It is no secret that in the wake of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, branding has become a hot topic among many marketers. This is because the crisis has made the situation worse and survival challenging, thus pushing businesses to revamp their branding strategies.  

Apart from this, social distancing and extended lockdown in many cities has forced people to stay at home, thereby affecting customer footfall on brick and mortar stores negatively. This encouraged businesses to accept the new normal and focus more on online branding in order to stay relevant. 

Besides this, as a wise marketer, it is essential to understand the audience’s changing behaviors and emotions, and COVID-19 has undoubtedly made the audience a lot more sensitive. For this reason, it is imperative to revamp the branding messages in order to stay connected with the intended audience. 

Unsure how to brand your business well during this crisis situation? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We have curated a list of the top 6 branding tips for excelling at your marketing efforts and taking your branding game to the next level.

Tip #1 Empathize With Your Target Audience

Losing loved ones and continually fighting the COVID-19 pandemic has made people a lot more vulnerable and exhausted at the same time. Besides this, a lack of social gatherings and an inability to meet their friends and family have made people depressed and lonely. Hence, during such difficult times, empathy is what your audience needs. 

This is because empathetic marketing allows you to show your audience that you care, thus building lasting relationships with them. Maya Angelou, the Civil Rights activist, once said that people can forget what you say or what you do, but they never forget how you make them feel. 

So, if you’re looking to brand yourself effectively during this pandemic, you should definitely incorporate empathetic marketing in your branding communications. For example, SAP has made one of its platforms, called Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse, free for companies who are trying to adjust to the new ways of working.  

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Tip #2 Showcase the Good Side of Your Brand

The pandemic has made many marketers realize that their company is much more than their products or services. With so much negativity around, the audience wants to see the positive side of the brands that they love. Unsure how to go about it? Here are a few tips that can help you win the hearts of your target audience: 

• Leverage social media to acknowledge your employees’ efforts. 
• Interact with customers on social media often, and use personalization where possible.
• Promote your CSR efforts, such as donations, charities, etc. 
• Admit your mistakes, and work towards resolving them. 
• Respond to all customer complaints, and work towards solving them as quick as you can.
• Engage in good causes, for instance, pay tribute to front-line health workers.   

Tip #3 Leverage PPC Ads for Brand Recall 

By now, we know that this pandemic has adversely impacted many businesses around the globe, and whenever economic uncertainty prevails, one of the instant responses is to cut down on marketing budgets and campaigns.  

However, the good news is that a significant portion of your target audience has shifted online, thus giving you better opportunities to leverage PPC ads for encouraging brand recall. 

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Wondering how to run an effective PPC campaign for staying on top of your audience’s minds? Here’s what you need to know: 

• Alter your ad schedules, and ensure that your ads show up during the best performing time. 
• Analyze your keywords, and adjust your keyword mix regularly based on the performance.
• Allocate the unused part of your budget to the best performing ads, and more liked by your audience.
• Regularly add negative keywords for avoiding irrelevant clicks and waste of your PPC budget.
• Review your ad copies and messaging, and adjust them as per the needs of your audience.  

Tip #4 Unlock the Power of Social Media Marketing

Government directives to stay at home and social distancing are presenting challenges for many businesses, making it difficult to stay in touch with customers or prospects, especially when they can’t visit the stores. 

However, the good news is that social media has proven to be the perfect platform for businesses during these challenging times to keep them connected to their intended audience. Besides this, a study conducted by the eMarketer revealed that Facebook witnessed a 70 percent increase in usage of all of its apps during the month of March.

Therefore, if you’re looking to revive your branding strategy based on the external environment’s needs, you should definitely add social media marketing to your branding efforts. 

Wondering how to leverage social media marketing in the time of pandemic to establish your brand image? Here are a few expert tips that can help:

• Make sure that the content that you post on social media is pandemic sensitive. 
• Go live on social media, and tell your audience that you care for them. 
•  Engage your customers by encouraging them to share user-generated content. 
• Allot your social media marketing budget to the best performing social ads. 
• Pay extra attention to remarketing campaigns as they encourage brand recall. 
• Experiment with new ads and targeting techniques. 

Tip #5 Stay Professional 

It is no surprise that your brand communicates your value and what you represent to your target audience. Therefore, for effective branding, it is crucial to promote your business professionally. 

One of the simplest ways of making your business look professional is by making sure that you have a well-designed logo in place. This is because your entire brand story revolves around your corporate logo.

Wondering how to ensure a professional logo design? The best way is to hire a creative and reputable logo design company, like the logo design valley, that can create a unique and memorable logo for your company’s branding efforts.   

Tip #6 Be Authentic

Last but the most important one on our list is to be authentic in front of your target audience. This is because the global COVID-19 pandemic has changed consumer behavior drastically. People have started seeing more than just your products and services. Instead, they have begun valuing brand ethics. 

Therefore, if you’re a wise marketer, you’d know that instead of promoting your products excessively, it is best to showcase the human side of your brand and display authenticity in your brand messages. This is because it will help your audience trust you and create a credible relationship with them. 

Besides this, too many product promotions during these difficult times can hurt your brand image and make your audience lose interest in your products and services. 

The Final Words

By now, we know that the global pandemic, COVID-19 has not just affected us emotionally and physically but has impacted the entire marketing landscape. So, if you’re a wise marketer, you’d know that this is the right time to revamp your branding strategy in order to stay relevant and survive in the uncertain marketplace. 

However, it is critical to note that adjusting your ads and branding messaging is definitely not a piece of cake. But, by following the above-mentioned branding tips, you can stay on track and on top of your audience’s mind. 

Author Bio

Erica Silva

Erica Silva is a blogger who loves to discover and explore the world around her. She writes on everything from marketing to technology. She enjoys sharing her discoveries and experiences with readers and believes her blogs can make the world a better place. 

Find her on Twitter: @ericadsilva1