Purpose, Humanity and Intentionality: Answers to Current Marketing Realities

Leaders we work with are concerned about how to address the realities of today’s remote and virtual world,

as well as how to deploy limited resources (e.g. smaller teams, diminished budgets, and less time) to sustain and grow their businesses. They recognize that sales and marketing must shift to what works today. With grounded teams, canceled events, and halted networking opportunities, this means moving a majority of efforts online. How do you do this in ways that set your business up for success? We believe that the answers have to do with purpose, humanity and intentionality.

Focus on your “Why” Instead of your “What”

Marketing is no longer about what you have to sell but what you have to offer. It’s as much about what your brand represents as it is about your products and services. As you update your messaging platforms and create new campaigns, include messaging that showcases why you exist and what you stand for. When messages are authentic and clear about the impact you want to have in the world, you’ll create deeper connections with customers and build a mass of raving fans. Awareness will build momentum for your company as a whole, not just for the “stuff” you sell. Just make sure your actions align with your words — you don’t want the backlash that comes when you say one thing and do another. 

Act with Humanity Amidst Fear

People are riding a rollercoaster of emotion and uncertainty every day. Beyond lacking resonance, traditional marketing messages can feel disingenuous and “sales-y.” People are seeking usable information, trusted resources, and solid connections. So, brands must be empathetic, transparent, and real. Now is the time to go beyond the transactional by building relationships and connecting with customers’ day-to-day experiences. We’re seeing this happen in commercials like this one from Frito-Lay.

This is a strategy you can utilize in your own messaging. When it comes to communicating in digital spaces, you need to not only share your challenges and successes but also listen to what others are going through. This is the time to focus on what you give rather than what you get, and with this flip come many opportunities to level up your engagement, loyalty, and brand equity with new and old customers.

Infuse Productivity with Intentionality

A natural instinct in a time of crisis is to do all you can to retain customers, keep up with competitors, stay the course, or be part of the conversation. The question is, are you quick to do things the “old way?” It’s clear that “business as usual,” will never be the same. We encourage you to meet customers where they are and refine your efforts to be more effective. One needs to know why they are doing certain marketing activities and their efficacy before piling on new ideas. It’s possible that these old, or even new, ideas don’t make sense from a strategic, budget or brand perspective, no matter how popular they seem to be right now. Scrutinize the efforts you’re making with the lens of, “What is this helping us achieve?” When you take the time to lay everything out on the table, you can eliminate random acts of marketing and stay clear on how you’ll use your marketing mix to succeed.

While the world feels daunting and tough right now, we can still build our businesses with tact, steadiness, and compassion. These are key qualities to inhabit if we seek to differentiate our brands and find new customers in a digital-first reality.  Rethinking your sales and marketing needs to happen in one way or another, so we encourage you to accept circumstances as they are and use this as a way to upgrade your business to a new level of thriving.