The Pandemic Effect: Why Customer Marketing is Now More Important Than Ever

Posted by Nick Venturella

Yes, there is this world-wide pandemic called COVID-19, or the coronavirus, as of this writing.

It’s not good.

It’s affecting everyone.

People are doing what they can to stay and work from home for public health and safety reasons. 
However, businesses, that are employers and their individual employees, still need to keep working to the best of their ability because all parties need to continue earning income for basic living and operations expenses.

From an organizational business standpoint, Customer Marketing, Customer Success, Customer Experience and Advocacy are all about partnering with your customers to build a human relationship that thrives together vs. simply being transactional.

Now, more than ever, a human first approach is needed.

By no means am I trying to minimize what’s currently going on, the hardships many are facing as a result of COVID-19, and/or the impact this will all have mentally and financially once this thing is over…

…However, that being said…

Those organizations that can keep their heads, stay transparent with their customer-partners, and work together with those customers to build bridge solutions that extend each other’s solvency will emerge stronger on the back end of this, and be in a better position for a more expedient recovery.
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Here’s what’s key in Customer Marketing Crisis Communications

• Stay in communication with customers early and often, and be authentic and transparent
• Share facts and information that are of value to customers to help them (not time for a hard sell)
• Reinforce your partnership with your customers – everyone needs as many positive allies as they can get right now to get through this. Make it as easy as you can for your customers to want to stay in business and connected with you.

​Those people and organizations who are there in clutch situations are remembered with deeper regard and loyalty when the dust settles.