We are all still grappling to understand how the COVID-19 virus will impact our businesses and lives in both the short and long term.
We have immense empathy for the unquantifiable disruption this poses for the industries in which we work.
We’ve had many people in our community reach out over the last few days to better understand how they can use Flaunter as a tool in their new work from home / remote office strategies.
This is absolutely the time to leverage all the digital tools we have available to us that enable us to continue to get the job done, to feel productive and empowered, and to stay connected.
Flaunter was born for this work. For those who are new to working from home, are setting up remote offices and teams, or who have had to downsize or cut costs, we’d like to be as helpful and supportive as possible – to you, your team, and your business.
Let’s start from the new status quo.
The COVID-19 crisis will continue to unfold over the coming months and nobody is able to predict the course this pandemic will run. This uncertainty adds to the anxiety and distress that people, at all levels, are experiencing.
At this stage, travel restrictions and working from home directives are widespread. For businesses, this is challenging on all fronts.
We’re also facing extreme market volatility. Whispers of imminent recessions are prompting understandably high levels of anxiety and psychological distress.
On a practical level – shops are closing, gyms are closing, streets are closing, schools are closing, restaurants are closing, hospitals are filling, jobs are being lost… it’s really scary out there, for everyone.
At a retail level – all of the above. Customers can no longer shop IRL, will they be ready to shop online instead? Will online sales spike, or flatten as people are distracted, worried, feeling financially vulnerable? Can businesses survive? Which business will survive?
For PRs and marketers – the game has entirely changed. Just 18 months ago experiential events were the name of the game. A re-focusing on in-person events, IRL community building and social gatherings was the new strategy.
And now for the foreseeable future:
- No more events, experiential or otherwise
- No more group meetings
- No more in-person showroom or store visits
- No more travel
- No more…
So, what next? We’re forced to move online, and from home.
Sounds easy in 2020, right? Hmmm.
There’s even talk that with all of us moving online – the internet could break! The only certainty is this uncertain time is that nobody has it all figured out yet. There is no right or wrong way to approach this new world.
But the defining questions for all of us will be:
1. How quickly can you and your team get back up and running? and
2. How quickly can you innovate?
Challenge + opportunity.
What we do know for sure about …
- Communication will still be key.
- Connectivity will be the number one concern for most people.
- Digital tools will be required across the board. No longer a nice to have, software platforms, apps, cloud-based tools will be essential.
- As some businesses shrink, productivity and efficiency will become non-negotiables.
- Teams that can be flexible and prepared will thrive.
- Communication will still be key.
Isn’t it funny? Just a month ago we felt like we had ‘digital’ under control. Digital natives many of us called ourselves. But the majority of us still weren’t quite there yet! So now’s our chance.
And where does Flaunter fit in?
There have been lots of great articles written recently on how to make work from home successful, and on planning for success from the perspective of a PR agency.
This is one of our favorite reads, sent by one of the world’s top VC firms, Sequoia Capital, to all their founding teams and CEOs on how to survive during these uncertain times.
Medium is exploding with Coronavirus-related content.
And just like everyone else, our team doesn’t have all the answers either. But what we do know really well, is Flaunter.
Flaunter was created to do two things: streamline PR processes [read: faster, more efficient, more cost-effective] and make PR teams fully digital.
And for many businesses, agencies, PR and marketing teams and publishers out there – our tools can be really valuable right now.
Make all your PR content easily accessible online, for everyone.
The most important step for performing in a digital-first (or even digital-only world) is to make all your content accessible, consumable, and shareable online.
That means consolidating all of your imagery into one, easy-to-access, online location.
With Flaunter, cloud access to your online library means seamless access for everyone. No programs need to be installed, no hardware needs to be set up. If you have the internet – you have access.
With a fully digital media library, opportunities are endless:
1. Everyone in your team can access all your important imagery from one spot – secure in the knowledge that the images on Flaunter are high resolution, relevant and approved for them to share, and;
2. All your media contacts will be able to access your imagery on-demand as they battle deadlines, shrinking teams and limited access to scheduled shoots. By giving them this level of access you are removing any barriers for them to be able to quickly and easily explore your available content – from anywhere. If they download imagery – you’ll receive notifications and tracking data.
Respond to image requests with ease.
Getting your images to those who’ve requested them should be super fast and easy. And often it’s not. Which sucks time and energy away from all your other to-do’s.
Once your images are on Flaunter, you and your team can share links to those images straight from your Flaunter account. It’s fast and efficient – and media get instant access to beautifully present image banks, from which they can immediately download what they need.
You can share links to an entire brand profile, albums, images and even mood board edits you’ve curated for pitching.
You can also include these links in media releases, weekly media edms, your email signatures – and then track who engages.
Connect your whole team digitally.
Collaboration is key. Unlike a lot of other software, with Flaunter you can add unlimited team members to your account at no extra cost, so that you can all work together – from anywhere and at any time.
One single source of truth for your digital content for your team to work with.
Assign different roles to manage everyone’s access levels and track who’s doing what in your account.
We’ve seen customers build out not just their PR teams on Flaunter, but also sales and marketing.
Let stylists loan online from fully digital showrooms.
For customers with busy showrooms – this feature is now crucial for you.
As we move to remote teams and work from home setups, most media will no longer be allowed to visit physical showrooms for sample loans. Equally, showrooms will like only maintain skeleton staff on hand to respond to requests.
This is where Flaunter showrooms become really helpful.
All your samples will be beautifully displayed online using your existing imagery [or iPhone shots]. You can create unlimited showroom collections. For example, one collection of samples may be appropriate for long lead but not short lead. You’ll be able to share links to your showrooms with stylists, who will be able to browse your collections, see what is/isn’t available and then make loan requests directly in the app.
They have all the access – with zero IRL contact 😉
And it’s all affordable…
Because that’s REALLY important to every single one of us right now. And since last week – the first question almost all new customers have asked.
We have plans that start from $100/mth for our image management tools. Our digital showrooms start from $400/mth.
All our plans are flexible and charged monthly – no lock-in contracts.
We’ve always believed we have an exceptional tool, and provide significant value. That doesn’t mean we have to charge through the roof. We built a scalable software platform for a reason – so we could provide a lot of value, to a lot of people, at a fraction of what it might cost other companies.
FAQ – How do I set up my physical samples if my showroom has closed/is working from home?
We’ve spoken to a number of customers with this issue and all the feedback has been that they will have one team member responsible for making scheduled visits to the office for loan send-outs / returns OR they will move smaller collections of samples into homes with capacity.
This is the type of scenario where innovative thinking and flexible approaches will come into play.
Media CRM
Coming soon, CLICK HERE TO register your interest for BETA access
When working remotely as part of a team, communication is critical.
Managing communication between the team is one thing, managing and tracking communication between all team members and media contacts can be tricker. Having visibility over back-and-forth communications between you and your media contacts is essential.
Flaunter can be used as your media CRM. Upload your contacts and all communications between you, your team and an individual contact made via Flaunter will be tracked. That way you’ll be able to look up a contact and see your full Flaunter history with them.
Send media edms via Flaunter, create micro lists for targeted pitching
COMING SOON, register your interest for BETA access
Now that your contacts are all in Flaunter, you can create micro lists that help you slice and dice your media list with ease. Then, send media edms through Flaunter, and track which media is engaging.
There are lots of great edm / email marketing tools out there. The way Flaunter differs is that it connects your email campaigns directly with the high res image content you’re looking to share. So when media receive a campaign – it’s incredibly useful and cuts out any email back and forth.
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We are committed now more than ever to helping our customers succeed during these uncertain times.
We hope this article has been helpful. If there is anything you need from us, or additional ways we can support you, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Most importantly, we wish good health for you, your families, and your communities.
