Let’s talk about crisis communication during economic upheaval.

Of course, many of you are wondering where the next piece of business is going to come from or juggling working from home and caring for your kids.

But we also need to keep the wheels of this economy turning and communicate with our clients at the same time.

• How do we grab an audience that’s already being bombarded with messaging (and stress!)?
• How do we “sell” without sounding tone-deaf?
• And how do we pepper our messaging with the reality of Covid-19 without sounding like ambulance-chasers?

I talked to some incredible marketers and communications professionals on the podcast this week (EP 118 Communicating with your Audience in a Crisis), and I wanted to give you a snap-shot of their very excellent advice.

Marketing in the Time of Covid-19

Fact: there is no better time than NOW to fine-tune and hone your messaging.

We are experiencing – collectively - an event that is hopefully a once in a lifetime occurrence. And the first thing you must consider before ‘bull-horning’ your marketing and communications to your audience is that, while silence at this time is definitely not the way to go, plowing through like it’s business as usual isn’t either.

We're all navigating it as we go. But one of the first steps you (or your marketing teams) should do is press pause on everything. Seriously – your audience won’t miss you for a couple of days. They’re busy with other things.

Take a pause, and strategically look at every single thing you have in the pipeline. Then look at it again through the lens of Covid-19.

Check the tone and voice of any content you’ve pre-drafted – emails, newsletters, blog posts, social posts, etc., and tweak or re-write where necessary. And – while it might take a bit of extra work – take your social sharing OFF automation and onto a day-by-day schedule.

Understand that the news cycle re: this virus is out of control right now. And it ranges from anywhere between the shock and disbelief of what is happening in the United States, to better news coming re: testing and efforts to flatten the curve.

Again, people are stressed out, worried about family and loved ones, and they do not want to hear about your latest discount on party supplies or your “top tips when traveling.”

Know Your Audience & Reduce Your Output

I would hazard a guess that your audience profiles have changed a bit over these last weeks. For example, that 35 to 50 year old woman with three kids who works full-time that you've been selling to? Well, her life is upside-down right now. Today she’s stuck at home with the kids all day, perhaps while trying to work from home, maybe has her partner underfoot as well, AND she’s worried about her elderly loved ones to boot.

As you’re tweaking your marketing messaging, keep in mind the old saying “If you don’t have something of value to say, don’t say anything at all.” Dial back your lead-generation strategies, and don’t bombard people with promotions and whatnot. Trust me. They don’t want to hear it.

What they want to hear is something of value. Consider this: “What's one thing I can give you today that's going to make your life better? What's one free resource I've developed specifically for you this past week that I just want you to have it, you know, for free - no strings attached.” That’s what’s going to resonate and cut through the clutter.

People Need Care, Compassion, Even a Laugh - Not Sales Pitches

Again, as I mentioned above, we have to keep the wheels of this economy rolling as best we can right now. We still have to “market” ourselves and our services. But we have to do it without a hint of “sleaze.”

I can’t even begin to tell you how much tone-deaf marketing I’ve seen on social media lately. Don’t be those people. Instead, use your corporate social media profile and your reach to actually help. Share good news stories. Promote local companies who are going out of their way to give back to others.

And don’t be afraid to have a little fun with your messaging – but make sure you have someone experienced enough on your marketing team who can gut-check you if you’re pushing that “fun” envelope a bit too far.

And most of all – remember – we are ALL going through the same thing at the moment. Lean on people for advice if you need to. But above all, be OVERLY sensitive to what’s going on – know your audience and act accordingly.

Please, if you have any questions, reach out to me directly, any time.