Never in a million years would I have imagined that schools, many businesses and basically the whole world would shut down because of a virus during our lifetime. I feel like we’re living in a weird TV series.
To say times are unprecedented is putting it very lightly.
Even as states are slowly starting to lift restrictions and people are clearly ready to start leaving their houses, there is still much uncertainty on how our economy will recover and if there will be another wave of cases of the virus.
As a business owner, it can be difficult to know the right messaging to use in times like these. That’s why we’ve put together some tips for how to speak to your customers during a crisis, whether it be a pandemic, natural disaster or any other unforeseen condition and some steps you can take to move your business forward from here.
Overall Messaging in a Crisis
Stay positive and hopeful.
During a crisis, people are already spending much more time watching the news, checking the stock markets and feeling anxious. The last thing you want to do is add to that. Try to be as positive as you can, without coming off as tone-deaf to the situation. Make your customers feel like you’re there for them.
Use humor with caution.
Being compassionate doesn’t mean being depressing. But tread lightly here, you don’t want to be insensitive when many people have lost jobs and have sick loved ones.
After taking a little hiatus from social, Denny’s has done a great job with creating humorous content that is still relevant.
Even a more serious brand, like the New Jersey Government found a way to bring some cleverness to their posts during this time.
Make messaging shifts fast.
Many of us don’t have the ability to change our entire business overnight when a disaster strikes. However, we do have the power to quickly change the features or products we highlight when it comes to digital media.
For example, for promoting online nutrition coaching services for a client of ours, we shifted the marketing focus to the mental benefits of the service provided and the fact that the entire process of working with a coach was done online. While people do have a desire to be healthy, we found that one of their main reasons for signing up during this time was to gain control over one area of their lives. For the same client, we also made a large push to their online coaching certification and they had their best launch of that product ever.
Another example is for one of our residential clients. The Preserve at Harveston already had virtual tours of some of their homes on their website. So during the stay at home order, we chose to really highlight those throughout social media and their website.
We saw other brands shift their marketing focus too, without necessarily creating new products or services. For example, many clothing stores, like Gap put a focus on work from home outfits. Their #GapFromHome campaign is pretty genius.
So when a crisis hits, ask yourself how does your business already answer the problems that people are currently experiencing? What features or benefits can you highlight right away? Start there and then you can move on to actual business shifts, like selling stylish masks or conducting virtual classes, if needed.
Your next moves:
Enhance your customers’ digital experience.
If you haven’t already made sure that your digital presence is where it needs to be, it’s still important to invest in that now.
Even if you provide an in-person service, do you offer online booking? If you sell products, not selling them online is missing a huge opportunity. What are other ways you can enhance your online offerings? Get creative and think about it from your customers’ point of view (although many of these moves will make your life easier too).
Aside from your website, your social media presence is important too. This often legitimizes your business for many consumers and is another way you can put yourself in front of the right eyeballs.
Survey your current customers.
Getting into the brain of your customer is always important for marketing. During uncertain times, you may be surprised by what motivates your audience, which is why conducting customer surveys can be so helpful.
How you conduct those surveys depends on your business. You could ask for a phone call with a client, where you may get more candid responses, or send out a mass email with quick questions to get more customers involved.
Either way, here are some questions you could start with:
- How has your life changed since X event?
- Have your priorities changed? If so, how?
- What are the top three emotions you are feeling right now? Is this directly an impact from X event?
- What are your biggest needs or challenges right now?
- Is there anything you didn’t expect to come out of X situation?
- What type of information are you seeking? Are you having trouble finding it?
- What type of products/services are you seeking? Are you having trouble finding them?
- What are some ways we could support you during this time?
One of our clients recently surveyed their new customers and found a few similarities in how people are feeling right now. Here’s what they found:
- Loss of control
- Uncertain what the future holds
- Making decisions based on emotion and stress
- Lack of routine
- Shifts in their routines
- Navigating working from home, kids out of school, etc.
- Lack of accountability
- Feelings of stress with no boundaries or goals
- Friends and family treating this time like a free-for-all
Once you get your clients’ responses, think of ways to use the exact language that they’re using in your marketing. For example, “I know you may be out of your routine right now…” Using their own words can make them think, “Wow, this brand really gets me and what I’m going through right now.”
Give and tell.
If you can afford to offer discounts, free resources, or give back in some way, now would be the time to do it. Of course, some of us may not be in the position to do that right now. If you can’t, just make sure that your message is very customer-focused to prove your service/product is all about making their lives easier.
Here’s a classic example from J.Crew sharing an update about a donation they made.
Think of ways to collaborate with other companies, organizations or individuals to make an impact.
This is an example from Zoom Communications, where they partnered with Dove for Mother’s Day to offer a benefit of their “pro accounts” to all free accounts for the entire weekend.
Say, “Thank you!”
Nothing is more positive than gratitude. Thank the frontline workers, thank your clients for their loyalty, thank your team and anyone else you have to be thankful for. As Mr. Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Give a nod to them.
In this example, Gap thanks their fulfillment center team in a creative socially-distant approved “group shot.”
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers put a big thank you to healthcare workers as their Facebook cover photo, among other ways they are thanking them.
Double-check scheduled content.
Be sure any scheduled posts or emails are still appropriate given the current circumstances. We’ve seen some serious faux pas when it comes to scheduled content, so consider yourself warned. You don’t have to necessarily take down what you have scheduled. You may just need to shift the content.
For example, JCrew clearly already had this spring collection launch on their social media calendar. Instead of taking it off altogether because of the circumstances, they found a way to still post it while also being sensitive to what’s happening in the world.
Be genuine.
Send a personal, human message checking in on your customers. This is a crazy time and everyone is affected in one way, so seeing how they’re doing can go a long way. If you have a small customer base, you can personally call/text/email them. If you have a larger audience, something simple on social media can work. However you do it, showing clients you care doesn’t have to be complicated.
For social media, you can pose a question on your feed or story and let them fill in the blanks. Be sure to interact back with the comments and as timely as possible.
Another way you could “check-in” using social media is doing something like Feeding Littles did below. Make it super easy for people to engage with and feel understood.
While no one hopes for or can predict these types of events, all we can do is respond to the circumstances when they arise. The quicker we act, the better and the more relevant our businesses will remain. Focus on your customer and their needs first and let that dictate the rest.