The Joe Wicks approach to marketing in a crisis
Be a pillar in a crisis: steadfast, solid, available and with a smile on your face
How to market your brand in a crisis with empathy and impact
introduction
In a time of crisis, how do you market your business and respond to adverse conditions that are stopping people not only buying and engaging with your brand, but others across the board?
I would suggest that part of the solution is taking the ‘PE with Joe’ (just read some of the comments!) approach to marketing, as seen as Coronavirus/COVID-19 took hold.
Personal trainer Joe Wicks (also known as The Body Coach) shot to popularity as the UK and world went into lockdown by offering his services as the nation’s PE teacher with follow-along workouts for children and parents live on his YouTube channel.
He did so voluntarily, for free and with no fixed endpoint. By the end of the first week, he had generated 13m views through his YouTube channel. Day one alone had over 5m views, 6k comments and 74k likes (and counting).
Image: Joe WIcks, The Body Coach - in action during COVID-19!
Inevitably, some are incredulous - Who is he? Why is everyone suddenly following his classes? Why him when there are already so many out there?
From what I have observed, Joe Wicks has succeeded because:
He saw an opportunity to create a valuable, public service and put it out in a time of need - parents concerned about the physical welfare of their children in the absence of organised PE at school
It meets an obvious gap - parents have become the new, reluctant teachers and don’t necessarily feel equipped not only to teach their children academically but also keep their fitness up
It’s genuine and well-meant - what he does is in line with his core values as a brand, so doesn’t jar with what he has done before
Consistent branding - Joe Wicks uses a series of branded thumbnails on YouTube, taken in schools, which match his website, and the videos are produced at home, drawing everything together in a non-threatening, accessible way
The principles shine through - be genuine; care for others; provide some of value at a time of need; be true to your brand.
So what more can we take from this and apply to our contexts?
We’ve been talking to previous clients in light of the world being turned upside down and this blog looks at how to drive traffic to your website or Instagram account, as well as create a new work lifestyle.
Here what a previous client, Sophie (bridal boutique owner) said after our conversation, after which we wrote this blog:
“Thanks so much for the chat; really helped my current mental state and made me feel a lot better. Loving the PE reference - I too am Joe Wicks-ing in the mornings! ”
Steve from the maillist also sent in this feedback; we worked on a website with him and his partner recently:
“Thank you for your latest email. It is very well structured and makes a lot of sense and can give us some encouragement moving forwards.”
Review
The first thing to do is take a step back and look at the bigger picture without succumbing to panic or the urge to rush in.
If you were doing well before things tanked; were receiving good feedback; and doing the right things, take that as an encouragement
It’s not anything you did and ‘people are not going elsewhere; they’re just not going anywhere’ (credit Phil Berg via Phillip Burton). When things open up you can pick up again
The current landscape is one of fear, uncertainty and loss of revenue, so the market is difficult for everyone - buyers and sellers together, so you need a unique approach
As such, customers are not necessarily in ‘buying mode’, but may well be in ‘information gathering mode’; their dreams and visions haven’t disappeared; they’re just on hold
There are still potential customers out there, as people still have needs and want to spend, plus they’re cooped up at home, fed up and yearning for better times
If you are getting a lot of attention from suppliers, but not clients, it means everyone is concerned about cashflow and continuity, which should inform how you respond
If your suppliers are trying to get your attention (rather than customers) and you think to yourself, ’this is not great timing’, consider how customers may feel if you take the same approach
Within your review, a quick reminder of the key principles is a good idea to provide a baseline for further thinking and activity.
The psychology of selling still applies
Although life looks very different now, the rules and psychology of business and selling are still applicable, so don’t be tempted otherwise.
People still buy from those they trust
Purchases are still driven by emotional responses
Personal relationships with buyers are still important
Being able to connect with a seller in a real and genuine way is still powerful
People still buy from the people they are willing to put their trust in, so if your approaches ignore the fundamentals, you won’t see the best results.
With that in mind, here are some pointers on how to respond and some pointers on what to do.
Avoid bandwagons & adding to overwhelm
This is a really difficult time for everyone, so take a personal and caring approach, especially when it comes to finance; use your discretion and empathy to win hearts and minds
A lot of people are suffering from overload, especially on social media - many are taking a break too -, so try not to jump onto the bandwagon, but focus on what serves your clients and audience
What is evident is that in this digital age there are so many resources; so many websites; and so many offers on social media that people don’t know where to start
People are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of educational materials, business advice and giveaways
You need to consider how to avoid adding to people’s feeling of overwhelm and instead consider what will help - small and bite-sized is perfectly acceptable
By all means, do a giveaway, but if everyone else is doing one, your impact will suffer, so deploy it strategically and in a timely way
Do what builds up your brand and its unique personality rather than diluting it among all the other clamouring voices
Establish your new rhythm
After one week, everyone is rocking and reeling, doing their best to adjust to the new reality
You need to create a firm foundation on which you can work and be effective, even if it is not ideal
Energy levels - work when you have the most energy, whether you are a morning person or an evening person; trying to work when your body is not energised is not sustainable and won’t help you get the best results
Workspace - if you suddenly find yourself working at home or away from the office, create a space around you that motivates, inspires and serves you; try to avoid distractions and communal areas
Rachael has written a good post on this with her top tips for working from home on Instagram; see also a round-up post from Conscious Communications
Work, rest, life - ensure that you balance work with rest and all the other life admin things that need to be done; you need to look after yourself and your life holistically in order to perform
Once you’ve got yourself setup and figured out your initial approach to the new reality, you are in a place to focus on the make-or-break things (although obviously don’t wait if these need immediate attention!).
Cover the critical things
There are a few things that can be life or death in a crisis, so keeping an eye on them is key.
Cashflow - your business needs money to stay afloat, so monitor your income and expenditure carefully, especially early on; try to anticipate what’s on the horizon and make sure you know your worst-case, best-case, break-even etc. scenarios
Payments & invoices - to avoid getting into difficulties, make sure you are talking to your suppliers early on, in case your circumstances change, plus keep on top of invoicing so that money is coming in in a timely way
Central help - if you need help, there is often more assistance that you imagine - check for grants and help from central government as well as local or regional schemes
Hopefully, you have been able to review now and there is enough breathing space to gather yourself and create momentum with some fresh marketing.
Build on relationships
Your existing relationships are crucial in a crisis, as these are the people with whom you have the strongest bonds and deepest levels of trust.
Be personal - don’t dive in with your latest plan or request; ask how people are doing; continue to build your relationship; use your discretion about how you play things
Ask for referrals - this is one of the most under-utilised tools, especially if you have done a good job with a previous client. Simply ask them if they know of anyone who might need your services. Be polite; avoid being pushy - what’s the worst that could happen?
Ask for a testimonial - this is a really powerful tool in marketing, and if you’re not up to date with client testimonials, now is a good time. A short phone call and a request for a paragraph about your service generate good results. Plus, testimonials are social proof and versatile assets
Gather information - when you call previous clients, take the opportunity to ask about their hopes, dreams, fears and concerns; these are valuable insights to help you understand how to respond as a brand, and content that you could use in blogs, articles or posts
Hopefully you have avoided rushing in by now and taken the chance to consider what is best for your brand and how you can tailor your response; now you can be more proactive.
Give people what they are looking for
As with the psychology of selling, the same rules apply when it comes to content generation for your marketing - give people what they are looking for. Answer questions and meet needs.
Provide hope and certainty - when things are bad, people want encouragement, so bear that in mind and try to be the rock for your audience. Certainty is a key component in selling, alongside trust
Tips, advice & inspiration - as above, people have put life on hold, but are eager to get on with it, so how can you speak to those aspirations and help people practically work towards that?
Run a short campaign - interview previous clients to create helpful content with those tips, advice and inspiration mentioned above to keep your brand present in people’s minds
Use your blog & update your website - this is the perfect time to generate quality content for your website, which will be useful for future newsletters, proposals or tenders, plus it can help with your SEO
The final word
There’s no call to action this time - read, go away, digest and formulate your own plans and approaches. As we said in the photo caption above, if nothing else, keep smiling.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
…you’ll be a Man, my son!
From Rudyard Kipling (‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)
