As COVID-19 brings uncertainty to the world, brands are struggling with what to say. Inboxes are filled with emails from every brand seemingly trying to communicate their feelings about what is happening, so how should you communicate, or if you need to communicate.
How many messages have you received in the past 2 weeks from every single brand or business that seems to have your email address? For me, too many. But it’s not the amount of messages that are bothersome, it’s seemingly the actual message itself. And it’s not just me, plenty of others are annoyed too.
From posts on LinkedIn:
This past week’s Marketoonist:
Plenty of lessons can be learned from these seemingly panicked businesses attempting to reach out to their customers to “connect.”
Here are some simple tips for navigating communicating during a crisis.
First of all, check your crisis management & communications plan. This isn’t exactly the same thing as what to communicate in a crisis, but make sure you have a strategic framework for how you will communicate.
Next review the following points to make sure you’ve kept them in mind when preparing your communications. This applies to email, social media, and your website (etc).
Be human, be authentic, be kind.
If it’s a crisis that everyone is feeling – e.g.: a global pandemic – the best you can do is level with people and be honest. A brand pretending to be anything that it isn’t will be called out in a heartbeat. Consumers are ruthless.
Get to the point.
Remember that you are not the only message in an inbox or social media – so get to the point. If you are communicating service changes, communicate it simply, and in the lede of your content. No one likes throat clearing.
Don’t over message.
Giving everyone space when things are a bit crazy in the world is key. But what’s too much? The truth: this really depends. If you’re a business that is related to the crisis, consistent, clear communication is key. Probably not every hour, and maybe even not every day, but if you have something important and relevant to say – say it. If you’re selling non-essential items (e.g.: luxury goods), it’s probably best to wait a bit and leave your messaging on your website, or via social media rather than “intruding” via an inbox.
Create messaging guidelines and an FAQ for your business.
Part of any crisis comms plan, but necessary to repeat here. Not everyone has common sense, and not everyone knows what to do when they are communicating with clients, prospects, etc. Make sure your team is armed with the right information to know what to do in case something comes up. The last thing you want to be managing is a “rogue” employee talking to the media or a customer with insensitive talking points.
Check and double check your messaging content.
Make sure your messaging in all communications has the right tone and is up the date. This also goes beyond marketing messaging – any sales or CS messaging applies. The last thing you want to see is a copy-pasted SDR email saying “What a great start to 2020!”
Turn off auto-messages
For those businesses that use nurture sequences via marketing automation, or sales programs such as Outreach or Mixmax – it’s time to turn them off and re-evaluate. See above for messaging content & over messaging.
Don’t try to be clever or funny.
Trust me, that “funny” social media post, ad unit, etc is not funny. During this COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people will die, a lot of people will lose their jobs and humor is not taken well in terms of marketing for a business. This is not a time to joke.
Put actions behind your words.
This week’s Marketoonist is particularly relevant – discussing how businesses can communicate and do good during crisis.
Brands are judged less by how they operate when things go right, than by how they handle situations when things go wrong. Mark Ritson recently recounted the story of Marks & Spencer during World War II, when the retailer made ration clothing for the British public.
Marketoonist “How Not To Communicate Right Now” March 22
They had to figure out how to manufacture clothing in a different way to make the most of limited materials, even as more than 100 M&S stores were hit by bombing raids. Mark said that how M&S stepped up during the war was a widely admired fact during the 60s and 70s in the UK. As he put it:
“They were with us when the shit hit the fan, and we were with them afterwards because of it.”
I think brands have to be careful to avoid shallow rhetoric in “we’re here for you” brand messaging.
There’s plenty of things you can do in uncertain times, but be vigilant, strategic, and sensitive to the world at large. Every crisis situation is different, and uncertainty means as marketers, we have to stay extra vigilant.
In case you’re wondering, here’s a example of solid messaging during times of crisis:
Additionally, Really Good Emails has compiled a list of “Emergency Emails” (not all good, but great for reference).
Good luck!
Header Photo by Pavan Trikutam on Unsplash