Crisis Communication: Pandemic Messaging

You get the news- the governor ordered your business to close. Or maybe it wasn’t that clear. Can you still operate in limited capacity? When can you reopen? What do you do about your staff- fire, furlough or keep paying them?

In a crisis, confusion ensues and the list of questions grows larger by the second. You might be thinking about yourself and your family, your customers and the law- three areas you must work to balance as you move forward.

The focus moving forward should be on clear communication rooted in both empathy and authenticity.

Before we get started, I want you to stop look away from the screen and take a deep breath. Seriously. Big breath in. Your customers need you focused, your family needs you focused and your employees need you focused. So take a minute for another deep breath, and let’s begin.

Pick Your Communication Channel

To minimize confusion and streamline communications, identify a single communication method for all things crisis-related. Your customers should know exactly where they can find the information they are looking for-which becomes even more important during a crisis where things are changing rapidly.

Same for employees. Do you communicate through a group text, online portal with internal messaging, email, etc? Make sure your employees know where they can find the information they need. This is foundational to effective crisis communication.

Empathy-based Communication

If you were your customer, what would you want to know? Put yourself in their shoes. Your product or service provided your customers with something they value. Understand what that is and figure out how you can provide that value moving forward. If you don’t know how, be honest about that. If you are still figuring out how to provide that value, communicate that. People are anxious, worried, bored, stressed and stretched thin. Some are struggling emotionally and some are struggling financially, some both. Keep those things in mind as you communicate and move forward.

Always Do MORE Than You Think You is Necessary

One of the messages I always tell people is that if you feel like you are communicating enough you definitely are not, and if you feel like you are over communicating, you’re probably communicating the right amount. Communicate more. And do more to serve your customers. The extra effort and thoughtful touches will go further now than ever before. People are missing connection-find a way to fill that void and you will leave a lasting impression on your customers. There is no downside to these practices, especially during a crisis.

Focus on the Positive

There’s plenty of negativity to go around but that doesn’t mean we have to focus on that. Honesty in messaging is good, but if your business is dealing with a lot of bad news, don’t pass that on to your customers. Focus on the positive and have a little fun. Be sure to give your customers something to look forward to and remind them that this is temporary. People are longing for social connection, to be back to ‘normal’, to sit around a table with friends and family or to be waited on. Remind people of how your brand, product or service delivers those feelings people are longing for.

Remember Your Purpose

Remember why you started your business. For most people, there’s a desire to serve. Now is a great time to strip away whatever ideas you have about serving your customers and what that entails. Happy and satisfied customers are loyal customers. Sometimes we think about service very narrowly. Does the customer like the product, was I friendly when they visited my store? If you check those boxes, you should be good, right? You should be thinking about serving your customers in all communications and interactions, and even when you aren’t serving them.

If you are struggling to come up with ways to serve them better, ask them. Maybe you are creatively tapped, emotionally exhausted, or focused on other areas of your business, or some combination of the three. So just ask your customers how they are. Not in the small-talk pleasantries kind of way but in a I know this is hard on everyone and we, as a brand, want to do everything we can to make it easier on you kind of way.

Here’s a sample message to try, using whatever platform you normally use to engage your audience (Facebook, Instagram, email, etc.).

We want to check in: We know you are all dealing with some really heavy stuff right now. We like to think that we are a community of really strong and beautiful people who do a lot of good. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need support. We’re here to listen, any time, any platform, any way you are comfortable communicating. If you want to start on this [post, email, story, etc.], great. If you want to share in another way, that’s fine too. But we want to know: How are you, really? What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now? What’s your biggest worry? What’s bringing you solace? We won’t be sharing these with the public or even other customers, unless of course you post it in a public space. #[companyname]listens

Don’t Forget, We’re all Human

You, the business owner, you are human too. You have your own worries, needs and concerns. The pandemic isn’t just impacting your business but your own personal lives too. If we can seek to listen and understand others through empathy and seek meaningful and authentic connection, it’s our best chance to thrive during these tough times.

For more communication tips, of it you have any questions, please reach out to dbaileydesigns@outlook.com. If you want to talk about your worries or concerns as a business owner, I’m happy to listen.