What do communicate with your customers and clients amid the overwhelming news influx of the coronavirus pandemic?
That’s what many social media and content professionals are now considering as they grapple with the new reality of social distancing and self-quarantine lockdowns, while also contending with revenue declines and significant business changes as a result.
In some ways, you want to communicate that your business cares, and is doing all it can to assist, but in others, you also need to consider the longer-term viability of your workplace, and how you can keep revenue flowing despite the conditions.
It’s a lot to take in, but if you’re looking at social media communications specifically, Twitter has gathered together a listing of brands that are communicating in effective, positive and responsible ways amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Here are a few examples to consider.
The first thing to keep in mind is what’s actually needed right now. What do people really need to know, what are they looking for, and what’s helpful to them as they seek to understand the changing environment? Keep this in mind in all of your communications – while some announcements will be hugely important to your business, internally, they may not contribute a heap of value to people with many other things on their minds.
To help on this front, there may be ways you can provide access to relevant resources more easily.
And while your business is likely to suffer significant impacts as a result of these changes, it’s worth also considering the broader perspective, and how you can look to help your local communities.
If there are ways in which your business can look to provide support or assistance, that’s a positive, beneficial message.
We know that St. Patrick’s Day feels different this year, so however you choose to celebrate, stay safe and be good to one another. Guinness is committing $500,000 through our Guinness Gives Back Fund to help communities where we live, work & celebrate. #Guinness pic.twitter.com/EZpYpzAGE0
— Guinness US (@GuinnessUS) March 13, 2020
Another key element to consider is that many people are making a significant adjustment in working from home, which can be isolating. Reduced social contact can have significant mental health impacts, in ways that you don’t expect. As such, offering options to engage can be a great way to build engagement and connection within your communities.
Maybe there are also practical tips and advice you can communicate – again, the focus should be on positive, helpful information that relates to the situations your customers are facing.
Then there are the additional ways in which you can lessen the impacts – like helping people make the best of what they have available to them.
Stay healthy while working from home! Tell us what at-home equipment you have and we’ll customize a workout you can do from the comfort of your living room.????
— Reebok (@Reebok) March 13, 2020
It is, of course, an increasingly difficult landscape for brands to navigate, but it’s something that we all need to face together. The challenges are significant, and we’re all hoping that there might be some relief, some light at the end of the tunnel sooner, rather than later. But if that isn’t the case, then we need to work within the confines of the new environment, and consider that in how we look to adjust and stay afloat in increasingly trying times.
The focus should be on positive, helpful information, keeping the perspective of your target audience in mind, and how your business can contribute to improving things, where possible, while also looking to maintain critical customer connections.
