No Outdoor Retailer, now what?
Right now is the time to build your brand
At a time when we’re all facing unprecedented challenges, both businesses and individuals have the opportunity to rise above the current circumstances and come out on the other side better and stronger.
While ultimately some business may end up closing their doors, we believe others will not only survive but thrive. This is a pivotal moment for companies and leaders. In order to set those wheels in motion, brands should start laying the foundation now for future success. What you do or don’t do now as a business will determine what your company looks like a month, six months and even years from now.
To stay a step ahead of the competition in a rapidly changing market means adapting your business and marketing practices to embrace the current reality. Even with businesses starting to open back up, social distancing is likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future making digital marketing more important than ever.
No OR, now what?
Like many of you, when we saw that Outdoor Retailer had to cancel its Summer Market we were bummed. Afterall, OR Summer Market is one of the premier outdoor conferences in the nation, held in one of the most beautiful cities in the country. Not only does it draw the best of the best from the outdoor industry, but it is one of the key ways that buyers and sellers connect. It’s where business is done and headlines are made.
While it may be tempting to pocket that money, now is the time to invest in marketing to help build your brand.
Now that Outdoor Retailer is canceled for the summer, what’s next? Odds are that outdoor companies had a fair amount of funding budgeted for this conference and similar events. Between registration, airline tickets, lodging and other expenses, outdoor companies may find themselves with some underspend.
While it may be tempting to pocket that money, now is the time to invest in marketing to help build your brand, grab headlines and get in front of your target audience, so that when customers are ready to shop they will spend their stimulus check on your brand.
Make the most of this time when eyeballs are held captive
You may be wondering the best way to get in front of new and existing customers when everyone is holed up in their homes and not out and about spending money.
Ironically, the current situation provides many unique opportunities. Technology is king right now and people’s eyes are glued to their devices, even more than usual, ingesting social media at a rapid rate. Marketing online has actually seen exponential growth since the onset of COVID-19.
Trends indicate that social media usage is skyrocketing. Social Media Today reports that social media usage is at an all-time high, and that is exactly why you want to invest now instead of pulling back. Overall traffic to social media sites such as Facebook has seen a 50% increase.
Influencer marketing platform Klear also analyzed how COVID-19 is affecting social media usage. Comparing trends from the week of March 7 to that of March 15, Klear noted a 15% increase in Instagram Stories with users sharing an average of 6.1 million Instagram stories each day. Viewership of those stories also rose 21% during the same timeframe.
Pinterest reported a 44% year-over-year increase in usage on its platform centered around photos. While Snapchat reports a 20% increase in users year-over-year.
Good news still in demand
The good news is that people still want good news. While headlines are dominated right now by the pandemic, journalists indicate that they are still searching for those feel-good and fun stories.
Earned media placements can go a long way to building your brand equity, and uplifting stories may be especially in demand against the backdrop of COVID-19 coverage.
What this means for your company is an opportunity to help make someone’s day better with a positive story.
A recent New York Times article indicates that during the 24-7 news-cycle of COVID-19, people are actually searching out positive stories. National Geographic Executive Editor David Beard told the Times that right now the demand for good news is unlike anything he has seen before because people are looking for a ray of hope.
What this means for your company is an opportunity to help make someone’s day better with a positive story, while also positioning your brand with public goodwill in the future.
Such stories may look like donations, volunteering or contributing to the community in some way. It is often something that people and companies do anyway, they just never take the time to stop and share their story.
That’s where WildRock PR and Marketing can help. Our team is has the media Rolodex and contacts to help land those good news stories on the front page.
Hit go when competitors say no
While other companies may scale back during this turbulent time, now is the time to establish and invest in your brand with the help of WildRock PR and Marketing. Pressing forward will show perseverance and prove to your customers that you will not only be there for them but that your company can stand firm through anything. Marketing and communication seeds sown now will grow great dividends in the months and years to come.
WildRock PR and Marketing is able to capitalize on this time when eyeballs are held captive to screens. Whether it is creating a comprehensive social media plan or making sure your posts are read with SEO optimization, WildRock’s here to tell your story the way it deserves to be told through a variety of platforms.
