BC Startup Sales Podcast – How to Market During Social Distancing with Erik Huberman (Hawke Media)

This week we were joined by Erik Huberman, Founder & CEO of Hawke Media, to discuss how to market during social distancing.

We start the podcast talking about the challenges of marketing in general – both hiring in-house and hiring an agency and how to best think through that. Erik gives us a brief story about nearly being kidnapped abroad, and then we dive more into how to market during social distancing. Erik emphasizes that things are changing weekly, and authenticity is now more important than ever. The phrases “we’re in this together” and “uncertain times” have been used to exhaustion. Think about your customers, think about what they’re going through, and craft messaging that meets them where they are and stays true to your brand.

Next, we discuss strategies and tactics for filling the gap in the pipeline caused by cancelled events and other top of funnel channels that have been impacted by COVID-19. We talk through this from a couple different vantage points – companies that are already doing a fair bit of digital marketing as well as companies who are trying to accelerate and catch up on their digital strategy. Erik emphasizes the importance of thinking critically about what you used to get out of the event or lead channel and how are you going to replace it by reinvesting those marketing dollars elsewhere. As an example, Erik traditionally has traveled all over to speak and network at conferences. When thinking about how to reinvest those T&E and marketing dollars, you wouldn’t put that money into a Google Ad campaign because it’s not going to have the same end result. If you went to conferences to network, build relationships, and promote your brand as a thought leader in your space, get creative about redeploying those dollars elsewhere to have a similar benefit. In Erik’s case, he’s been trying new things like hosting small, intimate virtual dinners with a handful of executives in a particular industry.

We wrap up the podcast talking about the top mistakes Erik sees companies making right now, as well as actionable tips, tricks, and software tools to help companies as they tackle how to market during social distancing.

Named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Erik Huberman is a brand marketing expert, serial entrepreneur, and founder of Hawke Media, the fastest-growing digital marketing agency in Los Angeles. Ranked #110 on the Inc. 5000, Hawke Media created The Nest—an experiential, popup co-retail concept in the heart of Venice Beach—and works with clients like Red Bull, Verizon and Eddie Bauer. Prior to Hawke, Erik exited his company Swag of the Month and was recruited to Science Incubator (Dollar Shave Club, DogVacay, MeUndies), where he grew Ellie.com’s sales to $1 million in four months. Erik is an Inc. Top 25 Marketing Influencer, an Entrepreneur Top 50 Entrepreneurs to Watch, and recently joined XPRIZE as key marketing advisor.

If you liked “How to Market During Social Distancing” and want to read more content from the Bowery Capital Team, check out other relevant posts from the Bowery Capital Blog.