COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, is creating uncertainty across the country as schools, restaurants, gyms and more close down to help stop the spread of the virus. During uncertain times like these, news can bring out a lot of stress and challenges to delivering your company’s message.
That’s why it’s more essential than ever to communicate with consumers clearly, effectively and honestly to maintain your branding and your company messaging. As news changes daily, it’s critical to maintain social media presence that accurately reflects the state of your company.
Are your employees working from home to practice social distancing measures? Are you changing practices to limit the number of people in shared spares at once? Share that news to show consumers you are following CDC protocol.
Beyond coronavirus and into any crisis, there are simple steps to follow to ensure you are communicating effectively and clearly. NYC-based marketing firm Oglivy follows these steps to ensure accurate messaging during a crisis:
D – Determine (audience)
R – Refine (messaging)
I – Inform (constituencies)
V – Values (focus)
E – Evaluate (impact)
By running through each of these steps, from audience to impact, this system can help you find a clear path to informing your consumers and to acknowledging which messages and updates are necessary.
Put plans in place to protect both your people and your consumers, and make sure those steps are clearly outlined. It’s also important to choose which channels are best for communicating. Do you have a weekly newsletter? A large Facebook or LinkedIn following? Utilize the channels that will get you the highest amount of visibility and where employees can easily share the news as well.
Stay on top of current events as news continues to develop and make contingency plans to help your company stay on top of the news. Stay educated to help prevent the spread of misinformation, and ensure you are only sharing accurate, up-to-date information.
If you have any questions about how to market during a crisis situation, contact Moxie Consulting for assistance.
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