How to Plan For and Manage Major Marketing Pivots

Apr 2

Marketing is not a static process that you can set and forget. While it would be nice if you could design one marketing strategy with tactics that you put on autopilot for months to come, that is not the case. With the need for agility and resiliency, marketing is a creative and challenging industry and arguably why marketing roles are some of the most critical in business.

All businesses will need to make shifts in their marketing strategies over the short and long term, sometimes very quickly and for many different reasons.

Some of those shifts will happen slowly. You may find that you need to change your marketing approach based on what you learn from your business, marketing, and campaign analytics or changes you see in the market or in customer buying behavior.
Other shifts will be more immediate and drastic. In the event of national emergencies or major economic shifts, you may need to quickly pivot your strategy, messaging and shift your marketing mix.

With the right plans and processes in place, your brand can successfully adjust to keep up with changing times. Here are a few tips for helping your brand manage and plan for major marketing pivots.

1. Understand that marketing is always essential.

To weather a major marketing pivot, you might need to start by making a change to your mindset.

Too many businesses look at marketing as a non-essential arm of their organization. When times are good, they inject more cash into marketing. But when times are tough, marketing is often one of the first departments to get pulled back. This push and pull can lead to inconsistent messaging, customer sentiment and hurt your brand.

Marketing should always be viewed as an essential aspect of your business.

It’s how you communicate with your customers and generate revenue -- two things that are always needed no matter what is happening with your business or in the world.

2. Keep communicating with and listening to your customers.

One of the worst things you can do during a major marketing pivot is go silent. Yes, take time to listen, understand what customers are saying with an open mind to be flexible with your expertise and resources; and then shift your messaging to let your customers know you hear them.

If you have an engaged audience or customer base, you should never completely switch off your communication. It’s imperative to keep consistency in your brand visibility and messaging.

For example, if your brand usually posts on social media every day and then you stop cold and don’t post for months, customers may:

Lose interest in your brand
Be difficult to re-engage when you return
Start to think there are problems within your company
Lose trust in your organization
Begin to look to your competitors to get what they need

Keep communication lines open with your audience and customers by staying consistent with messaging frequency, listening intently, sending emails with updates and news about changes, and quickly responding to questions and mentions on social media.

3. Focus on revenue-generating tactics.

Marketing pivots, whether they are rapid or slow, usually take place because of a shift in consumer behavior or market trends. Your company must make a change because you are not bringing in as much revenue as you were before or are attracting a customer base best for your business.

When that happens, you need to reassess your marketing mix and look for the opportunities that will make an impact.

Marketing includes dozens of different tactics and strategies. They all have different goals, timelines, and end results. Focus on the tactics that will be the most cost-effective way to produce the results your brand needs right now.

When going through a pivot, it is likely that generating revenue will be your highest priority. You will need to focus on the strategies that quickly lead to sales instead of long-term brand awareness and pipeline with high-end lead generation.

Look at your reach opportunities (such as your email list, social media following, recent customers, etc.) and find opportunities to market to your most engaged and largest audiences. Adjust your marketing budget to pause brand awareness campaigns. Deprioritize marketing for events, guest posting efforts, reconsider the timing of website redesigns, etc.) and focus on strong revenue-generating tactics like:

Paid digital advertising
Remarketing campaigns
Email marketing
Support direct sales team nurture campaigns or efforts

If you don’t know what tactics will best suit your needs, talk to a professional who can help you identify what will produce the best results. Working with a lead generation professional if complimenting an in-house marketer during a disruptive time can help you quickly sort through the many marketing strategies available to you to find the best, most cost-effective way to move forward.

Plus, investing in a professional who specializes in a specific marketing sector (like hiring a Facebook ads expert instead of trying to do it on your own for the first time) is more likely to be a better use of your marketing budget. Experts are more likely to produce better results and a higher ROI than if you try to run a marketing campaign with little experience.

4. Keep up with your advertising.

Remember the mindset shift you made at the beginning of your pivot. Do not stop marketing. This is especially important as it relates to your advertising campaigns. On paper, it might seem like stopping your ads will cut costs and help your bank account.

But, the cost of not running ads on the other side of this can be higher than the cost of running them.

Many brands cut back their ad spend during economic slowdowns. During the 2008 recession, ad spend dropped by 13%. But, brands that continue to market their company while others fall off have an opportunity to capitalize on the gap in the market.

History has examples of where this strategy paid off. From Kellogg’s topping its competitor, Post Consumer Brands, during the Great Depression to Pizza Hut and Taco Bell rising above McDonald’s during the 1990-1991 recession, there is proof that keeping your brand in public view can pay off.

You may need to change up your messaging, positioning, or even offerings during a major market shift. But it remains important to keep your advertising going, even if it’s in a new direction.

Find Support For Your Marketing Pivot

Market shifts can be confusing and even a bit unnerving, but you can get through it and possibly even benefit from it with the right marketing pivot.

If your brand is going through a market shift and you are dealing with a major change in consumer behavior and economic changes -- SpotOn Digital is here to help.

Learn more in the webinar below.

Contact SpotOn to see how we can help you assess your goals and challenges and identify the best marketing methods for you to quickly make a positive impact with your marketing strategies.

Amanda Sanz