COVID-19’s sweeping impact on business is already being felt across the globe and all signs indicate that we are in for a long slog of more business disruption to follow. In response, many consumer-facing businesses like Marriott, Air Canada, and Cirque du Soleil have announced layoffs. Many other companies have closed their doors for what may be weeks or even months and are conducting the world’s largest work-from-home experiment.
All this disruption means that you will need to rethink how you manage your marketing team. Some of you are in crisis mode and others are in a wait-and-see mode.
Regardless, here are a few tips to make the most of your marketing teams during this time of uncertainty:
1. Practice agility: While some marketers may find themselves with extra time on their hands due to temporarily shuttering their business, many others are crowding into virtual “war rooms” to cope with the new challenges. These marketers are likely to be at the front lines of developing new business strategies in real time while simultaneously learning to work virtually for the first time. Be ready to turn on a dime and flex as things shift. Improvise intelligently by drawing on the insights and experiences of your teams.
2. Use employees to activate the social media multiplier effect: This refers to the fact that employee activities on social media can have important effects on customers. Encouraging employees to use social media to share their COVID-19 experiences or to talk about the positive work your brand is doing during this crisis benefits both employees—who bond with the brand—and customers—who get an authentic sense of the brand through employees’ eyes. Training employees and creating social media policies can be used to mitigate risks.
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3. Retain to train: Although some employees may need to be let go due to business losses, think about how you might be able to prepare your company by training employees for the future. Which skills are weak? Where are the gaps you are likely to face post-COVID-19? February 2020 CMO Survey results suggest that companies only spend 4.7% of their marketing budgets on training. Now might be the time to kick this up a notch to prepare for the future when quarantines are lifted.
4. Build digital marketing muscle: February 2020 CMO Survey results show that AI and machine learning inroads into marketing’s toolkit remain modest—rated 2.1 on a 7-point scale where 1=not at all and 7=very highly. This number is expected to jump to 3.5 in the next three years. Now may be a good time to make progress. There will be expense associated with this, namely hiring a marketing data scientist who can imagine and implement the possibilities. Think of it as a strategic marketing investment to help your business adapt quickly to changing customer demands.
5. Take care of spring cleaning: Much like house-bound consumers using this “sheltered” time to take care of home maintenance and cleaning projects, marketers should use this time to do regular maintenance of their own. Look at current processes and determine if there is room for streamlining or other improvements. For those of you in brick-and-mortar operations, look for the equivalent of your dusty closet, like refreshing your layout or adding a fresh coat of paint.
6. Solidify agency relationships: The February 2020 CMO Survey reported that 24.1% of companies’ social media activities are now performed by outside agencies—up from 17.4% in 2014. As budgets are stretched thinner by the economic slump, agency relationships could be a good place to save costs or increase efficiencies. This might look like consolidating activities in one agency or building more trust with key agency partners.
7. Think long-term: We are all preoccupied with navigating the COVID-19 crisis, but don’t forget to think about the long-term implications to your business. Often during times of crisis, employees default to take care of critical short-term tactical tasks. While important, you want to also set aside time to think about scenarios that might emerge in the marketplace and how your team should respond. Even better, what can you do proactively to help create a stronger future for your company?
8. Boost morale among retained employees: This is a time of great uncertainty and, with many of us working virtually, team activities to boost morale have fallen by the wayside. Take time to reassure employees and plan activities like virtual happy hours or game nights. If you have the means, economic rewards can help reduce stress—especially for workers who live close to the edge or to compensate those working in positions closer to the front line.
9. Commit to learning #WFH best practices: For many of us, working from home is a new experience. Commit to improving the WFH experience for your people as much as possible, including instilling some routine into their days. A recurring morning “coffee hour catch-up” via video chat can go a long way to develop routine times when team members know they can get questions answered and share updates as well as building structure into this unstable environment. You may even want to keep some of these virtual best practices once we’re back to business as usual.
10. Communicate: Your employees are scared and many may be worried that layoffs are coming. While you may not be able to completely disclose your strategic plans, be as open, honest, and reassuring to your employees as you can. Use technology and regular communications to stay in touch with everyone. Encourage employees to do the same with one another.
None of us knows when we will be able to return to business as usual. In the meantime, marketers should focus on developing agility as a marketing organization, digitizing processes as much as possible, and using any down time to boost their capabilities.
Lauren Kirby contributed to this post.
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