Your Captive Audience Is Home, Bored: The COVID-19 Effect
A captive audience is a bored audience. Now, more than ever, people are craving digital interaction.
As we head towards the end of the week, we are seeing more and more states declaring states of emergency. Disney is closed, and NCAA, MLS, NBA and MLB’s seasons have been officially canceled.
Social distancing is the top recommendation to mitigate the spread of COVD-19. Companies are asking their staff to work remotely from their homes — this creates a captive audience.
Remember when you were home from school with a cold, and there was nothing to do but watch bad daytime television. Even though it was bad, you still watched. You had no choice. You were Jerry Springer’s captive audience.
While that was back then, now in the digital age, we have a plethora of choices to choose from. Entrepreneurs, small businesses, and corporate leaders are all fearing a business flatline because their customers are holed up in their houses.
Before you freak out, breathe. Remember, you know where most of your customer base will physically be for the next couple of weeks. In. their. homes.
They will actively be on their laptops, tablets and phones. Your captive audience is within your reach just waiting for you to grab their attention. Now more than ever, this is the time to think outside the box. Desperate times call for extroverted measures.
If you can’t fit your business into the current hard-hitting front-page news (and you probably don’t want to right now) – pivot to an angle that will work to fit this media climate. The theme of the next couple of weeks will be to maintain a strong relationship with your audiences so they remember you exist.
Here’s some media outreach and branding strategies to try . . .
Right at this moment, your customers are all online. They are in virtual meetings or chatting with friends on social media or aimlessly browsing the web, while being self-quarantined. Social distancing in turn has become a golden outreach opportunity for businesses to engage their audiences. Because, a captive audience is a bored audience that craves interaction.
Don’t Play Yourself: Promotional Items That You’re Most Likely to Push Back
Product launches without secured embargoed media already in place
Public Events or Conferences – unless you hand out protective body suits and spray my face with Clorox
“Exclusives” that aren’t really exclusives – you know who you are
Play the Game: Brand Strategies to Pursue During The Pandemic Shutdown
Bring more attention to your business by showcasing a unique service or product feature that often gets overlooked
Angled stories that can fit into the lighter/fluffier/editorial stories.
Focusing on your company’s social causes or give back program.
Provide informational value or humor to what your audiences are currently experiencing.
Looking to tell your customer base how your company is handling the current situation.
Get into Streaming: This could be the perfect time to engage with your customers and audiences by hosting live events or discussions through your social platforms.
Think of this break as the perfect opportunity to try new ways to interact with your customers. They will remember you when the panic has subsided and we’ve returned to our regularly scheduled programming.