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How Can You Adapt?
The last nationwide social upheaval in the US was in 2008 when gas prices soared and fears of the housing bubble began to take shape. The mood at the time gave rise to a need to cocoon in the warmth and safety of the home and to stay home to avoid spending money as people feared for their jobs and economic security. Sound familiar?
We’re seeing clever responses to today’s circumstances arising everywhere. Local sit-down restaurants are offering packaged meals for singles, couples or families either delivered or by curbside pickup. A McDonalds I pass frequently lists four local meal delivery services on its marquee. Local movie theatres are selling no more than half their seats per show. Yoga studios are offering classes both in studio and broadcast live. And social media is full of examples of people helping one another – college students volunteering their time to baby sit, others volunteering to pick up groceries for older folks who shouldn’t venture out.
Click here to read about ways your company can adjust and stand out during this crisis.
Every client we’ve spoken with is working from home. Based on our own experience as a virtual company, we think many companies and employees are going to find productivity improvements in being virtual. Not only does this save anywhere from 1-2 hours of daily commuting time (and thus lowers pollution), it also saves employees from the stress of commuting. We think the productivity gains from this will end up demonstrating that employees are more productive when working from home and we think this will lead to more work from home activity than ever before.
More time spent alone on the computer also equates to a greater need for contact with others. We think social media activity will rise due to our need to stay in touch with each other and to feel we are part of a community. This is a place where your company can really shine right now. Focus on your social media presence today. Look at what your consumers are saying and doing right now. Put extra people on your site to make sure their questions are being answered and seek out ways to do more for your followers and friends on social media. Offer healthy, immune boosting recipes of the day. Offer cleaning tips. Offer family time word games that can be played during meal times. Offer nutritional content. Think about what people who are home are thinking about and how you can help them. If you sell online, offer great deals to build your consumer base and throw in extras. In a recent survey of competitive websites for a client, we found huge variations in social media activity by manufacturers ranging from completely involved and supportive to barely there. This is a time to be completely there, connect with your consumers, stand out, and gain their loyalty for the future.