7Ps of Marketing During Pandemic

1. The 4Ps of MarketingAmidCOVID-19:StrategyReassessmentandAdjustment
For many organizations, COVID-19 has turned the 4Ps of marketing—product,place, price, and promotion—into4Cs:
confusion, calamity, chaos, and complexity.
The situationcallstomindAtulGawande'sThe ChecklistManifesto,whichdescribeshow,fromoperatingroomstoaircraft
cockpits,organizationsuse checklistsformitigatingandmanagingcomplicatedconditions.Thoughnota checklistperse,
the 4Ps that providedmanyof us our first frameworkof marketingcan alsoserve as simple butmeaningful checkpoints
for assessing and, if needed, adjusting marketing strategy when severe and unexpected disruptions surface.
First,though,let'sagree ona commondefinition.Despitevariationsandnuances,atitscore B2B marketingstrategyisan
organization's overall approach for reaching prospective buyers and converting them into customers of the services or
products the business provides.
As the coronavirus pandemic has shown, many businesses are grappling with how to adjust their strategy, while others
are exemplifying effective and decisive action.
Reassessing and Readjusting the 4Ps
Product
Balancing short- and long-term needs is one of the most pressing challenges of product-related decisionscompelled by
disruptions of such significance.
The questionformanyisthis:Whatproductchangescanwe implementnow tobestserveourcustomersandcommunities
without negatively impacting what we can contribute in the longer-term?
That has taken the form of temporarily narrowing selections to focus on "essential items" and reduce supply chain
burdens, as well as allocating some portion of production resources to deliver crisis-related goods.
Suddenchangesto userbehaviorwill alsocompel adjustmentsinproductroadmaps. In thisregard,Facebook'spivotsin
the wake of COVID-19 provide an excellent example, as Bloomberg details. After first focusing on stopping coronavirus
misinformation on the network, Facebookshifted resources away from in-person focus areas, such as Facebook Events
andFacebookMarketplace,toprovidemore support,security,andfunctionalitytoareassuchasFacebookLive,Facebook
Messenger, and WhatsApp, where user demand spiked significantly.
Place
How buyersphysicallyengage with businesses and receive products and services has also been dramatically affected.
The primary question for brands and businesses is this: How can we adjust employee and customer interactions to
maximize safety and still deliver what customers want and need?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, considering the differences in respective businesses and their models, but here too
some recurring approaches have surfaced:
Implementation of chat where not present before, or expanded chat and phone support hours
Virtual alternatives to previously in-person or sales-guided activities (e.g., self-guided demos, how-to videos)
Expanded delivery and touchless options for product receipt and service implementation
Increases in online educational content and FAQs to support ngagement and information gathering activity from afar
Price

2. With economic uncertainty and adversity, buyers are understandably exercising more caution before saying yes to
purchase decisions.Thoughprice is sometimes paramount, expenditure timing and conditions are also crucial factors.
Businessesand brands need to ask themselves,What pricing adjustments, offers, or changes to buying terms can we
extend to put prospects more at ease with procuring what they need?
As many would surmise, this is not simply a marketing question; rather, it will need input from multiple functional
stakeholders, from Operations to Finance. Though companies continue to unveil creative approaches to enticing
purchases, these are themes that have surfaced date:
Removal of or changes to ancillary fees (e.g., shipping and handling) to encourage buying channel shifts
Allowances for delayed payments and expanded financing options
Extended free trials and broader cancellation condition options
Lowered or bundled pricing to support higher average order volumes, even at lesser margins
Promotion
Organizations need to assess not only the tactics or mediums they use to engage their audiences and deploy their
marketing strategy but also the context of the messages they're transmitting via those channels.
That elicits two related questions:
Will audiences seek out information related to my product or service in the same ways they always have?
What do they need to hear from us in those messages?
We know,forexample,thatB2Bwhothathave become accustomedtogettinginformationviaconferencesandin-person
exchanges are having to turn to digital channels even more.
Marketers will need to make obviousshifts in promotional spending, and some not as obvious ones, as well,by paying
close attentiontoperformance metricsthatcansignal where otherchangesneedtobe appliedacrossthe varioustactics
they use.
As for what messages are being promoted, B2B organizations should take care to blend commerce and compassion.
QuickBooks provides a good example. It reallocated previously planned media time and spend on an '80s-oriented
campaignaimedatbusinessesthatserveas"the backboneof oureconomy"witha"salutetotheirgritanddetermination."
The commerce aspectwassubtle,butQuickBooksmade itclearthatits"doorsare open"andit'stheretoprovidesupport.
Understanding and Adaptation
Marketing strategies were not conceivedwith disruptors like the coronavirus even remotely in mind.But respondingto
the business challenges the pandemic has wrought is something that marketers are well-suited to help address.
That’s because asmarketerswe're dailydriventounderstandandadjusttoour customers'needsandpainpoints,find
creative solutionstoaddresstheirneeds,andmeetthemwhere theyare withmessagesthatshow "we knowwhatyou
are goingthroughand we are here to help."
The speedat whichleadersandmarketersare havingtocome to gripswiththe current climate andcraft effective
responsesrequirescuttingthroughthe 4Csof chaos, calamity,confusion,andcomplexity.A deliberate reviewof the 4Ps
of marketinginthe contextof thistemporarynew normal isahelpful constructtoensure yourmarketingstrategy
remainsonthe bestpossible course.
1. Product - ConsiderYourOffer
Customersmaybe strugglingtoaccess yourproduct or finditlessuseful now astheirprioritieshave changedin
response toCOVID-19.To combatthis,your firmmaylookto developanew productline orperhapsprovidingthe same

3. products,butto a newaudience.Understandinghow the pandemicmighthave changedyourproductandservice offer
inthe mindsof yourtarget audience willhelpyourestructure yourmarketingmix.
Try to explore whatadjustmentsmightbe possibletokeepyourofferrelevant.Forexample:canthe productpackaging
be changedto allow forposting?Canthe USPs of the productbe adjustedtocombatthe virus? Doesthe contentof a
service orproduct allowforamendmentstobringadditional valueinthe currentenvironment?
Have a lookat triedandtestedtechniquessuchasthe Ansoff Matrix. Modelslike thiscanbe usedtoassessyour
productofferand helpinspire youtoexplore new growthstrategiesand create additional salesopportunitiesandideas.
2. Pricing– The Price Is Right?
Currently,some businessesmaystill notbe able tosell theirservicesforanyprice.Some firmsmayhave continuedbut
withaddedcosts,and therefore prices,for deliveryof theirgoods,forexample.Some ‘hot’productshave increasedin
price due to scarcity fromhighdemand.
It’sa complex landscape andhighlysituationalbynature.
However,here are some thoughtsthatmayhelp.Canyou adjustpricingtokeepyourofferattractive? Canyou provide
discountstospecificmarketsegmentstokeepyoufrontof mindand enhance yourbrand?NHSor KeyWorkers,for
example?Shouldyourbusinessmove toawholesalepricingmodeltosell more of the productina single transaction?
Can youpass on cost savings?
Conversely,cana price increase be sustained,andjustified,forproductsthatare inhighdemand?
In all cases,the marketwill decide,andultimatelyyoursaleswill show if yourpricingisappropriate.Thatsaid,
perceptionsof profiteeringorprice gougingwill notenhance yourbrand,soavoidthat!
3. Place - Make BeingFoundEasy
The abilitytosell face to face isnow muchreducedas social distancingremainsinplace.Butonce lockdownacrossthe
country graduallybeginstobe lifted,more businesseswillstarttore-open.Some firmsmightre-openphysical locations,
while othersmightcontinuetooperate online.Also,manycompaniesoperatinghoursmayhave changedto
accommodate lowerstaffinglevels.Underthesefluidconditionskeepingcustomersinformedof where,whenandhow
to findyouiscritical.
Of course,manyfirmshave movedtoeCommerce platformsoftenwithgreatsuccess;it’llbe anew elementof their
offerthey’ll happilysustain.Andfor businessesoperatingonline,the so-called“frictionless”buyerjourneyiscrucial to
understand.
Accordingto eMarketer’sFrictionlessCommerce 2020 report,thiscan take the form of streamlineddigital transactions
and click-and-collectpickup,which canfasttrack the processandincrease shoppingfrequency.A review of youronline
marketingandconversionmodel maybe aworthyactivitytoplan.
But whatabout face-to-face sales?Oneswhere there’saneedtomeeta consultantortrainer.Currently,thiswillbe
difficult. Alternativesmaybe videoconferencingenhancedbythe creationof videosoranimationsthatdemonstrate
the product or service qualitiesmore effectively.
Businessesshouldensure theyupdate the website,directorylistingssuch asGoogle myBusiness,social mediaaccounts,
as well asany Adcampaignsto reflectanynewoperatingconditionsandassure clientsthe businesshasmade a real
efforttobe COVID-19‘friendly’.

4. 4. Promotion - Ensure Your MessagingResonatesWithYour ‘New’Audience
Withheightenedworriesandanxietiesinall areasof life,it’simportanttoamendyourcore messagingtobe relevantto
the current environment.Itiscrucial thatyou speakto yourtarget audience inthisnew worldandthatyourtone of
voice isappropriate andsupportive.Definingyourmessagingapproachwill helpshape the contentthatyoudevelopand
the formsin whichyoudeliverit.
Opportunitiesdoexist.Are there anypositivePRmessagesyoucansendout?Can youmove budgetsto channelsthat
remainviable likeAdWordsorSocial Mediaadvertising?Canyouincrease SEOsupportive worklikebloggingtokeep
staff occupied?Are there channelsthe businesscanexplore youhaven’ttriedlikepressadverts,perhaps?
Try to discoverwaysto helpclientsnavigate the COVID-19challenge asitrelatesyourproductsandservicesand
promote accordingly.Remember,thisisanopportunitytoshow yourcustomersthatyouunderstandtheirneeds,so
avoidgenericcorporate emailsandoptfora personalisedchat.Thinkabouthow youwouldlike tobe approachedif the
situationwere reversed.Whatlanguage wouldmake yourespond?
Inspirationcanalsobe foundby lookingatwhatotherbusinessesare doing(orfailingtodo) toinformyourmarketing
strategy.Your competitorscanprovide agreatsource of informationandideas.Theyare respondingtothe same
challengesasyouforthe same target market,sothere may be much to learnfromthem.
However,the mostcompellingvoice to listentoisthat of your customers.Listencarefullytowhattheyare saying,
where theyare sayingitand the substance of what they’re saying.Thisisyourbiggestclue astowhat theywantand
where theywantto findit.
5. Processes – The KeysTo Value
Businessesare ahive of differentprocesses,andthese canoftenbe complex.Buttheyare essential toensure a
consistentapproachthroughoutafirm’svalue chain.Tobetterunderstandyouroperations,auseful approachistotrace
the product delivery processfrominitial contacttofinal delivery.PutonyourCOVID-19gogglesandtry to findthe pinch
pointsor partsthat are no longerworkingatthe moment.
Issueswill undoubtedlybe aboutareasof preventingpotential infection,clientsafetystemmingfromthe fulfilment
processor maybe the productitself.
Reviewingandreengineeringprocessescanhelpbusinessesidentifyadjustments.So,forexample,couldmovingtoan
outboundtelemarketingmodelreplace face toface sales?Cana move to eBayor Etsy replace physical sales?Canfood
businessesdevelopadeliverymodel toreplace theirdiningroomoperations?
Can youget urgentproductsout more quickly,orcan youadjustyour processestohelpvulnerable clients?Whilesome
of these changesmay be challenging,the impacttheycanhave on customerperceptionandtherefore yourbrandcould
be profound.
6. People –Everyone’sAnAmbassador
By itsnature Coronavirusisa humancrisis.Andit’sthe work of humansthat will solve the issuesinvolved.That’swhy
ensuringyourstaff are playinga vital andappreciatedrole.Tohelpyourfirm, theymayneedtoenhance theirsales
techniquesorlearnnewprocesseslike telesalestoreplace quietchannels.
There may be a needto acquire customercomplaintmanagementskills. Ensuringstaff are motivated,incentivised,
enthused,andcustomer-focusedcanmake a bigdifference. If there’samaximthat’scommoninthe currentcrisis,it’s:
‘we’re all inthistogether’.Helpingyourstaff toembrace thisideawill make themmore likelytolandsales,retain
customersandkeepthe businesstrading.

5. External toyour businessyoucancultivate otherkindsof ambassadors.Clientswhoare satisfiedwithyouroffercanput
5-star reviewsonplatformslikeFeefoor Google Business.Don’tbe afraidtocontact yourclientsandactivelyaskfor
testimonialsthatwill increase yourauthenticitytonew customers.
Thinkof your partners,suppliersandstakeholdersasanextensionof yourbusiness;asaresource,youcan utilise tohelp
youthrough these challengingtimes.Don’tbe afraidtoaskfor help.
Look at, TarsierSpirit,aGreater Manchestergindistillerywhichhadtomove salesonlineandthusdecidedtopartnerup
withthe Gin to My Tonic platformtoreach more customers.
7. Physical Environment –ManagingTouchpoints
Whenthe newlockdownbeginstoliftandmore premisesandofficesstarttoopen,a new setof issueswillemerge.
You’ll needtosee howyourbusinessintermsof layout,pointof sale,staff training,productmanagement,use of PPEor
signage will facilitateasafe purchase or workingenvironment.
Businesseswill needtounderstandhowtheirphysical deliverymodel will impactoncustomersandstaff.Clientswill
wantto knowtheyare safe and that theycan complywithguidance onsocial distancing.
They’ll lookforstrongsignalsonhowtheycan physicallyinteractwithabusinessinarisk-free waythatassuresthem
theycan buy withconfidenceandthoroughlyenjoytheirpurchases.
Happily,there isawealthof information,signageandresourcesavailableonthe SafelyRe-openingourWorkplaces
website toassistbusinessesof all kindstoimplementthe requiredchanges.