In this unprecedented situation, marketers face many difficulties to communicate with their customers. Many of the audiences were unsubscribed from the campaign lists. Brands are confused about what to do next.
The good news is that psychologists can help you to do effective marketing. They know how to handle people’s stress and anxiety. Psychologists say that people do not want to be treated as victims. They want to do something in this difficult situation.
So, brands have to empower their audience through meaningful connections. By helping people to do something, we can make them feel stronger and can engage them in a powerfully emotional way. Research in psychology tells that humans have evolved in two stress response systems, which will be used occasionally at different times and in different situations. These two can be used for different marketing approaches.
On the one hand, there is the fight-or-flight response, which is deeply panicked to survive and ready for physical activity. This response has to be encouraged and appreciated. On the other hand, there is the lesser-known tend-and-befriend response to stress, which tends people to survive. In this difficult period, the brands have to stand along with people. It’s all about giving, sharing, providing, and caring. Not a dramatic, dragged-out war.
The psychologists are saying that there is a huge potential in ‘helping people to help’ to cope up with stress. People want to do something by helping others. But they are restricted from social distancing norms and other regulations. The brand can do this by setting up helping challenges, fundraising campaigns, thanking people, etc. There must be emotional equity and authenticity in our actions.
Psychologists are suggesting to follow these steps to make impactful helping campaigns;
- Tell people how valuable their help is
- Show them how valuable it is with images, stories, and numbers
- Allay any concerns that may be obstacles to helping
- Make things foolproof so that people succeed at helping
- Make the end goal clear and tangible so people know they’ve succeeded
- Make people feel socially connected in the process
- Let people brag a little through social media and other channels
UberEATS slashed their delivery charges for local restaurants, for empowering them. JOANN’S led a nationwide mask-making drive and supplied free fabrics to mask makers. These are examples of helping campaigns. You can develop your own helping equations for your campaigns.
