Panic is an evolved, natural emotional response to negative external stimuli, marked by a sudden and overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety. Our emotional self takes over, we flee, we follow the herd, thinking we’re running for safety. The rational part of us shuts down. Yet more often than not, decisions made in the state of panic are suboptimal, just as purely rational decisions may not lead to ideal outcomes. It’s tempting to ditch your marketing efforts in hard economic times. Stop at the temptation.
Consistent implementation of a well thought out marketing strategy – one that incorporates contingencies – is the most effective way to achieve your triple bottom line objectives. Continue the conversations you’ve started with your customers, the relationships you’ve cultivated, offer them resources to deal with their challenges, be the brand you pledged to be. In return, your customers will come to trust your brand as one that’s there for them, in good and in bad, standing tall while your competitors have run away and left them out in the cold.
Take postal carriers. The General Post Office in New York bears the inscription, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Postal carriers have a job to do and you can count on them to do it, no matter what. Adapt the motto to your brand: “Neither bank failures nor credit crunch nor nationalization of the economy nor gloom of recession stays our brand from the consistent delivery on our promise.”
Panic is futile – bad things will happen. The best we can do is be prepared, be there, and stay who we are.
Photo credit: ~Dezz~. Under Creative Commons license.
