It’s been over a year since a “new normal” was declared. Then came the “next normal.” Frankly, neither of those, or whatever came in-between, were normal. Maybe it’s time to let go of the idea of normal and just flow with it. When the world yins, we yang.

You already know that in the digital world, nothing is ever “done.” Now we’re just shortening the time between iterations. Or skipping iterations altogether.

So, how does the No Normal translate to engaging with customers?

• Get serious about social. When remote workers have no water cooler to flock to, they head to social for their much-needed breaks. Unburden yourself of the idea that B2B doesn’t “do” social beyond LinkedIn. (See Slack on Facebook, HubSpot on Twitter, Shutterstock (natch) on Instagram.) Give your brand a real voice and purpose that’s appropriate for each channel, and skip the hard sell. Instead, try to be a bright spot in your audiences’ days.
• Show customers you’re listening. Consumer and business customers need flexibility and transparency right now (and for the foreseeable future). No one knows when plans will have to be scrapped or changed. If you’ve revised policies or are willing to bend to meet customers’ needs, make sure that responsiveness and empathy are clearly conveyed across all of your channels.
• Update your messaging everywhere. In addition to addressing the current climate, take a close look at the photos and phrasing on your website, in PDFs, social landing pages, etc. Make sure ideas that may have seemed fine in 2019 aren’t sending the wrong signals today. Giant maskless meetings? Photos with zero diversity? Text that refers to pre-pandemic pain points? Broken links and footnotes referencing 2014? People notice.
• Stay on people’s radars. If you aren’t meeting with people as often, running into them on the street, or welcoming them into your shop or showroom, bring your brand to them. A well-timed, carefully segmented automated drip campaign can help keep you top of mind without a lot of extra effort. Just like any other content, however, be prepared to refresh this as the world keeps changing around you.
• Don’t choose an end date. You already know that in the digital world, nothing is ever “done.” Now we’re just shortening the time between iterations. Or skipping iterations altogether. Instead of “an update,” everything should be getting updated—bit by bit—all the time.

These may be crazy days, but in terms of digital opportunities, it’s an exciting time, too. Make the most of digital’s inherent adaptability to anticipate and respond to what’s on your audiences’ minds.