Customer Behavior has Changed: Pivot Marketing

Change Your Marketing to Meet Current Customer Needs.

Customer Behavior During Covid and How to Pivot Your Marketing.

In a recent conversation with a business owner struggling to pivot his business in a Covid economy, I pointed out that customer behavior has changed dramatically since mid-March.

Customers have undergone a series of emotions during this crisis from, shock and grief, to working in challenging situations, being both teacher and parent, and much more. It’s been a process most of us have experienced. It's been a tough journey for all of us.

Pivoting your business in crisis means adjusting your services and marketing to meet the current needs of your customers or an unmet opportunity that developed as a result of the crisis. It’s definitely not business as usual.

For business owners, this means a shift in thinking from trying to fit old processes into a new situation. Instead, they need to develop new processes that dovetail with customers needs for products and service and that coincide with current regulations.

By the way, customers generally make decisions on the emotional level then use logic or facts to back up their decision. This is true with any type of product or service offering. Your marketing should appeal to a deeper need that your customer is experiencing over and above what the product or service generally provides. Right now, those needs may be physical safety, financial security, socializing, time structure, being productive, enjoying life, etc.

Many customers have experienced the following emotions during the Covid-19 crisis:

Some customers (and employees) are still focused on fear. Take all the needed precautions needed to protect customers. Communicate frequently with customers (and staff) about appropriate steps to protect them and others from the virus.
Customers want to get out of the house. As much as customers may love their family, they are tired of being cooped up together. Working parents are now torn between being an employee in a makeshift workspace, being a teacher to their children and being at home full-time.
They desperately want life to “go back to normal”, whatever that used to look like for them. They want fun back in their lives and to celebrate special events, like birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, holidays, and other milestones.
Customers want a break from the monotony. For many people, their days have run together, and they are or have been time disoriented. One day looks very similar to the next. Give your customers a break from the monotony.
They want to shop and buy goods and services. There is a lot of pent up demand and, as business owners, you have a unique opportunity to meet this demand in ways that are different from pre-Covid. Customers are more appreciative of retail staff and the service they have continued to provide during the pandemic.
Customers are used to items being out of stock. The entire world has experienced shortages of toilet paper, flour, ¼” elastic and many other items. They will not be surprised to learn that your business doesn’t have all the usual products or services. Sell the products and services you can provide at this time. If it makes sense, retain information about customer requests and let them know when those products are available again through email. This process might best be handled through a CRM or similar tool integrated with an email service.
Customers are used to waiting for their orders and in line. Amazon delayed sending many items so that critical products could be shipped first. Non-essential items could take 3 weeks or more to be received by customer. Customers are used to waiting to receive goods and services. If you’re running a takeout service, let customers know it might be 30 or 45 minutes before their meal is ready for pick up.
Customers are making a lot of online purchases. Online sales have exploded over the past couple of months. Businesses who had a strong online presence pre-Covid have grown substantially. Those businesses who didn’t have a strong online presence before the crisis either quickly pivoted or got left behind. If you’re business can sell product or services online, do it.
Customers are searching online for “takeout”, “delivery” and “curbside” services more than ever. For restaurants, it’s critical that you show up in searches for these types of services. Make sure a page on your website is optimized for takeout, delivery, or curbside. Update your Google My Business page to includes these services, a menu and related information.

Some retailers are also offering curbside or delivery services to ensure customers can make purchases. Even L.L. Bean is offering curbside service for nearby customers to pick up products.

One last point, customers are generally more appreciative, patient and understanding because of doing without so many things during Covid. We’re all in this situation together and we need to work together to move forward.

As you get ready to reopen your business, keep these points in mind when developing transitional processes to provide products and services to returning customers.

Effective marketing has always been about knowing your customers, speaking their language and meeting their deeper needs. Take the time to observe, talk with and understand your customers then create an effective marketing strategy for reaching them with your message.

If you own a business and need assistance pivoting your business and marketing, reach out to us at Design@GCMD.Agency or give us a call at 207-464—0016. We’d love to chat with you.

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