On today’s Grey Matters, we talked about concerns regarding marketing, health and wellness in the pandemic era with guru Mark Schaeffer.
Health and Wellness (and Marketing): Musings on COVID-19 with Mark Schaeffer
[0:00] – Introducing this episode of the Grey Matters podcast: Coping with the coronavirus, featuring Mark Schaeffer.
- As confusion and fear sweep the world, content creators around the world are struggling to come to terms with change and uncertainty.
- A blog post from author and online marketer Mark Schaeffer presented some insights that directly inspired this podcast episode.
[7:35] – Being aware of your own internal emotions as a content creator.
- Think about how you can embrace this chaos, and more importantly, how you can move in this environment and under these unprecedented circumstances in our time.
- “If I'm suffering from the effects of these disruptions, what impact are these going to have on my peers, on other marketers, and on other people who are in the same business as me?”
- Today, we can no longer continue to run our businesses based on the world we wish for; instead, we have to base our content – and our businesses – on the world that is. And so that means a complete and immediate reassessment.
- The most human company wins. The humanistic approach to business and marketing completely applies to the moment that we're all in right now.
[12:43] – On giving each other space, online and in the real world.
- At this point, we need to just extend a lot of grace to people and just say, “Look, everybody's trying, everybody's experimenting.”
- What was relevant even just three days ago, isn't relevant today.
[15:00] – Two main things to remember during this pandemic.
- Number one: We need to think about our sales and marketing as if we were selling to somebody at a funeral. Don’t be tone deaf; create a context for what you do that's appropriate to this moment.
- Number two: The top goal is to make it (we got to cut, we got to watch our cash reserves, we've got to be conservative), and so we need to rethink our marketing so it's effective, and it's not insensitive.
- Operate in a way so that unending longtime loyalty is there when we get to the other side. If you operate in a greedy and opportunistic way, people will remember that.
- Do the right thing, even if it hurts, because that's what people will remember.
[23:32] – A valuable podcasting lesson: Urgency because of the (currently) rapid nature of the world’s news cycle.
- Instead of a 10 day buffer, try a two-day buffer for content, because the world is changing so fast.
[24:46] – Interrupting the normal content flow versus just continuing it.
[26:11] – Starting something new today.
- If what you’re thinking of doing is something that has always been strategic and critical for your business, absolutely, 100%, you should pursue it, despite the fears and uncertainty. Otherwise, you’ll get lost in the noise.
[28:53] – Advice for baby boomers seeking to pivot and reinvent themselves at this time.
- Acknowledge that this is a time of loss, but also see the opportunities.
[33:03] – On marketers focusing on showing more of a human side in these times.
[37:05] – Mark’s blog post: “The coronavirus. A love letter.”
- It’s a big world, and we can all succeed. We're in this together, and whatever we can do to lift each other up and support each other is important.
Resources
As confusion and fear sweep the world, we are struggling to come to terms with change and uncertainty.
Mark Schaeffer got me thinking about my own personal response to the COVID-19 shutdown, with a brilliantly timed blog post
The Corona Virus, A Love Letter
That post inspired this Podcast, as Mark shares his thoughts on how we can deal with the very real grief and sense of loss we are all experiencing as we cope with Corona.
Links from this Podcast
- Mark’s Blog Post
- Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins
- Known: The handbook for building and unleashing your personal brand in the digital age
