Marketing Maven CEO and president Lindsey Carnett talks with Doug Simon about how messaging priorities have changed over the course of the COVID pandemic on the latest “PR’s Top Pros Talk” video interview.

Carnett’s firm has examined what consumers have been talking about both before and during the pandemic to get a handle on what communications will need to look like as the post-COVID environment begins to set in.

The information gleaned from those consumer conversations, she says, has enabled Marketing Maven “to see what key terms are affiliated now, so we're able to give clients messaging recommendations based on this knowledge of pre-COVID, during COVID and what our new normal is today.”

Carnett says she has seen changes in many of the sectors with which Marketing Maven works—from skincare to cleaning products to cybersecurity.

In skincare, conversations moved from being centered around “treatments” to a focus on “rejuvenation and serums and home care.” For a company that specializes in sanitizing surfaces the emphasis has shifted toward “their expertise on what cleaning surfaces actually means.” And for cybersecurity companies, the pitch has expanded from just “here’s our software” to addressing such issues as enterprise security and hacking.

She also talks about the work she has done to promote and advance the role of women in the industry, as well as sharing some lessons that might help other women who are aspiring to leadership.

“I think the biggest lesson that I've learned is the power of a team,” Carnett tells Simon. “And I like being a part of a team, like we have a team approach in business.

For women who own small businesses, or aspire to have their own business, she stresses the need to acknowledge and promote your own accomplishments. “It has to go into your bio, it has to go on your LinkedIn, has to go up on your website, has to go into your marketing materials.”

Authenticity also remains hugely important for success now, and part of that authenticity consists of dealing with the hurdles you face—and asking for help when you need it.

“I think to be able to reach out to each other and say, hey, we have an issue here,” is essential, Carnett says. “Just to ask for help is saying a lot and to be authentic and to be sensitive, but be optimistic.”

View all of the interviews in the “PR's Top Pros Talk” series. Subscribe to get notified when new episodes are available.

Interested in taking part? Contact Doug Simon at [email protected]

D S Simon Media helps clients get their stories on television through satellite media tours and by producing and distributing content to the media. The company also produces live social media events.