Stop Using COVID as Your Excuse
Stop using Covid19 as your excuse.
When the world shut down back in March 2020, the economy went sideways. Business owners got hit with uncertainty. Employees got laid off or fired. Businesses shut down.
All true.
Still not a free pass.
Innovate or Bust
In today’s digital world, staying ahead means INNOVATE or BUST. New tech and smarter marketing are not “nice to have.” They’re survival.
If you paused your marketing because you felt “responsible,”
read that last line again.
We’re All Going Through the Same Shit
Guess what?! WE’RE ALL GOING THROUGH THE SAME SHIT.
No one is immune. Stop crying. Roll up your sleeves.
Because while you’re trying to be “understanding,” your competitor is trying to win.
Cringe Isn’t a Strategy
Somewhere along the pandemic path, businesses decided it would be a good idea to sing songs, post random videos unrelated to business goals, and share cringe kumbayah moments about how “we are all in this together.”
Cool story.
But you don’t pay rent with vibes.
Between sanitizing our hands and picking which PPE mask to accessorize with, we forgot we live in a capitalist society where the ONLY true business objective is making money. Or at least, it should be.
We protected our faces, but we forgot about our brains and our balls.
You Didn’t Lose Drive, You Shelved It
In a state of emergency, we lost sight of expansion and ran from profitable growth.
We also forgot how to advertise to our core demographic. Last spring, too many businesses started coddling customers instead of flexing marketing muscles. Everyone got scared of upsetting the status quo, and businesses became lambs instead of lions.
Now the second wave is here, and business owners are staring at the same decision again.
Fold, or fight.
Be Conservative, But Don’t Be Invisible
Being conservative can feel like the “safe” move when the world’s uncertain. But playing safe is not the same as playing smart.
You still have to keep customers informed and engaged when things get tough.
Here’s the part people ignore: marketing matters more when everyone else is panicking.
In a July 2020 survey, 62.3% of marketers said marketing initiatives were even more critical during the pandemic. Online sales also peaked with a 43% increase within three months. That’s not a time to disappear. That’s a time to sell.
Even with shrinking budgets, marketers expected an 8.4% increase in digital marketing spending over the next year. The challenge is not “should we market.” The challenge is using digital dollars wisely to impact the customer experience.
Final Reality Check
So please. It’s not COVID’s fault, it’s yours.
You’re not embracing channels that drive sales, customer loyalty, and profit.
The second wave won’t be kinder. So what are you doing? Fighting or fleeing? Cozying up and crying into your face covering, or embracing the chance to make cold, hard cash?
And no, we’re not “all in this together.”
This is business. The time is now to act in a way that puts your company on top.
Unless you want to treat COVID-19 like one long unpaid vacation.