Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of lockdown. It’s an incredibly exciting time for your brand and your audience as you prepare for your grand reopening. According to a study conducted by Leo Burnett, titled ‘Opening Up: Australia Today and Tomorrow,’ customers are “craving a sense of momentum again” and ready for new experiences. Leo Burnett’s head of strategy states that, “the exciting part for brands” in a post lockdown world will be “how they shift their behaviour, and better support people as they seek to create a world that better serves them.”So, how do you support your audience as they adapt to life post lockdown? What does ‘business as usual’ look like after months of being at home? And how do you transition from being closed or operating remotely for an extended period of time? As you return to your regular style of business, there are some steps you can take to make the process as smooth as possible, both for your brand and your audience. Read on to discover some of our tips as you gear up for your reopening.
Four fabulous tips to revive your brand’s marketing strategy post lockdown.
Get in touch with your audience
As lockdown lifts, it’s essential to reconnect with your audience and let them know you’re open for business. Share how excited you are to welcome them through your doors again. Highlight that you’re ready and eager to help them with your products and services. You should tap into your database of email addresses to send out an email blast, notifying customers of your official reopening date or changes you’re making now that lockdown is ending. Include links to make bookings and purchases or send enquiries, to make your reopening as accessible as possible. You’ll also want to post the news across all your social media platforms to generate excitement and increase audience engagement. Create a Facebook event or set a countdown on your brand’s Instagram story to build anticipation and make your reopening a special occasion. Coming out of lockdown is a time to come together and celebrate, so you want your audience to feel welcomed, excited, and part of a community again.
Share your safety measures
While the lockdown ending is an exciting time, it’s natural that your customers may have some hesitations about being in shared spaces. You want everyone to feel as comfortable as possible, so make sure to explain what safety measures your place of business is implementing. Some of these precautions may include reduced capacity or seating, switching to contactless menus and payment methods and ensuring that staff are wearing masks and gloves. Clearly communicate these new measures with your audience by updating your website, sending out emails and posting the information across your social platforms. Make sure to emphasise that keeping your customers and staff safe and comfortable is your number one priority. Demonstrating that you’re committed to reopening as safely as possible will assure your audience that they’re being looked after and increase their trust in your brand. By alleviating any safety concerns customers may have, you’ll shift their focus to having positive experiences with your brand and enjoying the end of lockdown.
Plan a promotional event
Coming out of lockdown is a time of celebration, so it’s a great opportunity for a promotional event for your brand. By marking the occasion with an event, you’ll turn your reopening into an exciting announcement and boost audience engagement even more. You could create a new menu item or organise a special, one-off live performance at your place of business. Find ways to collaborate with another brand, so you can cross-promote each other and widen your audience. You could stock a selection of each other’s products at your places of business for a limited time, or create an exclusive item or service together to celebrate your reopening. Customers are eager for new experiences after being in a lockdown, so you want to deliver something fresh and different. Make sure to build hype in the lead up to your promotional event with a well-planned content calendar, so your audience is both prepared and excited for it.
Find ways to give back
Everyone is excited to get back to ‘business as usual,’ but it’s important to remember that for many people, lockdown has been a sensitive time. As you’re preparing to reopen, it’s worth considering if there are ways you can give back to your audience and community. Use your social platforms to say thank you to healthcare workers for the important work they’ve done in keeping us safe. Spotlight a charity that has been helping your local community and support them with your goods or services. Plan a special giveaway for your audience to enter, offering a free product or service for the winner. Make sure to specify that your audience needs to post, comment, and share about the giveaway to create as much audience engagement as possible. Above all, you want to ensure that your audience is your primary focus in your reopening. Consider how your brand’s return to regular business is going to provide a positive experience for them and help them readjust to life after lockdown.
We hope these tips will help make your reopening strategy as smooth and successful as possible. We’re excited for all the new experiences and opportunities life post lockdown will bring for you and your brand. Looking for more guidance with your grand reopening? Feel free to get in touch with us anytime.
