Right now, most of us are just thinking about how to get by one day at a time. As has become infinitely clear by now to most people, this is a serious situation that we all find ourselves in.
Not since the second world war, has our planet faced such a challenge as the COVID-19 crisis.
Daunting times are upon us
For many people and businesses around the country and the world, the immediate focus of how to handle the sudden loss of customers, the inability to provide them with the goods and services that you have been doing, for some, many years or even decades, is not only shocking, it is extremely daunting.
In order to get through these uncertain times, one requires a solid dose of resilience.
We are all in this together, and as our prime minister Scott Morrison stated in his address to the nation on Sunday night, “we are in a war against this thing, and everyone has just been conscripted”. We all must do our part to defeat COVID-19 and this is no mean feat.
Having to close the doors to the public and retreat to the trenches, is a terrible ordeal to be faced with. Still this is what is required in our bid to defeat the virus, which is hellbent on spreading as far as it possibly can.
There in lies the clue.
The virus can only spread as far as we let it spread.
Lock down to elimination
Total lock-down at the outset would have been an effective strategy if only the WHO had issued this directive immediately. Securing all national borders and quarantining outbreak clusters, would have placed us in a different trajectory than the one we are faced with now.
Containment has not been effective for a number of reasons. The first being the lack of co-ordination between different countries, states and provinces. Secondly with a misunderstood profile of not affecting anyone permanently or fatally apart from the old and frail, led to a lax approach from some sections of different communities.
Medical advise is taking on these less than ideal parameters to attempt to “soften the curve” of infection and death.
This is a time lock that will be determined on a locked region by region and ultimately the world will only be free when the last case of the virus is eradicated and we have a vaccine that will inoculate the planet. For as we know, viruses exist in the animal kingdom, long after the last human case is dealt with.
There are many things we can do to limit the spread and soften the curve. Social isolating and social distancing when one has to go out, along with stringent hand washing and masking where appropriate, are the simple things that disable to a great degree the ability for this virus to spread.
Despite the immediate actions and the mid to long term effects of what is happening, we must not forget that there is the other side that we will reach, collectively as a nation and individually, replete with the opportunities in recovery that are yet to be identified.
Light at the end of the tunnel
In marketing especially with search engine presence being so important, it is vital to remember that it is a long distance race and any slacking off here, as this point in time, is going to be an open opportunity for your competitors who are digging in for the long haul.
If at possible, try to find the means to maintain what you can with your efforts in the online space, to keep producing high quality content and get engagement for this through whatever social means you can muster. Remain part of the conversation, this is how you will be a ship rising with the tide, instead of sinking out of site.
Yes there will be light at the end of the tunnel and things will return to normal, even if it is a new normal. The important thing is to be as ready to face these opportunities when the time comes.
You may indeed be focusing on survival right now, and no one can blame you for that (after all you are not a bad business person, and it is not your fault), but don’t let the time and opportunity pass you by to turn this unfortunate situation around for that future date, to a one of thriving.
