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lots of brand, marketing and comms folks out here trying to make sense of how to do their jobs (selling things/ideas) when all their audiences are dealing with A Lot
right now. it feels weird to write a retention email during a pandemic but you have a job bc you need one so 
right now. it feels weird to write a retention email during a pandemic but you have a job bc you need one so
hopefully, said job is selling things/ideas of value to people, which makes the weirdness considerably more manageable and less actually weird. either way, you have a job to do and also the job of being a good human. i don't see those as mutually exclusive.
in fact, being a good human first is the foundation of my marketing approach at all times but especially — ESPECIALLY — during a crisis. what's that mean in practice? lemme dust off my guidelines for ya right quick:
1. DTR. define the relationship of your brand/client to the crisis. is it internal? external? directly related or not? get real clear on this and make sure everyone on the team knows the deal.
2. shut up for a second. hit pause on your campaigns. evaluate the tone, creative and CTAs. put what doesn't work on ice, adjust what's almost working and resume things that work as is. killing your darlings is better than killing your relationship with your audience.
3. listen, listen, listen. this means social media and surveys and feedback loops but also reach out to individual people in your audience and connect 1:1. and when you do, remember your job is to LISTEN (not talk or lead the convo).
4. bust those silos. look, marketing/strategy shouldn't exist in a vacuum to begin with but now's the time to blow those internal gates open. best case, you get to way better solutions way faster. worst case, other depts know you know your shit (and understand it more).
5. assess where your brand adds value. this step is the culmination of 1-4, and it's where you can make your brand shine...sometimes by doing something really valuable and cool, sometimes by knowing to do nothing at all.
at any point in this process, remind yourself:
it's not about you.
if it feels icky, that's because it is.
be a human first.
it's not about you.
if it feels icky, that's because it is.
be a human first.
