CAREER

How Marketers Can Get Their Groove Back

Erica Martell
EAM Marketing

How Marketers Can Get Their Groove Back It’s been a tumultuous time for marketing folks with more than 3 months of pandemic change. Most of us are working from home, altering our physical and mental space and some of us will slowly reintegrate into a newly configured workspace. One of the things I find most interesting about marketing is that marketers are always challenged to reinvent and find new ways to reach customers. Here are 5 steps to get you back in the groove:

1. Hone-in on your customers’ needs as if you were swimming in their skin

How does your customer/business rebound; what’s most important to them right now? Then, listen and respond with “pathological empathy,” an apt term coined by Ann Handley of MarketingProfs. Now is the perfect time to build long-term relationships with your customers and not just dive in for the quick fix.

2. Avoid clichés like ‘We’re Here for You’ or ‘in these unprecedented times’

Do you know how many times I’ve heard these words on TV, radio or read them over the past few months? Here are some alternative suggestions: unimaginable, challenging, troubled or even bizarre. Be authentic with your customers and speak their language.

3. Get creative

Did you know that Sir Isaac Newton discovered calculus during the London pandemic? Having survived calculus in college, I’m not sure I’m better off for it. The point is, I’ve seen so many people get really creative with how they’ve been reaching their customers. A comic bookstore owner in Queens is selling its stuff on Instagram and thriving, and some restaurants created beautiful outdoor dining to attract customers. This is also a creative time to collaborate with other brands.

4. Think with an expansive mindset

Now is not the time to hold back your marketing dollars for fourth quarter. A lot of companies hold off until things stabilize before moving forward. As marketers, we know that ROI takes time. Figure out where to maximize your budget and take advantage of where to advertise. Right now, many advertisers are using LinkedIn to reach their market or business. There are other ways to reach your customers — just take time to figure that out.

5. ‘Go big or go home’

I remember Kate White telling this to a NYWICI audience. She had left her job as editor-in-chief of “Cosmopolitan” magazine to continue her career as an author. Kate talked about a photo shoot that she was doing at “Cosmopolitan,” where one of her creative team rented a herd of buffalo for the shoot. She loved the brazenness, and, of course, included it in the editorial piece.

Now is the time for us to become leaders in our industry;, step up and market bravely. How do you think that you can get on-board?

Erica A. Martell

EAM Marketing

Erica is a marketer, content and business development writer and social media professional. She generates leads and grows revenue for clients by working smart, even with the most challenging of budgets. She is also recognized for her traditional integrated marketing campaigns which include direct mail, e-mail and online. Skilled in the strategy and execution of key messaging and social media for B-to-B events, programs and services, she tells clients’ stories in a clear and compelling way to drive engagement and profits.

She has consulted for a range of organizations in education and professional development, including Kumon N. America and Pace University. Erica is a member of NYWICI from which she received a Membership Empowerment Grant and she holds a BA from Allegheny College.