivors.

    • Supply chains are being disrupted and may have to be rebuilt (especially those that are international). Domestic manufacturing and simpler supply chains may emerge.

    • Governments and multiple world forums will debate the steps to be taken, resulting in more opportunities.

  6. Post-recovery,  there is a reasonable probability that the coronavirus may return and last for several years. Leaders should plan accordingly:

    • Prioritize critical products and services, as well as critical functions. Protect the “things you do as well as or better than competition” and what made you successful in the first place.

    • Speak regularly to customers, suppliers, investors, lenders, partners and local officials to continually keep a pulse on the market. 

    • Learn how to be flexible and agile to meet the challenges that arise. There are simple frameworks on thinking about a business and prioritizing your efforts. Contingency planning with alternatives accounted for will enable a quick response to whatever may happen in the future.

    • Use the opportunities created to “Reinvent, Redesign and Regenerate your Businesses.”  

Part 1: Emerging Discontinuities Will Provide Opportunities

Before we dive into the short- and long-term tactics to pursue as you navigate the current and future impact of the coronavirus, it’s important to first address the discontinuities that are emerging and the opportunities they present.

Consumers have a heightened focus on health, cleanliness, and protection, and they’ll be willing to pay more to ensure this.

The effects that the coronavirus has had on how we operate our day-to-day lives will likely persist after this pandemic, since the virus could flare up again. This will impact our home life, work environments, and social settings, as well as the products and services we consume in those places. 

Consumers will continue to spend more time at home and will have a greater focus on improving their home environment.

Even when the government lifts stay-at-home orders and the economy dials back up, it will take time for consumers to readjust. A Harvard study showed that social distancing may be needed until 2022. More time at home will result in a greater focus on improving the home environment and activities like home delivery, home entertainment, Internet use, etc. 

Online transactions are exploding.

There has been a major uptick in online sales on Amazon and other online retailers and delivery services. Research shows this trend will likely continue when the pandemic ends. Customers – especially younger generations – will look for clean, easy-to-navigate websites. For B2B, companies will look for vendors who can seamlessly sell, invoice, and hold meetings online as remote work continues. Many companies will need to deepen their digital footprint, grow their online capabilities, and train up their employees.

How companies operate and conduct business is changing.

Even when this pandemic ends, many companies or individual employees may continue working from home depending on their circumstances. This will require certain technical capabilities to optimize work from home environments. Internal meetings – and even important B2B prospect meetings – may occur online. Teams will need to be proficient in Zoom, Slack, and other video/messenger apps. 

Supply chains are being disrupted. 

Smaller companies have shut down operations and over a third may not survive. Imports are stalling, especially from China. There is increased discussion on domestic manufacturing of “essential supplies.” According to McKinsey, “Actions taken now to mitigate impact on supply chains can also build resilience against future shocks.” It is necessary to granularly review bills of materials (BOMs) and catalog components and products needed by service companies, to identify what is at risk. Remember, when your business opens back up, some of your vendors may not. You will need to look for alternatives, some of which may require cash upfront.

Smaller competitors will continue to go out of business due to poor cash flow; this could result in new opportunities.

This is an unfortunate reality to face, and companies still in business will seize it as an opportunity to gain market share. Or, they’ll consider partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions. Even direct competitors may combine operations to stay in business. Types of relationships that would have been unfathomable in February of 2020 may become a reality a few short months later. These new relationships will not necessarily be a cash-only basis, but take many forms such as equity, commission only, or part cash/part stock part commission. 

These discontinuities can serve as the foundation of short- and long-term action plans for SMBs, as detailed below.

Part 2: Immediate Actions SMBs Should Take

“Small business owners can mitigate risk, protect employees and support customers.”

— US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Aggressively pursue loans, grants and investments. 

Work with your bank and investors, but don’t forget other sources. Hedge funds, private equity firms and big investors have hundreds of billions of dollars sitting in reserve. However, anticipate that the cost of capital and availability of private loans may pose more challenges as a result of this global shift. 

Take health precautions seriously. 

Be obsessive about hygiene, health, and safety.

  • Ensure social distancing at the office, especially for those who are at the greatest risk for contracting the virus. 

  • Have masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, and antibacterial wipes in your common area and near employee desks.

  • Follow the health and safety tips from the CDC.

  • Appoint a member of your team to help communicate these guidelines and ensure all individuals are following them.

  • Proactively communicate your health and safety measures to the general public (on your website, via email, and on social media). Consider doing ‘more than the minimum required’ as many customers and consumers will be weary, even if they don’t communicate it. 

Allow sick employees to stay home.

Previously – especially in the United States – there has been a ‘hero’ mentality about working while sick. This will likely change post-coronavirus, especially since many employees have found success working remotely.

Employers should clearly communicate that anyone with symptoms should work from home (no questions asked and no doctor’s note required). According to the CDC, employees should stay home until they are free of any symptoms or fever for at least 24 hours. If working from home is not an option for your business (i.e. food service), be sure to implement appropriate cleaning procedures at your business location. Be clear with employees regarding your coronavirus policies and safety protocol. 

Even if your employees are healthy, ask them to inform you if one of their family members is sick. You can refer to the CDC’s guidelines for appropriate risk assessment.

Enable remote work capabilities. 

Until we are far past this pandemic, offer employees the option to continue working from home if they wish to (and require it for those who are not feeling well, as mentioned above). This pandemic may have a long-term impact for many people, so be mindful of different circumstances and understand employees may need more flexibility than in the past. Whether your entire team is still working remotely or just a few of them, here are recommendations on how to optimize their remote work environment: 

  • Allow employees to expense materials/items that will enable efficiency and productivity (office supplies, a second monitor, etc)

  • Implement a policy that outlines when you expect your team to be online and available when working remotely, and standardize the preferred method of communication (email, Slack, Zoom, etc.). Be sure to still allow flexibility, depending on individual needs and circumstances. 

  • Ensure that all weekly/regular in-person meetings remain on the calendar as video meetings if your team is not in the office. This will be necessary to ensure deadlines are still met.

  • Instruct employees to redirect calls to their office line to their cell phones.

  • Schedule a weekly team gathering via Zoom to boost morale. 

Give employees more flexibility in general. 

When offices, schools, daycares, businesses, and other commercial settings reopen, it won’t all happen at once. Employees may have unique circumstances (care for family members, nontraditional family needs, etc), which will require flexibility with their time and how they operate. Try to be as understanding as possible when something comes up and have a contingency plan in case you suddenly become short-staffed.

Reduce meetings and travel. 

Minimize opportunities for exposure to the virus. Postpone team meetings or hold them virtually. Skip non-essential conferences or other business travel. If your workers get sick because of business travel or meetings, you could have a liability issue on your hands, in addition to managing low morale and increased sick leave requests.

Do realistic accounting. 

Most businesses are suffering and need to make hard decisions. Try to form realistic estimates of your cash flow both during and after the pandemic. Compare this with your fixed expenses and determine what you can cut. Sometimes, it makes sense to cut the more flexible expenses early while you continue paying the more vital expenses. 

Additionally, identify expenses that you can delay, such as rent (if eviction has been frozen), leverage public assistance and other ways of bridging the gap, and consider cutting office space if you can. 

Stay informed on updates in your area. 

We don’t yet know the full impact of the coronavirus in the United States, but the CDC has said that your risk varies based on your location. Therefore, each state, or even metro-area/county, will continue making decisions based on unique circumstances. Stay in frequent contact with state and local officials for updated guidance and policy recommendations affecting your community. 

Communicate with your employees. 

Even when your business resumes full operations and employees return to the office, it’s likely that employees will continue to have concerns about their health, their family’s health, and their job security. Listen to their concerns. Keep them informed on the state of your business and update them on any policy changes (in-person if you’re in the office, via email, your Intranet if you have one, or even a recorded video message to add a personal touch). Honest, frequent communication will help mitigate fear, prevent the spread of misinformation, and boost morale (your employees may also be able to help identify gaps in your coronavirus plan and make improvements). Importantly, always communicate with empathy. 

Be smarter about your marketing. 

Now is not the time to cancel your marketing, whether you’re a big company or a small company (or somewhere in between). Customer interactions with your brand and business transactions will continue to occur virtually. Therefore, without digital marketing, you’ll lose the most important part of your business: the customer relationship. Pivot your marketing strategy from overt lead generation tactics to providing value to prospects and customers during this difficult time and fostering community. 

  • Communicate with your customers. If all or part of your business closed down due to the coronavirus, ensure your customers know when you’ve opened back up, and make them aware of the precautions you’re taking to protect them and your workers. Be more proactive about communicating your health and safety policies online and in-person.

  • Ensure your website is easy to use. Stay responsive via chatbots, email, and phone numbers.  For B2B especially, enable interactivity, information-gathering, and invoice capabilities on your website. For B2C, make purchases, returns, and access to customer service as easy as possible for customers. 

  • Continue to create content for your audience that brings them value and resonates with their pain points during this difficult time (i.e. blogs, white papers, infographics, etc). House this content in one place on your website.

  • Use email marketing to keep customers up-to-date on your business, distribute content, and maintain connections with current and prospective customers. Consider these dos and don’ts when communicating with them.

  • Optimize your website for SEO, because organic search rankings will be even more important as consumers rely heavily on the Internet to find what they need. More on how to analyze your SEO: “Keep Calm & Market On: 3 Marketing Tactics to Do During a Crisis.” 

Adjust your selling strategy to accommodate remote work and social distancing. 

  • Prioritize virtual contact with current and potential customers, and make sure they’re aware that even if your store is closed, you’re still available to service them. For B2B companies, consider account-based marketing, where you build relationships with multiple individuals at specific organizations. 

  • Maximize the use of LinkedIn as a relationship building and selling tool. With over 260 million monthly active users, it has become the platform for value-added thought leadership. Sales teams that previously relied on in-person interactions will need to be retrained on virtual relationship-building.

Part 3: Long-Term Priorities SMBs Should Consider

“While models and predictions abound, no one can say with certainty what the course of the virus will be, much less the impact the pandemic will have on people and societies.”

— DELOITTE

Prioritize critical operations. 

Long after the quarantine ends and companies open back up, it won’t be “business as usual,” especially for SMBs. A MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business survey indicated that nearly half of small businesses (46 percent) believe it will take the U.S. economy six months to a year to return to “normal.” Prioritizing and protecting critical operations and processes will be necessary to keep your business moving. Here are suggested ways to do this:

  1. Develop a plan on how to meet key business functions in the event that critical staff members are unable to work.
  2. Cross-train multiple employees so that multiple people know how to perform key functions.
  3. Be prepared to make adjustments as you go, such as using alternative suppliers or putting certain operations on hold.
  4. If you operate in multiple locations, give local managers the authority to make operations decisions based on the circumstances in their area.
  5. Protect your core competences (the things that made you successful in the first place and areas where you are as good as or better than competitors). These could include technical capabilities, trade secrets, key employees, and/or exceptional business processes.
  6. Have a plan in place for how you’ll prioritize your biggest customers (those who make up 80-90 percent of your business.)

Protect your supply chain and consider other vendors if needed.

SmallBizTrends reported that 30 percent of businesses expect the coronavirus to have a moderate to high impact on their supply chain. Speak to your suppliers, investors, partners, and local officials regularly to learn how you can begin implementing safeguards that will help you stay above the red until some level of stability returns.

 Also recognize that when your business reopens, the vendors in your supply chain may not. You may need to find new vendors, some of whom may require cash-on-delivery. It can take time and effort to build a new supply chain.

Continue to enhance your online presence.

  • Build a content strategy. Determine the topics for which you want to be a known thought leader, and develop a calendar to help you develop regular content (blogs, eBooks, infographics, videos, employee profiles, etc). Promote this content through email, social media, and industry-related publications.

  • Use email and social media as a way to create an online community and a sense of belonging for your customers, and ultimately increase the number of people talking about you and your brand.

  • Create a customer portal to enhance customer engagement and create a safe space for users to connect, support one another, and ask questions.

  • Shift your budget from in-person conferences to virtual events (i.e. webinars).

Innovate: rethink your business approach as customer needs continue to change 

Your long-term viability depends on understanding (and even predicting) how your customers’ needs will change. Most of their lives are different today, and will likely be different again in six months. People are building new habits, some of which will persist. There will be more take-out, more online selling, different forms of entertainment, a new emphasis on hygiene, etc. Talk to your customers – perhaps through a survey – to better understand them.

Based on these changes, how might your business model need to change? Can you modify your offering to accommodate new customer needs? Focus on your existing customers by proactively showing support, providing excellent service, and maintaining relationships. Also, consider new ways to deliver your service or product (think home delivery, mail, or virtual web-based services). As you think about this, it’s helpful to break your business down into three parts (see graphic below). Remember that these should build on your core competences: “the things you do as well as or better than competition,” and what made you successful in the first place.

Expect that new partnerships will emerge. 

Smaller businesses in a similar industry (even competitors) who are feeling pressure may partner or merge. This may not necessarily require large cash outlays. Consider combining operations to:

  • Improve your efficiency

  • Grow your customer list

  • Add to your supply chain

  • Give you access to more geographies

Conclusion

Ultimately, there is no universal, one-size-fits-all solution for small and medium-sized businesses during and after this crisis. The plan you implement and the actions you take should account for your company’s unique circumstances and idiosyncrasies. However, we’re confident that what we’ve outlined here can serve as a valuable guide as you continue to navigate this difficult time. 

Are you wondering how you can personalize and prioritize these immediate and long-term actions for your business? We’re here to help and have the resources and expertise to provide counsel on the full picture of your business. Please contact us here. 

If you’re looking specifically for more guidance on how to pivot your marketing strategy to build and sustain long-term growth when this pandemic ends, contact us for an initial marketing analysis. We will conduct an unbiased assessment of your current marketing tactics – including SEO, web, content, and social media – and determine how we’d recommend you proceed post-coronavirus. 

We wish you, your team, and your business good health!

About the Author

As the founder and Managing Director of &Marketing, Rajat “Raj” Kapur strives to provide growing businesses of all sizes unparalleled marketing strategy and execution services. Raj brings nearly two decades of professional experience in marketing, sales, and strategy development experience spanning B2B and B2C Fortune 50, mid-sized, and startups.

About &Marketing

In today’s fast paced world, many growing businesses are struggling to modernize their marketing approaches because either they don’t have the expertise or the bandwidth to do it themselves.

&Marketing provides seasoned marketing strategy professionals and a nimble execution team to help our clients achieve their goals. Our unique partnership model allows us to augment our client’s existing teams or outsource the entire marketing function in an affordable, flexible, and transparent way.

The Do’s and Dont’s of Brand Communication During a Major Crisis

The Do’s and Dont’s of Brand Communication During a Major Crisis

by | Apr 22, 2020 | COVID Marketing, Insights, Marketing Planning & Execution

The Do’s and Dont’s of Brand Communication During a Major Crisis

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With the gravity of what’s going on in the world related to the Coronavirus pandemic, you’ve probably come across content – whether it’s social media posts, emails, or on your favorite blog – that makes you scratch your head and think “Did they forget there’s a worldwide crisis underway?”

It may seem obvious that a business should refocus its message to reflect the sensitive nature of a crisis, but some have overlooked it. There are also some companies that realize their message needs to change, but they may not know how to appropriately do so. Many are struggling to position their business in the right way to their target audience during such an unprecedented time. 

This prompted our &Marketing team to develop our recommended “dos and don’ts” when communicating during a crisis. Here are some tips!

Do…

Be Empathetic.

We’re all experiencing this crisis in different ways, with some of us more impacted than others. Put yourself in the shoes of those who are walking through a situation that differs from your own; this will help you shape your message appropriately and avoid offensive or insensitive content.

Be Purposeful and Intentional

Rather than haphazardly pushing out reactive emails, social posts, blogs etc., be thoughtful about your communications and recognize your place in this situation. What do clients and prospects want to hear from you right now? How can you provide them value? This will help you become a trusted, reliable resource for them.

Be transparent, honest, and human.

Sugar-coating or hiding the truth won’t get you anywhere. Your audience will appreciate your candor (and even vulnerability) about the situation and its impact on your industry. With that said, remember to keep it in check – you don’t want to create panic.

Be authentic and genuine.

Your contacts want to hear from the person they have the relationship with, not a sales rep they don’t know.

Be clear and concise.

We’re in information overload right now, especially since the situation continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Attention spans are low, as people move quickly from one news update to the next. Keep your message clear and concise so that it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

Don’t…

Be exploitive or self-promotional.

This crisis is not a marketing opportunity to capitalize on, so it’s not the time to push a product or service (unless it’s A. a necessity during this time or B. you’re offering it for free as a way to be supportive). Your actions and your message during a crisis shouldn’t be driven by profit, but by a desire to provide value for those in need.

Trivialize the situation.

Earlier, we mentioned the importance of empathy. Remember that, even if your business hasn’t taken a major hit, many other businesses and consumers have. Don’t minimize the situation just because you have not been directly impacted.

Do it alone.

Collaborate with your team and leaders to help frame the message so all stakeholders and perspectives are considered.

Carry on as if it’s “business as usual.”

This is not business as usual, and your message should reflect that. If you have scheduled content planned or automated emails that are still active, pause them, and rethink how that content may need to change to reflect the situation. If you don’t, you run the risk of your audience perceiving you as irresponsible or tone-deaf.

Lead with fear or blame.

Creating alarm or distress, or pointing fingers, will only make the situation more difficult. Instead, be confident, calm, and supportive in your message.

Examples of Good Communications

Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International, shared a video update with his company that showed and relayed honestly, transparency, authenticity – not only to the situation but to Marriott employees – as they face this difficult time together.

Blake Stanton, EVP, Quiktract, sent out an email communication explaining that their platform would be free of charge to show support for its users. The email conveyed empathy and, while they’re offering this as a bonus, they aren’t being exploitive or self-promotional. Simply put, they just want to help in a time of need.

Example of Bad Communication

John Barrows, CEO, JBarrows Sales Training, shared an email in a LinkedIn post in which the sender (whose name John kindly hid) completely ignored the current situation. This post underscores the importance of personalization and changing the message.

Ultimately, a crisis does not mean you have to stop connecting with your audience, nor does it mean that every piece of content you write needs to allude to the crisis in some way. But it does mean you should shift your approach and communicate with an extra layer of empathy and sensitivity.

If you’re looking for other ways to adjust your marketing plan during a time of crisis, check out our recent blog: Keep Calm & Market On: 3 Marketing Tactics to Execute During a Crisis.

About &Marketing

In today’s fast paced world, many growing businesses are struggling to modernize their marketing approaches because either they don’t have the expertise or the bandwidth to do it themselves.

&Marketing provides seasoned marketing strategy professionals and a nimble execution team to help our clients achieve their goals. Our unique partnership model allows us to augment our client’s existing teams or outsource the entire marketing function in an affordable, flexible, and transparent way.

Webinar Recap: How to Build Relationships on LinkedIn During Quarantine – With Brynne Tillman & Rajat Kapur

Webinar Recap: How to Build Relationships on LinkedIn During Quarantine – With Brynne Tillman & Rajat Kapur

by | Apr 8, 2020 | COVID Marketing, Events

Webinar Recap: How to Build Relationships on LinkedIn During Quarantine – With Brynne Tillman & Rajat Kapur

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LinkedIn has always been a powerful source for networking, and it’s become even more critical today as we navigate social distancing and the impact of the Coronavirus. However, given the sensitivity and uncertainty of the times, many are unsure of how to remain connected with their prospects, clients, COIs, and broader network.

Last week, &Marketing’s Founder and Managing Director, Rajat Kapur and Brynne Tillman, CEO of Social Sales Link and LinkedIn expert, hosted a webinar exploring How to Build Relationships on LinkedIn During Quarantine.  What we are experiencing now is unprecedented and we have no playbook to give us any guidance. During this webinar, Raj and Brynne discussed why now, more than ever, it’s important to remain connected, provide empathy, and be a trusted resource. 

The biggest takeaways were:

  • How to communicate about COVID-19 with empathy, because as you know it’s not business as usual.

  • Immediate actionable tips and tricks from LinkedIn.

  • How to engage with past prospects and partners.

  • How to lead to selling but not lead WITH selling.

  • Why video is a powerful tool and content vehicle, especially during this time.

  • Why there is no excuse to spam contacts or be too salesy.

  • How to generate new and relevant content ideas.

  • Countertrends rising in the midst of COVID-19::

    • Increase in digital products

    • Rise in remote workers

For a more detailed discussion of these topics as well as the Q&A, we encourage you to watch the full webinar here.

Watch The Full Webinar Here!
About the Author

Marketing Director Amanda Cook helps clients develop sophisticated marketing campaigns that drive brand leadership, increase sales and elevate the customer experience. With over 15 years of experience, Amanda has delivered successful campaigns with bootstrapped budgets to leading marketing organizations at $1B companies. Whether local or global, she enjoys the challenge of uncovering a client’s business objectives and helping them build a strategy to succeed.

About &Marketing

In today’s fast paced world, many growing businesses are struggling to modernize their marketing approaches because either they don’t have the expertise or the bandwidth to do it themselves.

&Marketing provides seasoned marketing strategy professionals and a nimble execution team to help our clients achieve their goals. Our unique partnership model allows us to augment our client’s existing teams or outsource the entire marketing function in an affordable, flexible, and transparent way.

&Marketing’s Official “Work From Home” Survival Guide

&Marketing’s Official “Work From Home” Survival Guide

by | Apr 1, 2020 | Business & Marketing Strategy, COVID Marketing, Insights

&Marketing’s Official “Work From Home” Survival Guide

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I was 25 years old on 9/11/2001, living in the Outer Sunset of San Francisco with my then boyfriend (now husband) and our roommates.  I remember going to bed on September 10th and our roommates— another couple, both from NYC— were on the couch watching the news. When I got up the next morning, they were on the couch again, and I was confused. Had they stayed up all night watching TV?  No, they hadn’t, but they had heard about the first attack and were glued to the coverage. I remember how surreal that day was.  

In many ways, what’s going on with the COVID-19 pandemic reminds me of that eerie time. However, 9/11 was so much different, because the one thing we had during that time was each other. We were shaken, saddened and scared, but we still had the ability to be with our friends and loved ones, to mourn and talk through all of our feelings. Not to mention the shortage of essentials like toilet paper and soap. Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic finds us all isolated in our homes, with a “survival of the fittest” mentality,

The &Marketing team works remotely almost all the time, so working from home is normal for most of us. I work from home and love the flexibility it allows me. I can take my son to and from school, occasionally volunteer to lend a hand in his classroom, squeeze in a workout mid-day, and take my dog (my actual SHADOW) on walks where he bullies bigger dogs and single men. 

Perfecting the art of working from home has been a journey. So I’ll save you some time and share my best tips for productivity, connection, and sanity.

Use Slack

It’s a great tool to communicate both one on one with folks or in groups and can really help maintain a sense of community and solidarity right now. Create channels to direct specific conversations based on topic, so all of your collaborative work can stay organized. Our team even has a dedicated channel for “water cooler talk” like silly kids pictures, movie trailers, and memes.  GIFs abound on the &Marketing Slack channel.

Don’t Hesitate to Pick up the Phone

I know I just recommended Slack, but beware of using it as a crutch for all conversation when you aren’t just a cubicle away from your coworkers. Things get lost and misinterpreted sometimes via Slack, email, or text. If you’re confused, feeling frustrated, or potentially misunderstanding someone’s tone, just make a call and talk it through.  You’ll most likely come to a solution quicker than you would if you kept going back and forth on Slack. 

Hold Virtual Happy Hours 

When you’re working remotely, you can sometimes miss out on the team building or bonding activities that can happen in the office. Pot luck lunches and after-hours drinks are few and far between with social isolation. Our team always works remotely and is spread out across several states, so we hold a virtual happy hour once a month. 

Bring a beer or cup of tea and hop on a Zoom call to chat and debrief after a long day. Turn those cameras on so everyone can see each other and get some social time in.

Have as Many Meetings as Possible on Video

Speaking of Zoom, video calls are valuable for more than just happy hours. Body language is important, and so is focus. People pay attention to the call they’re on more when they’re on camera, because it limits the amount of multitasking behind the scenes.  Meet people where they are, though. Avoid making them sit still in front of the computer— some of us need to stand or walk around a bit, and maybe even refill our coffee if it’s a long meeting. And of course, no judgment on appearance, unless it’s a client call.

Encourage Introverts to Chime In

Our team meets on video each Monday morning to kick off a new work week together.  We always start with an icebreaker to get the conversation going, and we take turns coming up with it each week. Lots of introverts (or even just shy team members) feel more comfortable giving input when they feel prepared, so sending out agenda and ice breaker questions in advance sometimes helps those folks feel more inclined to participate.

Being Productive With Kids

Many of us are also now finding ourselves both working remotely  and juggling kids who are at home with us. I asked the rest of the seasoned pros on our team to provide their best tips and tricks for surviving working remotely and keeping the kids occupied. Here’s what they said:

  • Our Marketing Director, Amanda Cook, has two kiddos joining her at home right now. She says her best tip for having kids home during this time is to provide them with a schedule. Her kids have eLearning from 9-12, lunch/freetime from 12-1 and quiet time in the afternoon from 1-3. 

  • Our Client Experience DIrector, Tina DePrisco says to get up earlier than others in your house and either do a work out or get work done with no interruptions. Getting some quiet productivity time is a great way to start the day feeling accomplished and ahead of the game.

In some ways, not a lot has changed for me during this pandemic. But in other ways so much has changed. My 11-year old son Ollie is home, so I frequently get text messages or handwritten notes during meetings asking me, “How much homework do I have left to do?” or “Can I play video games with so-and-so?”  My husband is home, too, and two days in, I’m loving having him here. He works in his studio, and I’m in our guestroom/office hybrid, while Ollie wanders between the living room, his room and running laps around the block.

With a moratorium on leaving the house in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, there are tons of pieces coming out about remote working. Recently, I read the article Sorry, But Working from Home is Overrated, in the New York Times. The author, Kevin Roose, writes that he thinks people are able to establish better work life balance and be more creative in an office setting.

I totally disagree.

Whether you’re like Tina on our team and have been working from home for almost 25 years, or more like my husband, who is doing this for the first time in over a decade, there is plenty of joy and fulfillment you can gain from this adjustment. Hopefully these tips will help you and your team find it together!

About the Author

Marketing Director Tracey Colla focuses on ensuring each client’s needs are being met in a timely, productive, and creative way. She is a well-rounded marketer, with a talent for identifying opportunity, product strategy and positioning, go-to-market strategies and launches.

About &Marketing

In today’s fast paced world, many growing businesses are struggling to modernize their marketing approaches because either they don’t have the expertise or the bandwidth to do it themselves.

&Marketing provides seasoned marketing strategy professionals and a nimble execution team to help our clients achieve their goals. Our unique partnership model allows us to augment our client’s existing teams or outsource the entire marketing function in an affordable, flexible, and transparent way.

Keep Calm And Market On: 3 Marketing Tactics To Do During A Crisis

Keep Calm And Market On: 3 Marketing Tactics To Do During A Crisis

by | Mar 20, 2020 | Business Intelligence & Analytics, COVID Marketing, Insights

Keep Calm And Market On: 3 Marketing Tactics To Do During A Crisis

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In the midst of the corona-virus pandemic, companies— as they should be— are focused on taking care of their most important audiences: their employees and existing customers. Lead generation has taken a backseat, as leaders look to either preserve this budget for when things settle, or reallocate it to more pressing areas. This is the right move, as most lead gen communications would be neither socially nor financially responsible at the current moment, unless your product or service is a critical necessity during this crisis. Anything else may feel exploitative, and right now we only need empathy.

Despite this, we don’t recommend that growing businesses pause all marketing activity. Why? Because although human health is of utmost priority right now, we recognize that for many of you, the health of your business is also at stake. When this terrible turn of events does begin to turn around, you may feel as though you’re starting at square one, scrambling to make up ground as quickly as possible. You’ll likely increase your spend on lead generation, but you’ll be pitted against a more competitive landscape than usual, as many others will have the same idea. By keeping some marketing activities turned on, you will lessen this effect.

So, which marketing activities do you focus on right now? In this post, we’ve outlined three foundational marketing tactics to execute or maintain during a crisis. When you do reactivate your lead gen and the world rights itself, your business will be in a better position for success.

1. Take a look under the hood…of your website and complete an SEO audit

Conducting a semi-regular SEO audit of your website is a marketing best practice, but it often falls through the cracks. The real world gets in the way, and marketers are pulled in a variety of different directions. We also often face clients or organizational higher-ups who find it difficult to understand the value of SEO, since results aren’t immediate. Prioritizing SEO is important, though, because it enables your website to rank for certain keywords related to your offering. In other words, when a prospective customer types a related keyword or phrase into Google, your website will appear within the first few pages of results. SEO ensures your target audience is always able to find you through an organic search, using your most relevant keywords.

Before running the audit, you should first check out your SEO Score, which you can do for free. This will give you the opportunity to understand just how much work you have to do. It also allows you to compare yourself against competitors and set realistic expectations for what you can achieve going forward with your site. 

After you’ve obtained your SEO score, it’s time for the audit. The good news is that there are plenty of great tools online to help you do it, including, but not limited to:

Once you’ve used one of these tools to complete your SEO audit, you should receive an output document that provides areas for improvement. The below screenshot is a sample audit for &Marketing, using SEMRush.

 As you can see, this sample company has a little bit of work to do. From this page, we can identify the most pressing issues and develop a strategy to make improvements. Obviously, there are a few technical aspects to solve for, such as site speed, but there are things that are easy to do that don’t involve back-end manipulation.

Update Keyword Research

First, do keyword research to determine the gaps within organic rankings and where competitors are outranking you for high value terms. If you find you’re not ranking for certain keywords but should be, tweak your website copy to ensure it includes those words or phrases (but avoid keyword stuffing!). 

Install an SEO Plug-in

Second, implement an SEO plug-in. If you’re on WordPress, we recommend Yoast SEO, as it shows us if your pages are green (SEO is great!), yellow (opportunity to optimize SEO) or red (SEO needs some work!). This helps optimize each page of your site.

Enhance Your Site’s Security

Finally, as we look to the future, there are changes on the horizon. Privacy and accessibility issues are poised to become more prominent and have the potential for legal action. Check your state and federal guidelines – including those of your main audiences (hello GDPR!) – to see what you might need to add or amend. We recommend the WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool to ensure all of your forms are secure and that they have cookie policies and bars installed. You can even add a browser extension, which provides you an overview of issues, so you can nip them in the bud before they become a legal issue. 

Once you’ve optimized your site, it takes a good three to six months to see major changes organically. Since your lead generation is on the back-burner right now, you can use this time to get your SEO and website up to speed (pun intended).

For further information about SEO audits, aHREFs wrote this great piece!

2. Generate Content 

As you optimize your site for SEO, the updated keyword research will show you which keywords or phrases your audience has searched for when they’ve found your website, as well as any other keywords that are relevant to your industry or used by competitors. These keywords provide inspiration for creating content that will both resonate with your audience and begin to climb its way up Google organically. Content will also fuel your lead gen efforts later on, so it’s good to get prepared now if you have the time.

Given that many businesses are slowing down and thought leadership and professional development events have been cancelled or postponed, your audience may be spending more time online to consume content, sharpen their skills, and take advice from thought leaders. 

Creating digital content around keywords and topics with high search volume is an excellent way to educate your target audience on topics they care about. Important to note, though, that during this time of crisis, you want to be sensitive with the content you produce. For example, you could consider how the pandemic impacts your industry, customers, and prospects, and create a point-of-view blog post with advice on how to navigate the current situation. You could even poll your audience via email or social media asking, “What do you want to hear from us right now?” There’s a way to bring value to your audience, without being promotional or exploitative. 

If you already have consistent content in place, then you could instead use this time to assess your content’s performance so far and determine any changes you should make to optimize your strategy in the coming months. For example, at &Marketing, we regularly use a Business Intelligence & Analytics platform to dig deep into our audience and the terms and phrases they use online. Through this, we can keep a pulse on what they’re searching for, optimize our content to reach them organically, and identify topics that will convert and drive leads. We’re also able to precisely measure the value of each piece of content so that we can make changes as needed. 

3. Optimize your current marketing strategy with Business Intelligence & Analytics

As you optimize your site for SEO, the updated keyword research will show you which keywords or phrases your audience has searched for when they’ve found your website, as well as any other keywords that are relevant to your industry or used by competitors. These keywords provide inspiration for creating content that will both resonate with your audience and begin to climb its way up Google organically. Content will also fuel your lead gen efforts later on, so it’s good to get prepared now if you have the time.

Given that many businesses are slowing down and thought leadership and professional development events have been cancelled or postponed, your audience may be spending more time online to consume content, sharpen their skills, and take advice from thought leaders. 

Creating digital content around keywords and topics with high search volume is an excellent way to educate your target audience on topics they care about. Important to note, though, that during this time of crisis, you want to be sensitive with the content you produce. For example, you could consider how the pandemic impacts your industry, customers, and prospects, and create a point-of-view blog post with advice on how to navigate the current situation. You could even poll your audience via email or social media asking, “What do you want to hear from us right now?” There’s a way to bring value to your audience, without being promotional or exploitative. 

If you already have consistent content in place, then you could instead use this time to assess your content’s performance so far and determine any changes you should make to optimize your strategy in the coming months. For example, at &Marketing, we regularly use a Business Intelligence & Analytics platform to dig deep into our audience and the terms and phrases they use online. Through this, we can keep a pulse on what they’re searching for, optimize our content to reach them organically, and identify topics that will convert and drive leads. We’re also able to precisely measure the value of each piece of content so that we can make changes as needed.

BI is particularly valuable for growing businesses, as it:

  • Enhances cross-functional marketing strategies
  • Identifies cost savings within digital campaigns
  • Provides insights needed to create a strategic road map for growth
  • Identifies target audiences
  • Equips sales teams with warmer leads
  • Provides intel for potential expansion areas
  • Improves customer and client acquisition/retention through insights from sales and audience geographic

In Summary

We hope this post has provided valuable guidance for you as you work to navigate the unknowns of our current climate and prepare your business for the coming weeks and months ahead. Like most effective business tactics, the activities we’ve recommended here (doing an SEO audit, building your content library, and conducting an in-depth analysis) will require some level of time and resources.  If you, like many companies, have halted paid advertising and lead generation, redirecting your focus to these marketing fundamentals may help ensure that you’re set-up for success once the storm passes. 

We wish you, your team, and your business good health! 🧡

About the Author

As a Marketing Director at &Marketing, Paul Ferguson uses his 16 years of B2B marketing experience to help clients develop fully integrated marketing solutions that make impressions and drive results. Whether it be design-oriented campaigns or digital market execution, Paul skillfully creates strategies backed by data, to effectively reach client’s desired audiences. Paul graduated from La Salle University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a double minor in Marketing and Business Administration. Visit Paul’s LinkedIn.

About &Marketing

In today’s fast paced world, many growing businesses are struggling to modernize their marketing approaches because either they don’t have the expertise or the bandwidth to do it themselves.

&Marketing provides seasoned marketing strategy professionals and a nimble execution team to help our clients achieve their goals. Our unique partnership model allows us to augment our client’s existing teams or outsource the entire marketing function in an affordable, flexible, and transparent way.