Right now, most of us are just thinking about how to get by one day at a time. Not since the second world war has our planet faced such a challenge. For many businesses around the country and the world, the immediate focus of how to handle the sudden loss of customers is not only shocking, it is extremely daunting.
Daunting times are upon us
In order to get through these uncertain times, one requires a solid dose of resilience. We are all in this together. Having to close the doors to the public and retreat to the trenches is a terrible ordeal. 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 lockdown at the outset would have been an effective strategy if only it had been issued as a 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, this led to a lax approach from some sections of different communities.
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. Any slacking off at this point in time is going to be an open opportunity for your competitors who are digging in for the long haul.
If at all possible, try to find the means to maintain what you can with your efforts in the online space. 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 sight.
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. But don't let the time and opportunity pass you by to turn this unfortunate situation around — for that future date — into one of thriving.