• by Spencer Hadelman , March 24, 2021

With COVID-19 vaccines in full swing, the nation is finally optimistic that there is an end in sight. However, this doesn’t mean that business owners can go back to pre-pandemic planning strategies quite yet. Issues surrounding vaccine policy are complex, and information changes almost daily.

With information gaps regarding vaccine quantity, who’s eligible, and location accessibility, it’s important to first make sure that you’re constantly refreshing your knowledge based on the CDC and other relative government sources. From there, business owners must consider what this means for them internally, including policy on employee immunization and arguments for in-office versus remote work.

When it comes to developing marketing strategies while navigating the ever-changing vaccine distribution period, business leaders need to remain agile. While there’s much excitement surrounding vaccine distribution, there are also a lot of hiccups. Scenario planning should include multiple timelines, messaging options, and partnership ideas to be best prepared for a variety of outcomes.

Companies should consider a minimum of three timeline scenarios, ranging from zero hurdles given the current public vaccine distribution information, to a long-haul approach that fluctuates well into summer of 2022. Another point to keep in mind is that certain industries will be affected more than others, with tourism and hospitality needing to be the most flexible with their planning.

It’s clear pre-pandemic travel norms won’t be returning any time soon, if ever. Tourism companies should expect a staggered approach to re-introduction of travel starting in summer of 2021, with a slow increase into 2022. This means that your customer record management will be more important than ever. Collecting and storing additional customer data, such as vaccine status, will help ensure that you’re able to responsibly monitor and enforce health restrictions.

Lastly, one of the most important things to remember is that the time frame for the vaccine rollout and return to normalcy is going to differ for every partner, vendor, and customer. You may have an idea of how you want to move forward with your business based on government and CDC information, but you must consider that not everyone will be on the same page as you. Therefore, remaining agile, patient, and prepared for a variety of timelines and scenarios will be key to development of your business strategy for the foreseeable future.