It's the Recognition

We’re all experiencing a time unlike anything we’ve seen before. Literally everyone is impacted by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, some more than others. The daily dose of uncertainty on just how bad things are, and how long it will last, drips with the cadence of a leaky faucet that you can hear, but can’t fix.

Staying at home, or sheltering, or social distancing is a fact of life that we know now won’t end in weeks as we might have originally hoped, but instead, it is more likely months of some kind of modification in behavior that we’re facing. It’s that recognition that causes the lack of balance that manifests in feelings of fear or anxiety. The bad news is that we’re all there right now, but the good news is that at least we’re all there together!

The reality is that while we don’t know exactly when, we do know that the hardships of dealing with the virus DO have an endpoint. With that in mind, just as the longest journey starts with the first step, what are the things you’re doing right now to prepare for that day? The fact is that some promotional products businesses won’t come out on the other side of this, especially those that offered little more than a low price. I thought it might be a good time to take a look at some concrete suggestions of what you can do today to make sure you’re the one still standing when the time is right.

First, with so many of us working remotely, video meetings, whether with colleagues, or just to stay in touch with friends and family, have become a necessity. The default platform for many folks right now is Zoom, and the basic license is free. But what if you find yourself invited to a Zoom meeting, and your shelter location is not ready for prime time viewing? You can fix that and have some fun at the same time! After all, quarantining can be a messy business. The Verge offers some tips on how to use the Zoom custom background tool to hide a messy house, running kids, and the dog. But I think the real fun comes in making the background itself. Canva offers some fun templates, even including “Conference Call Bingo”. Whether you want to appear to be conferencing from the beach, the bar from “Cheers,” or pretend you’re a character actually in the game of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there’s something for everyone. Personally, I like what the creative folks at West Elm are doing, I can place myself in their Holiday House without the remodeling cost. My stimulus check will have to be used for more basic things.

You’re likely thinking about other ideas to stay in contact with your customers and prospects. The best way to stay in front of them (when you can’t actually be in front of them) is video. You’ve probably thought about making a video, but perhaps didn’t think you had the technical expertise to make it look professional. That’s an easy problem to fix. You might try the Storyvine app if you’re struggling with that, right now they’re offering a free download of the basic “Update” template in both the Apple Store and Google Play.

You could also think about complementing your video strategy with email. Yes, email is still a thing, and it’s likely to remain so for some time to come. When I attended the UNSPAM conference recently with the folks at Really Good Email, I came away with the firm understanding that stealing is actually a good thing in their world. Really Good Email is disrupting the industry by making everything they do open source, and they’ve created “emergency email” templates for COVID-19 that you might take a look at. Feel free to borrow a template, and learn “How to be a human marketer in a pandemic” by listening, being empathetic, and useful.

Come to think of it, that’s not a bad plan even after the worst of this is over. We’ve all been through a lot the last few weeks, and things may well get worse before they get significantly better. Be kind to yourself, those together with you in your shelter-in-place, and those customers and prospects who are feeling just like you are. We’ll get through this.

Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or his personal blog on Tumblr or jeffreypjacobs.com. Reach out to him on email at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.