Starting in March 2020, we have entered a new era known as COVID-19, accelerating what was going to happen anyways in the economy. All this has caused a shift in the world and as consequence brands have been shaken, forcing them to rethink their strategies. That’s why we decided to offer you all this information about digital marketing opportunities and challenges. In order for you to implement all this data in your social media crisis plan.

Within a few months, many companies will be in a big recession. This will break the flow of money and from now on, digital marketing will be much more relevant (Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Youtube) along with your digital strategy and your social media crisis plan.

And as it is expected with a pandemic affecting more than 800,000 people in the world, not only has health been affected, but the economy has been seriously impacted as well.  That is why we want to contextualize the situation as simply as possible and show you how your brand can digitally adapt to the new world during the crisis.

Silence is the most toxic strategy in crisis communication.

Jim Lukaszewski

Brands deciding not to do marketing in times of crisis are the first brands that audiences will forget. Staying silent is not a feasible option.

Next, we’ll present tips for your digital marketing strategy for crisis management.

Digital Marketing Tips during the Crisis

Here we give you some recommendations that you can implement during this Coronavirus‘s time for your Social media crisis plan.

• Act quickly and be strategic

Success is not only seen in those who respond faster, but also those who know how to adapt to any situation. So it is important to learn to manage and analyze the big picture and make the best decision.

• A well-monitored brand can detect a crisis earlier.

If you don’t use Social Media Listening with your brand constantly, you may have a storm over your heads before we can detect it, so it is important not only to monitor your brand but also what happens to your followers. Marketing strategy in times of crisis plays a key factor, so you must establish general parameters.

• Make a general review of your communication

In an attempt to automate processes, many times we develop all the content for our brand to cover a certain period of time, but it is important to do a complete review when handling a crisis in social networks to know if we should make any changes.

• Respond anytime you can

Depending on your brand, on many occasions your customers may need an almost immediate response, either to buy a product or service, as well as to respond to the general status of the brand, it is important to have a response model and continuous communication to let users know that the brand is there for them.

• Prepare messages by analyzing different scenarios

Remember that during a crisis there are many changing situations, so it is important that you prepare with your team for all the events that may occur and how they will work on Digital Marketing Strategies for crisis management. Maintaining communication is essential.

Brands making a difference

During this global epidemic crisis, brands stand out by adopting a correct marketing strategy during difficult times, showing through solidarity, what we are living through new and creative proposals.

• Coca Cola

Being apart is the best way to be united, this Coca Cola quote is the best way to define the campaign against COVID-19 by showing the distance in its logo. This piece was displayed on a digital fence in Times Square.

• Mercado Libre

MercadoLibre is one of the most recognized companies in Latin America for buying and selling products online. And this time, as part of their marketing in times of crisis, they have decided to change their logo temporarily. Under the slogan “Elbow to elbow in difficult times until the best arrives’ ‘ and established a position of support for the campaigns against COVID-19.

• Mc Donald’s

The well-known brand with the golden arches also joined through an awareness campaign before the Covid-19, showing the much-talked-about issue of social distancing in order to stop the chain of contagion.

What is important to note is how the communication strategy mixes with graphic values to make the brand more impactful to the consumer.

• Nike

If you ever dreamed of playing for millions of people around the world, this is your chance. Play inside, play for the world. A beautiful message that not only Nike but the brand ambassadors athletes have been sharing.

Nike has carried out an interesting action through its social networks, where it has asked its consumers to stay at home as a measure of containment against the coronavirus.

Marketing action in times of crisis has resorted to its social networks and its athletes with whom it has sports sponsorships as a measure to promote the message of staying at home as part of their social media crisis plan.

• Latam Digital Marketing

Latam Digital Marketing was born as a 100% digital agency for more than 6 years, our DNA has always been to work digitally without borders, collaborating from 7 countries remotely.

The new logo symbolizes a team that continues to work hard at 120% so that clients can surf the crisis in the best way with an agency that was already adapted to the new world.

Recommendations for Brands

• Offer comfort and tranquility through your networks.
• Evaluate how to do acts of kindness.
• Take your brand and keep it digitally alive, even when it can’t be physically.
• Help people with content that allows them to spend time.
• Laughter will always be the best medicine.

Opportunities in Digital Marketing

There are markets where categories are directly impacted by consumer behavior such as retail, travel, technology, luxury, and entertainment.

Nevertheless, as this arrives it also brings with it opportunities, we mention some below:

• E-commerce (going from the physical store to the digital one)

In the e-commerce projections of sales, we can see how the experts point out the growth that this sales channel is having.

This data is obtained from all the information on products or services that are ordered online, regardless of the payment method or form of requests, excluding travel and tickets for events. It should be noted that E-commerce for retail presents its data based on the US economy.

And in these moments, the digital presence becomes even more vital. Strengthen your Omnichannel Marketing Strategy, as well as digital. Here we present the effort we made with one of our clients and how they benefited Pollo Campero.

The future of Pollo Campero goes hand in hand with its digital strategy, which is why while sales in the market fluctuate, they continue to be positioned in the hands of Google Ads and Latam Digital Marketing.

• Delivery

All the companies that have this service have enhanced it even more. Since face-to-face attention has been limited, delivery service has been the breakthrough for many and its demand has increased like never before.

In our case, working with Papa John’s Panama has made it’s Omnichannel Strategy eloquent along with, be able to take requests through its website or through the phone.

Papa John’s Panama has become the warrior and remains in the race during COVID-19 and it has positioned itself as the leader in online pizza sales while other companies have failed, but PJ has a successful social media crisis plan.

• Digital Transmission Media

All the companies in charge of digital television as well as online streaming are capturing a large audience since more people are at home, clearly, the consumption of these platforms is greater. It is time for your company to capture all those users.

In the case of Novey, its strategy has allowed them to continue projecting themselves digitally, in addition to their e-commerce and 25 stores throughout the Panamanian territory.

So with the high volume of people generating traffic on these platforms, it becomes not only a sales opportunity but also a chance to remain positioned in the consumer’s mind.

• Online Car Sales

While car sales reflect a large drop in demand due to the COVID-2019 Pandemic, there are brands taking advantage of this to make a difference. An example of this is the Geely brand in China, which incorporated a new service offering users the opportunity to buy a car and be dispatched to their homes.

Brands like Mercedes Benz and Tesla are now replicating this initiative, in addition to seeking to expand it to other countries-

• Real Estate also adapts to digital

While some industries stop, others adapt, this is the case of the Real Estate Sector. And a sample, we can point out the work of GoGetItleads, this digital real estate agent takes the projects of their clients and offers them the possibility of managing visits virtually so that people can view the home of their dreams from the comfort of their home.

They manage from A to Z the digital process of real estate developers that continue to move despite the crisis. From the generation of the leads to the reservation of the property.

Industry transformation

Influencers, celebrities, athletes, and others are currently turning to create live content as part of their crisis management strategy on social media.

Thanks to Instagram Live, many of them are working on their personal brand, clearly, due to the high tuning ratings that these moments receive and that allows them to keep their communities active.

This trend is even more recent, so not only companies but personal brands have begun to be more present in their digital accounts. More people want to stay active during these confined times.

An example of this is Power Club Panama, one of the most famous gym chains, which as part of its marketing strategy in times of crisis is teaching online classes (even when they stopped charging membership) so that their followers, as well as other users, stay active from their homes.

On the other hand, for lovers of art and history, there are museums that have opened their doors to the public (virtually), an example of this is the Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts that offers a virtual tour just a click away.

Particularly, while we are still indoors, technology and virtual reality allow us to continue exploring the outside world.

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TIPS for working from home

After the State of Emergency that has been decreed in many countries as a consequence of COVID-19, most of the companies that allow them to do so have started to Telecommute or Work from Home. Moreover, this has even changed the procedures for crisis management on social networks.

Thanks to technology and innovation, this type of work have allowed workgroups to continue with their functions because even at a safe distance, work activities can be carried out.

At Latam Digital Marketing as part of our social media crisis plan, we have already been working under this modality for three weeks to take care of the health of our collaborators and their families. This is why we established the following recommendations for people who have to work from home:

1. Don’t work in pajamas. Even though it sounds like a very comfortable option, by keeping us in the same mood that we wake up, our system takes longer to start, it is important to let our body understand that we are in work mode.
2. Set schedules. Just like your office hours, your lunch hours and your tasks, set times for everything. So by having a schedule, you create the habit that even at home, you stay on a schedule.
3. Support your team and ask for support when you need it. In times of remote work, work overload and stress can work against us, so it is important to stay in communication with your work team.
4. The leaders of each team must motivate. It is important for them to be aware of the individual situations of the members of their team, so by keeping motivation high, they will not only perform better but will be willing to interact and contribute greatly to their teams.

¨ Latam Digital Marketing was born as a digital and borderless agency from the beginning. Working in distance is one of our strength ¨

We have been working from 7 countries digitally with clients around the world for 6 years, and we are prepared to help you grow during this crisis while your competition closes. Let’s talk about your digital strategy today!