Right now, more than ever, we need to expand our concept of what’s possible. Whether we like it or not, we are being forced to look at our brand and the work we do, evaluate everything and then adapt to meet the moment.
Trust me, I see the challenges. I’m a single mother to a seven-year-old who I am homeschooling (and currently summer camping!) while also working full time. I have friends who have lost jobs and clients, and others who have family members who are sick. Some are taking care of aging parents, while others aren’t sure if they will be able to make their mortgage payment this month.
There is no denying that people are struggling and hurting and we have much work to do as a society.
But the way I see it, we can be defeated by the challenges we face or we can meet them with openness, determination, creativity and connection. We can choose to look for the opportunities – for the silver lining.
If there’s one thing I know for sure, now is not the time to shrink.
Now is the time for a Brand Pivot.
What exactly is a Brand Pivot, you ask? Well, it likely looks different for everyone. For some, it’s a shift in the way they do business that better fits the times, for others it’s a partnership or collaboration or adding a new product to their offerings. For some it’s a creative twist on what they’ve been doing, or even a completely new business.
For example, if you are a stylist who is accustomed to shopping and styling your clients in-person or in-store, you might consider doing virtual sessions coupled with pick-up and delivery services. You may even consider looking at your mission and adapting to the current moment by becoming a stylist who specializes in sustainability and conscious fashion consumption.
My friend, Jennifer Alfano, former editor at Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue and Founder of The Flair Index, a popular style blog highlighting women, fashion and things with flair, decided to do something creative when a total quarantine lockdown was required due to COVID-19. After going through an “epic zero-waste” closet clean out, Jennifer decided to home-produce a series of helpful videos for Instagram titled, “The Wardrobe Project.” Motivated by her desire to eliminate excess and learn to live with less, her videos helped her followers organize, create a thoughtful, more edited closet and sharpen their style. The result was inspiring new content at a time when people are consuming more and a significant increase in her fanbase and traffic to her blog. The Wardrobe Project also became one of her newest service offerings.
Photos by Michael Waring via I Want To Be Her
If you are a publicist who normally creates experiential and engaging events for the brands you work with, you might start brainstorming the possibility of digital events and hashtag campaigns with your current clients. You could also take a few digital marketing courses and start offering your clients more social media marketing services, which will also better serve them in the digital landscape.
Publicist Molly Schoneveld, Founder & CEO of The Storied Group helps actors, interior designers and hotel brands build credibility and get their stories in the media. Molly has long been obsessed with the online marketing world and had been observing for years, watching what others were doing, both successfully and not. With some extra time on her hands during the pandemic, she decided to test the waters and created her first e-book, “Get the Interior Photos You Need to Make an Editor Say ‘YES!’” Since she already works with interior designers, this served as a tool to help her current clients with all of her best behind-the-scenes knowledge, as well as a new way to attract more clients. She’s currently considering expanding her product portfolio, as well as developing a course in 2021.
If you are an author/speaker who normally travels the world giving in-person speeches, not only do you have the option of now doing this virtually (and possibly reaching even more people), but you could also create a group program from your IP that you run online a couple of times a year. You could also decide that now would be the ideal time to write another book or even start that consulting business you’ve been considering for years.
It’s important to realize that a Brand Pivot could be a shift or course-correction in your business, but it could also be a move to something completely different than what you’ve been doing for the last five, ten or even 20 years.
The universe works in mysterious ways and some may need the painful nudge of a pandemic and extended quarantine to finally consider a dream that they were previously too afraid to pursue. That’s right, this challenging, painful time may even be a blessing in disguise for some.
Where do you start? A successful pivot is always preceded by a pause. Time for self-reflection, introspection and good questions that will lead you to the answers you seek.
I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions:
- Why am I in business and what do I stand for?
- What value do my clients get from working with me and/or using my products or services?
- In what ways could I deliver even more value right now based on our current circumstances?
- Can the value I provide be optimized digitally and how? (if not already)
- Who can I partner and/or collaborate with to get even more creative?
- Are there any digital opportunities – in my industry or otherwise – that I may be overlooking?
- How can I tweak or repurpose my products or services to best meet the moment?
- Is there something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time but have been too afraid to take a leap?
Here are three more tools to help you:
→ Get a copy of our SheBrand One Page Brand Plan. Set a timer for 30 minutes and answer all of the questions.
→ Sign up for Build a Better Brand in 7 Days – it’s absolutely free and will help you build a solid foundation for your brand!
→ Get a digital copy of my book, Style & Substance: How to Create a Compelling Brand. Simply email us at hello@shebrand.com with “Style & Substance” in the subject line and we’ll send it to you right away.
Stay healthy and happy pivoting!
