Avoiding Tone-deafness in Marketing
Something we get asked frequently is how to avoid sounding tone-deaf in marketing efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it’s very important to avoid tone-deafness during this time, it’s not the only time to avoid this issue. Tone-deafness in marketing has been an ongoing issue for some time and should always be avoided.
Being tone-deaf within your content means that you are avoiding the larger issue at hand. The environment we are currently living in is a perfect example for this. Continuing your marketing efforts “business as usual” is not going to fly. Avoid this by acknowledging the current state of the world and guiding your content around it. In this article, find everything you need to know on how to avoid sounding tone-deaf in your marketing efforts.
Stay Connected
In order to avoid your content sounding tone-deaf, you need to stay connected with current events. Understand what is occurring in society and incorporate that with your staffing firm’s brand. It’s important to do this tastefully. You are not trying to turn your marketing efforts into thought leadership on these topics, you are attempting to share that you understand what is happening in the world around you. For example, many marketing communications during COVID-19 have continued to seek face-to-face meetings when it was not possible.
Currently, our world is tackling many issues, and as a staffing firm, you cannot forget them. Continuing with the example of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of our clients have published blog articles that are relevant to the industry, but take the coronavirus into consideration. A client of ours had published a blog article on how to have a successful video interview since in-person interviews are not feasible at this point in time. Another client of ours published a blog article about how to stay productive working from home. These are all great examples of how to stay connected with the current times all while staying true to your staffing firm brand.
Listen to Your Audience
Your social audience and clients should be the first thing on your mind when creating content for your marketing efforts. It’s important to monitor social media to see what your target audience is engaging with and gain a full understanding of the issues they are invested in or are affected by. For instance, a client of ours noticed the vast majority of people that are working from home or were even laid-off or furloughed as a result of the pandemic. In response to this, they conducted a work-from-home survey to analyze how their target audience is amending to our new “normal”. This is a great example of listening to your audience and basing your content around that. It avoids the tone-deafness many brands fall victim to.
It’s vital to know your audience so you don’t convey the wrong message. Now more than ever, communication is important. Now more than ever, marketers need to be very mindful of what they say and how often they are saying it. People want to feel reassured and heard during times of crisis, and marketers have the advantage of addressing those challenges for them and assuring that they are not alone and that you have solutions for them. It’s important that businesses do not disregard large issues, but as mentioned earlier, make sure you are conveying the right message.
Review Before Posting
It’s a given that all content should be reviewed several times before posting. When avoiding tone-deafness, it’s very important that multiple people review your content before it is published or sent to others. Really think about what you are saying before you send. Think to yourself, “is this conveying the right message?” or “am I using the right tone?” When it comes to marketing, many mistakes can be made so it’s important that many people voice their opinions before it’s released. Keep in mind that you want to think of various ways to interpret what you are saying.
Avoiding tone-deafness in marketing is an ongoing issue regardless. It’s something every staffing firm needs to consider at all times when creating content. Consider your audience, consider the times, consider all issues. For more direction on avoiding tone-deafness in your marketing efforts, contact us.
About S.J.Hemley Marketing
S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations. www.sjhemleymarketing.com