Speak Up: How to Communicate During a Crisis
Should I send an email newsletter during COVID-19? Is it wise to pause my marketing campaign during BLM? Will the election make it a challenge for my brand message to cut through the noise? These are questions we hear on a weekly basis from our clients, network of brands, and business owners. It’s such a common concern, that we felt it necessary to address in a blog post.
Although this year has dealt brands and business owners more than a fair share of challenging cards, it's more important than ever to communicate during these unprecedented times. With an important election year in front of us, increased COVID-19 restrictions, and the continued fight for racial justice and equity, it’s critical that your brand stay present and in communication with your customers.
Why is it important to communicate during challenging times?
Crises come in all shapes and sizes, from a global pandemic, to a fire or emergency at your store, or the sudden illness or loss of a leader at your organization. The truth is, crises and hardship are most often unexpected and come as a surprise—they’re derailing and often detrimental, but they can also bring opportunity, a fresh perspective, and new ideas. When we’re faced with obstacles, we often learn how to shift and reshape in order to carry on.
During times of crisis, it’s important to communicate, communicate, and communicate.
If you go radio silent in the midst of pivotal moments, people will start to wonder and make their own assumptions. There’s a saying in the PR world that “If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And, when someone else tells your story, it certainly won’t be the story you want told.”
Maintaining control of your narrative is key to keeping your brand’s identity and intentions clear to your audience. There are some best practices you can follow to ensure your brand stays ahead of any crisis-related fallout. Read on to learn how to effectively communicate during a crisis.
What should you communicate?
Vital Operating Information
People want to know how to find you, and when things are up in the air, your customers don’t want to feel confused. Share your hours of operation and open location(s), as well as any revisions to your ordering process or changes/updates to the products or services you offer. When relevant, share cleaning and sanitation changes that impact the customer experience (You don’t need to tell your customers that you’re washing your hands frequently if it’s not relevant to your brand/customer experience).
Helpful Information
Generously offer resources that might benefit your particular customer audience during this time—especially if it’s on-brand for you.
For example, if you own a nail salon, you can share resources about proper hand care. Maybe consider hosting a virtual spa day and walk people through how to take care of their cuticles and how to avoid damaging their hands from overwashing or harsh chemicals and sanitizers.
If you operate a children’s clothing store or have another child-related brand, your team can share online books to download, host virtual story-times, or provide resources such as home crafts and activities for kids.
Professional service providers like interior designers can share tips about how to use this time wisely to make one’s home a sanctuary during a stressful time. A CPA firm could share resources about how to navigate the small business loan application process or how to prepare for the post-COVID tax season.
Kind information
Consider sharing about places to donate to or give items. Highlight a customer or team member who is doing something good during this time. Ask about your customers. Show your concern and compassion for your community. Remember to stay sincere and genuine (that’s where your brand values come in, refer to what your brand holds dear); customers can smell fake compassion, and it isn’t a good look.
How should you communicate?
As we continue to face a changing environment every day, we must be intentional. While you create and share your message or content, make sure all content aligns with your brand values as well as your brand’s voice and tone. Staying consistent in your branding will ensure that you reach the audience with whom you are aiming to work and you want to be sure that your communication helps establish a place of trust. Trust-based communications have a greater likelihood of resonating and reaching your customers.
Next, focus your client-facing communication on each client’s WIIFM (“What’s in it for me?”). As customers scroll through their newsfeeds, they are looking for ways that they will benefit from a post, and then they will take action if there is a clearly marked next step.
It’s important to stay compassionate and to seek understanding. Stay up-to-date on current events so that your messaging doesn’t clash with the current climate. For example, posting about a new product for self-indulgence or entertainment during #BlackoutTuesday could come across as tone-deaf and, well, ignorant.
Here are some helpful ways to communicate with your customer base:
With empathy and compassion
With a look toward the future
With a plan, even a temporary one, and
Lead from a place of trust, empathy, and compassion.
Where should you communicate?
Email
Stay on top of your email marketing. Update your email list, and continue to stay connected.
Remind your team members to update email signatures or your Out-of-Office replies with new hours, operations, services, etc.
Phone
Update your voicemail with current hours and info about how customers can buy from you.
Make sure that automated text replies have the most up-to-date information.
Social media
Keep your online presence updated for the changing climate—if your offers or prices have changed, let your audience know.
Pin the most important posts to the top of your social media pages (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
Get creative. Use this time to share behind the scenes info, spotlight services, or success stories. Collaborate with other brands and host online events or promos.
Make sure you continually check your online platforms and directories. Google Business Listing and other online hosts will often default to inactive if you haven’t updated your profile and hours.
Website
Make sure your website is as up to date as possible. Don’t have a website, yet? Now is an ideal time to invest in a mobile-friendly website that drives traffic to your business and captures the attention of your customer.
Add a banner to the top of your website to announce changes in your hours of operation, services, etc.
Update your contact page to reflect current hours and location(s).
Consider adding a virtual scheduling tool like Acuity or Calendly so you’re even more accessible to your clients.
Signage
Brick and mortar businesses can get creative with branded banners and signs to make sure customers know they’re still open. Make it easy for your customers to know how they can reach you even if you’re not open. Give clear instructions so your customers can easily engage with your brand!
Stay Adaptable and Resilient
Get clear on what you can control. Don’t let uncertainty derail you to the point of no return.
You can’t control a crisis, whether it’s a global outbreak, a fluctuating economy, or a natural disaster, so you just have to let that go. It’s okay to be afraid, and it’s okay to worry—these are normal reactions to uncertain times—but it’s not okay to let these emotions overtake your business. Acknowledge your anxiety and concern for what they are, and then do what you can to focus your energy and resources on what you can control which is your reaction and ability to reevaluate and reframe your services.
When you stay nimble, you are more likely to come out of crisis and uncertainty on top instead of at the bottom.
Be open to pivoting. Some of our clients are pivoting in really brilliant ways. An organic juice bar is using this time to develop an online supplemental immunity-boosting juice program for customers around the nation to purchase. A doula agency moved in-home consultations to Zoom, and started hosting birth classes online; they also set up a private Facebook group for new mothers looking for postpartum resources. One of our clients is a community acupuncture clinic in a densely populated urban area—in order to continue to serve their patients, they’re operating a drive-in acupuncture clinic so patients don’t have to leave their vehicles.
These are just some foundational ideas you can use as inspiration as you consider how your company can pivot during times of change.
Get creative and stay adaptable. There isn’t really a wrong way to pivot right now, in terms of communication. Use this time to experiment with intention and see what sticks.
Continue to communicate with your customers. The only wrong way to communicate is to not communicate at all.
What can you do next?
Share essential information your customers need to know.
Hours, where to buy, safety protocol, etc.
Share from a place of compassion and care.
People are hurting, worried, and anxious about the future.
Share value and resources, if relevant.
Consider your customers’ needs and share information they would benefit from learning about.
We encourage you to think of all of these suggestions as tools that will help today, not just in the midst of this global health pandemic, but even after this is over and other challenges arise.
And, lastly, a note of encouragement: Starting and running a brand takes an enormous amount of brain and brawn—so celebrate this! Lean into the skills and smarts that brought you to where you are today; they’ll only continue to help you succeed.
Need some extra help during this time?
Reach out to us!
To help business owners and brands like you, we are now offering the following support:
Strategy sessions to help you pivot and evolve your existing offerings to lock in new and current business
Laser-focused coaching sessions to address concerns and to help develop a plan for moving forward
Targeted content marketing to help you continue to provide value and serve as a resource for your customer base
Communications support to craft client-focused messaging to reassure your customers
We’re dedicated to helping your brand grow, thrive, and stand out—that’s why we’re offering these services at a very accessible rate.
