Raising brand awareness in your community while people are at home offers fresh opportunities to demonstrate your authenticity, empathy and agility.

Stay active in your community: Associate your brand with doing good

People will remember brands for their acts of kindness in a time of crisis, especially if done with authenticity, generosity and compassion. Donating food, providing free products for medical personnel or continuing to pay employees while a company’s doors are closed are a few examples of doing good. Consumers will likely remember how Ford, GE, and 3M partnered to repurpose manufacturing capacity and put people back to work making respirators and ventilators to fight coronavirus. However, you need to show that your contributions are not solely for commercial benefit but for the good of your community.

Sponsor new events: Support some of the new normal celebrations

Who would ever have ever imagined drive-by birthdays or celebrations of other important milestones? Can you sponsor one of these gatherings and give away branded gifts from the side of the road with a lawn sign promoting your agency?

Remember signage: Show your community colors

Crises can unite communities. Frequently, each locale will show their support for a cause with physical, visible signs, such as yellow ribbons and flags. If you have an office in town, don’t let it look vacant with letters piling at the door. Follow marketing common sense. If everyone supports your local hospital, buy a sign that shows you contributed at the office, even if you really aren’t there.

Support your clients’ businesses: Demonstrate loyalty & empathy

Show your clients in the community you care by using their curbside food deliveries. Purchase gift cards from their businesses to help them keep their heads above water and make it through this difficult time.

Give something away for free: Your advice could help a lot of people in need

Businesses are showing empathy in many ways such as banks waiving overdraft fees, and SAP making its Qualtrics Remote Work Pulse platform free to companies who might be rapidly transitioning to new ways of working. Can you help people figure out their financial quandaries and avoid making simple mistakes? A favor today will build massive goodwill for future business.

Keep building your network: Even face-to-face forums have gone virtual

Don’t ignore your business networking organizations. If you haven’t joined any of their virtual events, make sure to try. You may be very surprised who you meet the next time they hold an online event.

Tell your new story: Amplify all your good acts on social media

Remember to document your time in quarantine. Take pictures of your team in masks. Show videos when you helped out at the foodbanks. Using social media channels to share information on nearly all topics from government safety guidelines to how to help our fellow neighbors and local charities is our new normal. Demonstrate your true personality and show you have adapted to the times.

Don’t stop advertising: Stay in front of the community in a tasteful manner

The need for advertising may be greater than ever in times like these. However, you will probably need to reevaluate the appropriateness of the images and messages. You may want to pull the stock pictures of seniors on cruises!

Will raising brand awareness in your community translate into long-term loyalty or sales? 

There’s no guarantee that raising brand awareness in your community will lead to long-term loyalty or sales. However, doing well by doing good can only strengthen your brand.

In summary, be mindful of 5 things: