During these difficult times, it’s important now more than ever, to have a clear and consistent communication strategy in order to effectively engage customers with your business. In order to maintain awareness to your brand and generate some sales, consider the following strategies:
1. BE TRANSPARENT
Customers have always responded and engaged with brands that feel honest and real. This is true now more than ever - everyone is having a hard time with COVID19. People are confused and scared.
-
Share how your business is doing: Let customers know - whether you are operating or not? how this has impacted your business? what you are doing to help?
-
Tell them how to help: Customers want to help where needed. Tell them how they can support your business and how much of a difference that would make.
2. EXPLORE CUSTOMER NEEDS
Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. What are they struggling with right now? What are their challenges? How are they substituting the need you used to fulfill?
-
Existing Solution - is there something your business does already that solves one of those problems? Can you remessage what you were doing before?
-
New Solutions - can you leverage your expertise or production line to create a solution to their problems now? Can you create a new service/product to address their needs?
-
Be a Resource - do you have access to information your customers don’t that could help? Can you teach them something new?
-
3. MONITOR TRENDS IN YOUR SPACE
Remember that this crisis is affecting other businesses like yours - not only locally, but around the world. Look to what they are doing to address the crisis for inspiration and ideas on how to communicate with customers.
-
Follow Hashtags - look into the most popular hashtags for your industry and see what others are posting and what customers are saying.
-
Monitor Engagement - are there posts that are really popular? What are people really receptive to? What are people not positive about?
-
New Ideas - are there ideas that other businesses have outside of your local industry that could be innovative in your location? Are local businesses saying or doing something that also applies to you?
