Another article talking about COVID-19? REALLY?!

It is such a strange time… how should we be reacting and how should we be talking about our Philadelphia digital marketing companies during this pandemic?

Just because the economy is basically at a standstill, does not mean people have stopped trying to promote themselves, their companies goods and services. If you sit back and observe what brands are doing, we can evaluate what is working and what is just downright annoying.

Pushing too hard is not appropriate right now. A good marketing strategy agency in Philadelphia will need to consider a “softer touch”. How their company can do good now in order to have a positive view after the end of quarantine.

Here are a few companies that we have encountered over the past few weeks that are really doing a great job by helping to better the community. They are doing their part during this pandemic and we intend to support them any way we know how.

• Make your business relevant by helping people: My Friends at XtraChef, a digital invoice and order management food cost system, are supporting the medical team at Penn by providing lunches for the next two weeks. To show their thanks, they partnered with their friends companies, restaurants clients and coworkers to feed frontline workers.
• Talk about community involvement: Riggs Distler, a supplier for work teams in the energy and utility industry, is supporting St. Jude during their week long social media campaign to raise awareness, fundraise and gain participants in this year’s St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer. They are posting daily on how you can participate along with a live workout to gain interest and get people talking.
• Figure out how the epidemic is effecting others: CAP Index, a company that predicts crime at a specific location, has started a series called COVID and Crime. They are creating free resources and articles that examine the impact of this pandemic on crimes in various industries and how they can expect the pandemic to effect them. Instead of promoting paid content, they are pushing out relevant and free content.
• Join the #Frontporchproject and donate a portion of your proceeds: Business portraits as well as other high-end photography projects are at a stand still. Many photographers are going around their local neighborhoods and taking photos of families on the front porches from a social distance. Most photographers are charging nominal fees for this and donating a portion of it to a charity of their choice. This is a win-win. Families get to document this very strange time and also feel like they are giving a little something back to their communities.

What do they all have in common? They are helping people. They are using marketing dollars to benefit others, and waiting for this pandemic to end before pushing their products and services.

Here are some negative observations that I have seen and suggestions on how to improve your “pitch”… Most of these people are contacting potential clients directly on social media platforms such as LinkedIn. We are all frustrated and tired of getting ads and pitches that are pushing things we don’t need in a time with decreased income.

Here are some marketing ideas by industry on how you can help now in order to build your business later:

• Printers: Donate one print run to a good cause for every one completed during COVID in an effort to get your presses going again. In a time where no one is meeting face-to-face, printing is at a standstill. Encourage people to print stuff for the future by wrapping it around a good cause.
• Financial Planners: These guys are all over everyone right now… Do some good–for every new client attained during COVID, bring on one low income family and assist them with their finances. Show them how to get out of debt (if applicable) and how to start a savings account and potentially create an account that can gain interest.
• Headhunters: Stop reaching out to the MOST desirable candidates for high income positions during this period of time. Make an effort to help people who have lost their minimum wage jobs (and donate your time). Partner with larger companies like Amazon and Instacart and get these people working again! Help people fill out job applications who really need it.
• Real Estate Brokers: Who knows your neighborhood better than you? Now is the time to help your neighbors and the people who live around you. People will remember what you did for them during this period of time. You will certainly be the one people think of when they are ready to move. People are also lonely right now. Instead of reaching out to potential new clients–reach out to friends, neighbors, and the elderly to check-in and make sure they are doing okay. They will remember more than you think!

The moral of the story is, right now is not a time to push your goods. You will most certainly turn people off by being pushy and asking them for “a quick call” to discuss “how you can help after the epidemic”. The best way to market yourself is by helping your community and showing compassion for those around you. It will make a difference on how you are viewed after this is all over.