Social media marketing during crisis
In our little corner of the world
In our little corner of the world, wars, bombings and terror attacks (and even an occasional worldwide pandemic) are part of our everyday life. They come and go so frequently we barely have a chance to take a breath before the next crisis. This is why so many of us struggle with the question of marketing our businesses on social media during a crisis.
I know...
Personally, I know that I make a distinction between events that do not claim innocent lives (soldiers and civilians alike) and those that do. When no innocent lives are taken, I post and market and go on with my life – not despite these events or ignoring these events but as a clear message that no one will win over Israel and that we stand strong together. When innocent lives are taken, as is the case now, where rockets rain down on our towns and cities throughout Israel, incessantly day and night, I have serious reservations about marketing my business.
Is it correct to market during these times? The answer is in our culture...
Social media posts and messages of support and of encouragement are certainly correct and timely, but what about social media marketing for our businesses? The answer, in many ways, is right in front of us and has been part of our culture for hundreds of years: the tradition of breaking of a glass under the chuppah during the wedding.
Sometime in the 14th century*, the breaking of a glass at a Jewish wedding was viewed as a reminder of the destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem. The smashing of a glass reminds us of the fragility of life and how even at a wedding, at the most blissful and happiest time of a couple’s life, we must remember and live with the memory of one of our saddest times as a nation.
*(The custom of breaking a glass during a wedding and the various reasons behind this custom, have been mentioned since the time of the Talmud.)
Hundreds of years later, beginning in 1950 (at the time of the 2nd Independence Day celebrated in Israel) we can clearly see this Jewish custom of living with 'sorrow beside joy' once again, when the dates for Israel's Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Israel’s Independence Day were established to be observed one immediately before the other.
Do we market our small businesses?
Which now brings us to ourselves and our small businesses within the reality we live. And we ask ourselves: How should we deal with the future of our businesses in the face of the present difficult times for our nation?
Do we market our businesses as if nothing is wrong?
Do we stop marketing all together?
Do we put our lives and livelihood on hold?
We should never put our lives on hold, but the extent, degree, quantity and scope of our marketing activities and how we wish to present ourselves at this time, is a matter of personal choice. As business owners, we understand that we always need to reach out and market to create the new leads and potential clients (the famous marketing funnel) for future sales and at the same time, we must be sensitive to our reality. And our reality is that in our small, small country, there aren't six degrees of separation between each other, at most there are two! And that closeness creates our sense of community and concern and care for each other that is more important than money.
Keep safe. Keep going and stay strong.
YE Associates is a marketing agency established to help small business owners make sense of their social media chaos with a wide range of business and marketing services. Need help with your marketing strategy and social media presence. Contact us today.
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