Rezonating in a COVID-19 Landscape: The Need for Empathic Marketing

With the world in turmoil, resonating with your audience matters now more than ever.

At its core, good marketing is a science that involves understanding how your customers think. In a pandemic-stricken world, brands that champion both agility and innovation outperform their contemporaries. If anything, the health crisis has disrupted what we considered normal. Consumer preferences and behaviors have changed dramatically since lockdowns, and never have discussions on finances, job security, and the overall human welfare been at the forefront of a global analysis this much until today. The interference wreaked by the novel coronavirus was underestimated and unprecedented.

As cases soared worldwide, businesses big and small were stumped, ill-equipped with the tools and resources to shift to a predominantly digital landscape. The impact is so immense that experts aren't only redefining their marketing approach; they're emphasizing the value of empathy right now and to the future moving forward.

The politics of brand loyalty

Many things remain uncertain today, but what's clear is that businesses that don't take the time to adapt with their surroundings will miss the opportunity to stay profitable and relevant in the future. With greater reason, it's become critical to place customers at the forefront of your business and step right into their shoes. New research suggests that COVID-19 is straining individuals' emotional connections with the businesses they support.

Last year, nearly 80% of customers were willing to sample new brands across all product classifications. Today, the numbers are different. A newer study finds that more than half of the survey's respondents stuck with the same brands, specifically the same online service providers they've patronized since the lockdowns started. Additionally, more than one-third of customers said that they would stick with a brand if they felt that they were treated more sincerely during the pandemic.

With revenue being challenging to generate at this time, it is critical that businesses approach their customers with the utmost sensitivity, receptiveness, and thoughtfulness. It's no secret that brand loyalty has always been shaped by emotion. Product quality is of course important, but resonates with consumers dictates how you perform in the market.

It all boils down to crafting an emotional connection with your audience. This is done by continuously listening to them and taking note of how they feel and respond to you. Businesses that forge meaningful relationships with the people they serve not only cultivate improved customer patronage, but they also earn more.

The moral of the story is this: the sooner companies put people at the center of their business, the better their chances of surviving the downturn, and eventually, growing out of it.

Microsoft, for instance, was one of the first global enterprises to commit fair compensation for their workforce despite not having to work during the quarantine lockdown. On the other hand, Google is extending free enterprise conferencing tools to better accommodate organizations that need to function remotely at the moment. Furthermore, Adobe handed out free access passes to their Creative Cloud, allowing students to keep creative and productive for academic pursuits.

Whereas a successful advertising approach used to be to make sure consumers took pride in using their brand, the pandemic has reversed this mentality in that brands are now highlighting how much stronger they are by protecting their stakeholders and customers.

Empathy is king now

Inclusivity has been a buzzword long before the pandemic engulfed the planet. Having worked on several campaigns and advocacies, rezonate has long understood the importance of crafting stories that emphasize unity, collaboration, and synergy. Still, there's never been a more opportune time for brands to execute their own version of inclusivity. To understand how consumers think is one thing, but to provide actionable solutions to improve their lives is another.

Empathetic marketing demands hyper-awareness every step of the way.

We must see audiences not just as paying individuals but as human beings with personal needs and pressing troubles.

rezonate helps you achieve this – we journey with you in understanding and connecting with your audience. ..

Through engaging storytelling, we can help you bring life to ideas that stimulate creative and emotional thinking.

More than anything today, what your business needs the most are believers, and you’re able to do just that when your message evokes truth and shared beliefs.

The more authentic you are with your messaging, the more you humanize your brand. Conversely, the easier it gets for you to connect with your believers. In a climate as alarming as today, humans crave for reassuring storytellers, and it is our obligation as an industry to unite and bridge gaps.

At a time when noise can feel so isolating and disturbing, rezonate helps create a world of awe and wonder — which is exactly what we all need today.

Talk to us, and, together, let's build a world for you.