Without a doubt, in one way or another, every living human being on the planet has been impacted by the disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many individuals have been forced to re-evaluate their priorities about what is important in life, and how normal busyness and distractions caused by everything from technology to media and chasing the “shiny objects” they thought would make them happy have led to disappointment in their exchange for things of lasting value, including family, relationships and spiritual development.
Now as our nation collectively considers how to open up and come out of the quarantine imposed by COVID-19, most corporations and businesses (both large and small) as well as churches, ministries and non-profits alike have begun considering – and many are actively planning – how they will effectively emerge from this pandemic and step into an unpredictable new “normal.” It will likely be true that after companies return to the office things will never be the same. Thankfully, as a result of what we have experienced and how we have changed – they will likely be better.
Due to recent major market shifts caused by the coronavirus outbreak, former methods and metrics distinguishing an entity’s unique value proposition, brand promise or marketing distinctive from its competitors may no longer be affordable or otherwise feasible, due to safety or other concerns. With these restrictions in mind, how can you seek to reestablish and differentiate your brand identity moving forward into a future yet unknown?
Every marketplace, ministry and/or non-profit leader knows their business, regardless of whether they provide products or services for God, the Common Good or merely to generate profitable revenue. An owner of a plumbing company, for instance, could easily tell you that they provide quality plumbing services. Likewise, a pastor can communicate that his church exists to provide a transformative message of hope, backstopped by meeting spiritual and physical assistance and support to both congregants and the community. The “what” behind one’s work is generally very clear. However, another factor beyond the “what” not often as apparent in driving individuals to engage with a given brand is the “why.”
It is no longer sufficient for a business or ministry to simply provide a product or service or to address a felt need. Audiences and consumers want to know why they should give your brand their time, money and attention instead of pursuing or supporting other available options. Especially in our current climate where consumers are just as uncertain about the future as product and service providers, it’s predictable that they will be more apt than ever to do their research before investing increasingly limited resources, especially for the more than 40 million individuals unemployed since the start of the pandemic. The best way to establish your “why” and truly speak to your audience is to develop your unique brand story.
In a previous blog, we divulged more components of the process that can serve as a template for guiding you toward the formation of your brand story. In addition to reviewing those suggested steps in the narrative creation process, I would highly encourage you to consider how COVID-19-related events and changes to the general and your vertical market landscapes might have altered your “why.”
Perhaps your film company previously made movies primarily to entertain audiences. But now, in light of everything that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, watching a movie is more than a fun escape for consumers. It can be a shared experience that unites couples and children through an inspiring story, which produces a starkly different positive effect on families than when they are primarily watching an incessant barrage of negative news events unfolding in real-time on their flatscreen televisions. One produces joy and connectedness; the other, anxiety and fear.
Those pastors who resisted live-streaming Sunday services as an option until COVID-19 forced them to pivot and provide “digital church” can no longer consider that audience as less committed or on the fringe. Rather, pastors need to continue to focus on the mission and message – not the methods. Further, recognize that in the new normal, “new wineskins” of technology provide additional transformative tools to communicate and connect, enabling the church to expand from being exclusively facility-centered to home-centered.
Or, maybe your ministry once operated on the basis of feeding and sheltering the homeless to ensure they are safe and do not go hungry; but now it may be more pertinent to include practical healthcare protections and PPE provision as part of your ministry outreach methods to help safeguard homeless individuals and other at-risk populations such as elderly congregants from the coronavirus.
Sometimes, brand stories need to change, and that’s okay. The key to a brand story that remains effective is adapting it to speak to the changing needs of your audience. As we move forward from COVID-19 and its many subsequent changes, you have an opportunity to self-identify and stand out.
So, as states and economies across our nation begin to open up, how will you share your brand story?
By A. Larry Ross is Founder & CEO of A. Larry Ross Communications as part of the June, “a word from our founder,” blog series.