Is it wrong to make money during the coronavirus pandemic?

The start of 2020 was full of hope and promise, businesses booming and the idea of making this year ‘your year’. It’s Spring and coronavirus has had a huge impact on businesses and individuals. It has left many of us wondering how we are going to survive the rest of the year. A lot of us have been left confused, uncertain and concerned.

However, both human beings and businesses are amazingly adaptable and what has come out of it are some wonderfully new and inventive ways to continue by taking traditional businesses online.

But is it ethical?

This has raised questions online about etiquette and ethics of selling online during a crisis. Our stance agrees with Sean McCabe. As long as you are not taking advantage of people and selling essentials like loo roll for an obscene amount of money you should be helping customers that genuinely need you!

Online shopping isn’t a new concept but seeing companies’ reactions to the coronavirus has led us to believe we can all up our game somewhat- it’s about getting creative with your business and audiences needs during this time!

We have outlined some of the ways in which some companies have taken the leap to online and determined to ensure their customers still get value and a little bit of normality and above all some well needed fun.

Virtual Harry Potter Escape Rooms:

Obviously, Escape Rooms up and down the country had to close their doors, along with the majority of the hospitality industry. As a result, we have seen some epic virtual escape rooms to try with your family or just on your own (the Harry Potter one grabbed our attention). After all, who doesn’t want to figure out the magical world of Harry Potter?

Dining to Delivery

It isn’t a secret that the hospitality trade has been hit the hardest. But, for some, they haven’t let it get them down. Instead, they’re reinventing their offering to make sure their customers are still getting the best service. Uber eats are offering the option of delivering to your door and leaving it outside to support those in isolation.

Taking the dining experience and delivering it to your door. Some local pubs are even offering booze delivery! Thanks guys- we’ll definitely be taking you up on that offer. One, two or maybe ten.

For NHS staff, it is amazing to see the solidarity from big brands offering free food and drinks to our hardworking staff on the frontline.

Travel in the comfort of your own home

The travel and tourism trade is another sector that has been badly hit. With travel being postponed for the foreseeable future, it might be hard to imagine how they can get around it. However, some amazing landmarks across the world have made it possible for you to visit and experience it from your own home. Here are a few to try:

The British Museum
Guggenheim, New York
Central Park New York

Disneyland: Virtual tours you can take include Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot, just to name a few. There are also unofficial YouTube videos that feel just like you’re on famous rides like the Frozen Ever After ride, It’s a Small World, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

You can also go on YouTube and watch what it is like to be on one of the rides! While you might not be there in real life, you can still have an experience. Hoorah for modern technology!

Fitness

With the new social distancing rules, gyms have been forced to close. However, this doesn’t mean you can spend the next 3 months sat on the couch eating chocolate (sorry about that). The fantastic personal trainers out there are taking their sessions online instead. Live Instagram or Facebook session, YouTube videos or even zoom calls. The way the fitness and leisure industry are moving online is inspirational! Joe Wickes for example is running an online PE session for children every weekday at 9am.

Education

Schools are set to close for the next 12 weeks and potentially until the new school year. For parents, this is daunting as they take the leap into home-schooling. However, parents and teachers alike are all coming forward to offer their support and expertise. Twinkl, a huge online resource for teachers and parents is giving away a month’s free membership for parents to help them with topics for home-schooling. As a business, although they will not be making money from the membership in the short term, they are building up a loyal customer base and investing time and resources. A wonderful strategy to add value and build your brand!

Anti-spitting hats

Then comes the weird and weirder! Yes, these are exactly what they say! On Amazon and probably Wish, you’ll find an array of coronavirus items, one of them known as anti-spitting hats! These particular garments come fitted with protective “screens” that are meant to block someone spitting or sneezing into your face. There are baseball hats with screens, sun hats with screens, and even visors with screens. The premise seems to be that the coronavirus, which can spread through droplets, will be blocked by the device.

We aren’t saying the next few months aren’t going to be testing, but what we can be sure of it the level of support and solidarity coming from everyone. The coronavirus may knock us, but we will come out stronger on the other side with a new-found appreciation for our freedom and a determination that couldn’t be found before. There is nothing wrong with trying to maintain and grow your business during testing times, just make sure that the value you are adding is important to your target audience.

What can I do to transform my business during this difficult time?

We’re here to help. We all need to do our bit to support each other during difficult times and one thing we are great at is being creative and adaptable in the digital world.

Now is not the time to disappear, it’s the time to get smart and reinvent. How you decide to manage it is in your hands!

If you are unsure and want to find new and creative ways to continue to grow your business during coronavirus then get in touch.

Who are we and why book a session with us?

DP Marketing Communications Ltd is an established, passionate, ethically priced, and fast-growing marketing agency in Northamptonshire. We have a strong team of experts that work together daily to assist in businesses.

Our quirky and high performing brand has been recognised in business awards for its innovative approaches to helping SME’s to flourish and providing a high-level marketing agency experience, all without the expensive marketing agency price tag! The business also has a streak of over 50 ( ALL 5 star reviews!)

Intelligent marketing. Fair pricing. Creative thinking. Good vibes. Results.

We live for helping SMEs! The business prides itself in offering low prices but high-quality outputs. We know how difficult juggling a tight marketing & website budget can be (and also how expensive it can be to fix errors made by ‘cheap options’ ) and we do all we can to help our clients grow with ROI in mind.

A bit about the founder

“My vision was to create a fully accessible and affordable full-service creative agency for SME businesses with practices that actually work. I created the agency that I always dreamed of having by my side when I was working as a busy marketing manager in my early working life, trying to juggle small marketing budgets. I realised that this was a common problem for small businesses and one that I felt needed addressing!”.

Daniella Paolozzi (Founder)