Right now, we are all working to understand and grasp the full impact COVID-19 is having, and will have, on business, the economy and our overall health and well-being. And just like we as individuals are making adjustments and changing plans, organizations are making course corrections too. Marketing dollars have shifted and priorities are being renegotiated, all with the goal of reaching customers where they’re at with compassionate and relevant messages.
As we examine this “altered state” businesses are finding themselves in, we want to highlight the successes we’ve found. This page will continually be updated with the stories of organizations that are making innovative and often necessary shifts in the midst of this pandemic. It’s our hope that you can learn from these stories and find ways to apply these tactics in your own marketing.
Tandem365:
Developed Crisis Communication Plan
Tandem365 provides medical case management and in-home community paramedicine to elderly and at-risk individuals. Through innovative services, like telehealth, wellness coaching, transportation, care coordination and specialized visits, Tandem365 enriches and transforms the lives of its participants.
When the pandemic hit, leaders were faced with a challenge: how to virtually deliver in-home care and coordinate services from the homes of dozens of staff members. Additionally, Tandem365 realized improvements were needed to its crisis communications plans.
In this video, CEO Teresa Toland talks about the plan improvements, as well as how staff and participants have remained safely connected during this time.
Metro Health-University of Michigan Health:
Campaign for Virtual Visits
Metro Health – University of Michigan Health is at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19. The organization is balancing treating coronavirus patients while still delivering the patient-centered, world-class care the system is known for.
Patient health and safety being paramount, Metro Health wanted to ensure patients who needed specialty care visits or had illnesses other than COVID-19 could still be seen and treated, even if they didn’t feel comfortable coming into the office.
Executive Vice President, Medical Group President and Chief Population Health Officer Dr. Raki Pai discussed how Metro Health pivoted from virtual visits to in-person visits as well as the importance of communication both internally and externally.
Stiles Machinery:
Shift to Video Production and Educational Webinars
As a global leader in industrial manufacturing machinery, Stiles Machinery is known for its manufacturing solutions, experienced and responsive support teams, nationally accredited education and training programs and expansive parts inventory. While headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, the company has regional offices in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and California.
Stay-at-home orders issued in states across the country halted live events and tradeshows, created logistical struggles for traveling service technicians and forced sales reps and non-essential staff members to work remotely. But as you’ll hear from Stiles digital marketing specialist Andrew Swanson, all of these struggles lead to an acceleration of digital innovation.
Frontier Computer Corp:
Create Content That Meets Audience Needs
Frontier Computer Corp. is one of the leading distributors of enterprise networking solutions to value added resellers. Frontier jumped into action in response to stay at home orders across the country, by creating timely and relevant content. Resellers were looking for solutions to equip remote workers with VPN access, and Frontier saw an opportunity to provide advice.
Frontier created a blog post with detailed tips about remote VPN access and recommended Peplink products. The message resonated with audiences and it was distributed through multiple communication channels. Peplink, the product manufacturer, also shared the article on its social media platforms, highlighting it as a valuable resource.
Julian Winery:
Shift from In-Person Visits to Digital Connections
When St. Julian Winery’s tasting rooms across the state were closed as a result of social distancing and stay at home guidelines, the company had to get creative. A significant amount of wine sales come from the tasting rooms, so St. Julian needed to find a way to engage customers and give them safe, easy access to the wine they love.
In response, the winery shifted its focus to online sales and offered a penny shipping promotion and discounted prices. Through the use of a Facebook ad campaign, the promotion produced a 1,485% ROAS from the end of March into April.
Director of digital marketing, Justin Weeks, talked with us about how customers reacted to the Facebook ad campaign, and he detailed other digital marketing tactics St. Julian is experiencing success with.