Working From Home? Here’s How to Grow Your Brand During MCO

By Julia Koh & Syira Junaidi
April 2020

We’re well into the Movement Control Order (MCO) period that started on 18th March 2020. For the parents among us, it might have felt like forever. Working from home has its own perks, but the challenges are real as well. Commuting issues are practically gone, but distractions and discipline remains. Then, there’s the issue of keeping your business afloat.

For non-essential services, businesses have to remain close until MCO ends. But thanks to the technology we have, we’re able to work from home and ensure that business continues, albeit only online and with limited interactions (that is the point of MCO, anyway). As we’re trying to make the best out of the situation, now would be a good time to pick up some brand-building skills.

Here are some things you can do to grow your brand during MCO. We’ve compiled a list of free courses, resources and guides for the stay-at-home CEO. Happy learning!

1. Articles & Blogs
   There are many helpful articles and tips on brand-building available. Here are our favourite lists:
   • HubSpot blogs: HubSpot has many articles on branding and online marketing. You can start with this one on brand identity and study their many examples.
   • Neil Patel: this online branding guru has everything you need to know about building your brand on the web. Check out his ultimate guide to online branding to get started.
   • Brand360 blogs: Bookmark or make a shortcut to our many articles on branding and digital marketing. We recommend that you start with our piece on Value Proposition as the basis for brand strategy.
2. Free Online Courses
   Take this time to pour through online courses that improve your understanding of brands and branding:
   • Skillshare: Use the free trial to browse through their multitude of online courses. From logo designs, crafting brand stories to other business skills, you can find them all.
   • Coursera: This is also an online learning platform where you can use the free trial to take some courses on brand strategy and management.
3. Free Playbook on Brand Strategy
   We highly recommend our original downloadable playbook on brand strategy. It covers 5 chapters on developing a robust brand strategy using easy-to-follow worksheets and examples. It’s the perfect brand-building companion for CEOs and brand owners during MCO. So, take the time to study through it and see what you can make out from this playbook.
4. Subscribe to Branding Newsletters
   Newsletters are a great way for you to keep abreast with updates and news in the branding and marketing world. There are many websites out there such as Hubspot that would send you occasional newsletters on tips and hacks.
   As a community of marketers, brand owners and CEOs, we also send out useful newsletters that cover a wide range of branding and digital marketing topics. Our subscribers enjoy updates on new trends, technology and free articles and reports. Membership is free so we recommend you to join us and drop your email. Refresh this page and enter your email when you find the pop-up. There will be a lot of free guides coming your way soon.

In Conclusion

2020 will no doubt be a tough year. The pandemic and economic turbulence will not make things any easier. There’s a lot of tough decisions to be made as business owners.

Which is why we should grab the chance to learn how to build our brand to survive and thrive. Strong brands will prevail during tumultuous times, so let’s fortify our brand together. Take this moment to strategise, prioritise, and organise your branding activities carefully. We can brave the storm if we have the right tools and skills.

So, continue working from home and let’s make the best of the MCO. And the most important thing is to stay safe indoors, stay put, and stay healthy.