Being caught up in the current global COVID-19 pandemic is worrying for everybody; however, it’s still important stay visible and maintain brand awareness – whether it’s with customers, the media or other stakeholders, including your employees.
As we enter the unknown, many businesses are unsure about their future security. Staying visible and ensuring you remain at the forefront of people’s minds should help safeguard your business’s long-term profitability and continued investment over the coming months.
It is a very unsettling time for both consumers and businesses. This is a situation no-one has ever been in, therefore we can’t predict how long this is going to last.
Communication and PR is going to play a key role over the next few months, helping to reassure consumers and stakeholders that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully normal life will resume in the not-so-distant future.
Your business can be a part of that; however, it’s important to be mindful about how you communicate.
STAY VISIBLE – EFFECTIVELY AND COMPASSIONATELY
Here are our tips on how to communicate effectively and compassionately to your customers during these uncertain times:
- The situation of this global pandemic changes daily, so how you communicate externally needs to reflect the public mood. Monitor announcements and news and make sure you adapt your tone of voice accordingly. Remain flexible and adaptable in your approach.
- Be aware that consumer behaviour may change once the pandemic is over. For example, people may eat out less or use the supermarket for smaller shops rather than big shops. Things we’ve had to adapt to, such as working remotely and our reliance on digital technologies, may become more commonplace post-pandemic. Healthcare consultations, education and social groups may continue to be hosted online, for example.
- Don’t stop talking and communicating with your customers. People want reassurance that life will go back to normal once this is all over. They will still want and need things and although they might have temporarily tightened the purse strings, once the economy is back on an even keel, they will want to start buying and investing in things again.
- Ensure you stay at the forefront of people’s minds by continually communicating with them. This will also reinforce levels of trust in your business. Create content that showcases what you are doing as a business to support the situation and continue to promote your good news and services. How can your product or service help them adapt to temporary changes to their daily lives? Can you use your expertise to help people and give something back?
- Take advantage of all communications channels. Use email marketing to keep your customers up to date on how you are looking after both them and your team. How businesses are looking after their workforce is a crucial element of communication at the moment. Leverage social media – as well as an information source, people are turning to social media for entertainment and distraction. Can you use it to bring some positivity into people’s feeds? Can you turn the fact that there have never been such low costs for Facebook and Instagram ads into an opportunity?
At Faith PR, we’re keeping that communication open to our clients and target audiences by drafting useful blog content, such as tips for working from home, how to look after your wellbeing, and how to efficiently deal with a crisis. We’re sharing content via our social media channels that might make people smile to add some ‘faith’ and positivity back into our followers’ feeds.
Think about how you can support the cause through your products and services. Many businesses are thinking innovatively about how they can show their support during this current situation. This crisis has forced businesses to be creative and find new opportunities.
Take Brewdog and independent gin producers for example, that are switching production to making hand sanitiser due to the shortage. Supermarkets such as Morrison’s are also increasing recruitment as they ramp up online delivery services to ensure people can get access to groceries.
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