Sick of hearing about it yet? On a serious note, the coronavirus pandemic is affecting everyone, and in last night’s update, restaurants & bars are scrambling to make sense of a statement made by our Prime Minister ‘urging Britons to avoid pubs, clubs and theatres and stop non-essential travel in an effort to reduce the impact of the coronavirus‘.
This is currently having a literally devastating effect on an industry which has already taken a beating in early 2020. But there’s a lot to be said about how businesses are handling their marketing & comms efforts with their customers. Here’s some quick fire thoughts based on the last manic 24 hours.
Action, not inaction
The most effective responses to the Covid-19 lockdown have been from businesses who have rapidly reacted and thrown up campaigns to bring in alternative revenue streams. You cannot just sit with your head in the sand.
My favourite by far is from The Free Trade Inn, who have mobilised a voucher system for future street food traders to their bar. This allows punters some delayed gratification via a ‘come back later when this has all blown over’ system. Simple, and effective in that all parties involved get something positive. If you can’t visit the pub this evening, you can bloody well do it in a few weeks with your voucher.
I also like this from Deliveroo, who have also adapted quickly, introducing a ‘no-contact delivery’. It’s an absolute ‘duh’ moment that is communicated fairly effectively, though they should have had this in place on Day 0.
Some are offering takeaways, even free local delivery. Sacking off the bistro cooking and getting some pies and cakes out. It’s a strong pivot, but one that could save your bacon. Customers will thank you for it with their custom, just make sure they know about it. Can this go out via email? Can you put some cash behind paid social on it? Get the message out there that you’re open for business.
When offline dies, ecommerce rules
It might be a slow burner, but an ecommerce arm for a predominantly offline biz is a great means of relatively passive income on a normal day. But now, it’s more important than perhaps at any time in the last decade. If I operated entirely offline, I’d be scrambling to throw something up some ecommerce that allowed customers to support me. In a self-isolation phase, give customers the opportunity to buy a hoodie from your local brewery, or a voucher for your restaurant to use later in the year, or order a branded mug. If you’ve got this in place, nows the time to hammer it. 6 weeks in and you’ve missed the boat.
Ecommerce can be expensive, of course. If you’re starting from scratch, there are a host of easy to set up online offerings, from Shopify, to Wix/SquareSpace, crowdfunding platforms, and everything in between. Christ, even eBay if you must. But even a local bottle shop can mobilise this quickly – and you can bet your life the ROI on this one will be a huge relief. The message here is a resounding, if these guys can do it, so can you. If you don’t, your competitors will, and you’ll be left behind.
Be clear & consistent in your message
Old but always pertinent advice. It’s easy to put out a quick Facebook post saying ‘we are ensuring all staff clean their hands and all contact surfaces’. So what? Is this not part of your routine anyway?
‘Standard’ commentary like this might instil a certain level of confidence as a throwaway comment, but in these most testing of times, it’s not gonna make the difference to a customer who might just prefer to stay in. Find your voice, and hammer it home.
Your bang average sales promos just aren’t gonna cut it
OK Seaham Hall, I literally couldn’t give less of a shit. The last place I want to be is in your pool or gym right now. Is this the best you’ve got?
Keep it tactful. There are a lot of brands just blinkered and refusing to acknowledge the problem, which is completely missing the point, and worse, portrays you as having a complete lack of empathy to the situation.
Aimlessly whinging achieves nothing
Apart from your most passionate advocates (who probably make up a tiny % of your business) customers do not care about your woes. Yes, it’s your livelihood and your entire life, but a potential customer Does Not Care. We’ve got our own problems, amiright?
Just whinging at the government for their inaction, poor decision making, and general lack of love for your small business achieves nothing. And don’t take pops at your competition. I know you’re angry mate, but keep focussed on your own journey.
What’s your USP? Why should customers come to you? What makes you different? This is the time to reinforce your absolute best points, know your place, and go all in with it.
Absolutely no-one needs to know your political alignment right now, and voicing a tweet criticising the Government is a waste of your effort. Stick to what you’re good at.
If you’re going to say something, Say Something. Be decisive and don’t put out half announcements. Again – why should anyone care?
Instead….
Embrace it. Be whimsical?
The press and media are brimming with awful, depressing, and downright negative vibes right now. The last thing a potential customer wants to see land in their inbox is more of this doom and gloom. So use the opportunity to share something funny, self-deprecating, or even just showing that you’re human and doing your best. It’s tough on you, but you’re a beast and you’ll power through it. Don’t bring your customers down with you.
And if all else fails, don’t just throw up the white flag. Can you get some non-sales & marketing people in the business to bang your drum? Gary Usher takes a lot of flack, but he’s passionate, and it’s downright infectious. I’d wager his team are inspired.
And finally, a word for punters…
I preach this all day long, but more than ever, your independents need you.
ASK Italian, Frankie & Benny’s et al can weather the storm through their sheer scale. Your high street retailer can’t. It’s more important than ever to support the small fish. Instead of stockpiling chocolate from Morrisons, get some brownies from Pet Lamb Patisserie. Swap that 9th frozen ready meal for a sandwich from Made Deli. Every pound counts to these guys, and by giving your money to the nationals instead at this point will literally be terminal for the indie.
To come out on the other side, be better than your competitors. If there’s a downturn in footfall, there’s no excuse to ‘not have time for marketing’. If we don’t hear from you now, why would you be front of mind when I think about leaving the house again in 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months? You can’t stop now.
If you’ve seen any shining examples of how the food & drink trade is communicating impending doom, let me know below.