Small businesses and big companies alike (specifically the non-essential ones) in the US have had to stop operations because of Covid-19. Public gatherings and events have all been put on hold until health experts can say it’s safe again. These are undoubtedly strange and uncertain times.
Last week, a survey by Goldman Sachs reported that 96% of small businesses have been directly impacted by the pandemic, while 75% said that sales were down significantly.
Consumers are also focused on getting access to basic essentials such as food, medicine, and sanitary supplies — putting non-essential items at the bottom of the list.
Promotional products are designed to market, advertise, or engage but given that a majority of businesses have stopped or are working with a skeletal team, there’s really not much to promote. Furthermore, marketers also have to be extra mindful and sensitive about their message to their customers because some are unfortunately having a harder time than others.
With everyone tuned in through their phones and computers now more than ever, it becomes tempting for brands to market themselves with advertisements disguised as health & safety reminders or the “we’re all in this together” line. These attempts can backfire so stick with the information they actually need to know if the objective is to connect.
Turn Promotional Products Into “Add-value” Services
We’ve seen restaurants add custom “thank you” postcards and free meal upgrades for “pick-up and delivery” orders. We’ve also noticed “Redeem Later” gift cards for online purchases to show appreciation for customers who don’t mind delivery delays and longer production time.
Hand sanitizers, bandanas, work-from-home items, and stress relievers with custom messages have been handed out to employees to ease them into the remote work setting. These are people’s current needs which opens up an opportunity for almost any industry to stay visible even with the temporary closure.
The Resurgence of Care Packages & Mailers
There’s been an upsurge of direct mail promotional products because of social distancing. An increasingly digitized environment has also shed a spotlight on care packages and old school mailers — proving that traditional marketing can still works in a digital landscape.
With a vaccine months (maybe a year) away, it’s likely that companies will take the cautious route of incrementally having employees (and customers) back in their usual place of business. Health experts believe that in order to flatten the curve quarantining should carry on for at least 90 days — preferably more.
The CDC has given a heads-up that this will be a long game and it may very well be the onset of a changed world.
While we weather the storm, we have to continue a forward-thinking mindset by:
- protecting employees as much as we can
- retooling our business to continue delivering products and services to clients
- and anticipating market demands
For now, we are looking forward to the time when we can say “Welcome back!” (with gifts) to our colleagues and clients.