Don’t push ‘pause’ on your communications
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread unease, not just on a personal level, but also in the business world. While it’s tempting to let the anxiety of it all get to you, throw your hands up and hit pause on all your business operations, that is only going to harm you in the long run.
It’s now more important than ever to have a strategic communications plan, so you can continue to reach clients and customers where they are and forge a deeper connection with them. But, beyond simply remaining in your customer’s line of sight, why should you continue – or start – investing in your communications strategy?
Forge new connections through communication
Clients and customers need reassurance that the world will continue to spin, and that you’ll be there for them now and when this is all over. Reach out and display empathy, show them you care, and you’ll forge a deeper sense of connection with your customers.
Everyone is now online
Digital marketing is the best way to keep in touch with your current, past, and future customers while everyone is in lockdown. Short of the whole world being taken offline due to an enormous solar flare, the pandemic has shown that our strength as a global community is in our connectivity. Even when we can’t meet face to face, as a global society we continue to talk and support one another online. If you aren’t a part of that, you’re going to be left behind.
Invest in good quality content
For those who have decided to pause or reduce their ad spend for the time being, content marketing is one of the best ways of spreading your message. With everyone spending much more time at home, more content is being consumed than ever. The major benefit of creating strong, engaging content is that anything you produce today (be it blog posts, videos, podcasts, or even ebooks) can still generate interest in the future.
With the volume and content and news being shared online currently so high, how can you cut through the noise?
1. Find your ideal customers and connect with them. Talk directly to them, not just through replying to their comments and questions, but by identifying their needs and concerns and using that to fuel your marketing.
2. Start real conversations with people and they will bring in more traffic from their friends and followers when they recommend and share your business around social media sites. Now is the perfect time to get your name out there using social to share interesting and helpful content with your ideal customers, both your own and that of other sites, to start a discussion.
3. It’s not just about the numbers – while it’s great to encourage a large volume of traffic to your website through your communications, now’s the time to forge those deeper connections. If you can connect with 20, 50, or 100 customers personally and help them solve their problems, you will gain loyal customers for life, as you were the business who helped them through the pandemic.
Having an effective communications strategy has always been important, but the COVID-19 outbreak presents us with both challenges and opportunities. A strong communications strategy will not only help you secure the future of your business in uncertain times, it may even help you thrive now and after.
If you want to find out more about how you can embed a resilient communications strategy, click here to chat to one of the team!