June 24, 2020
By Mr. Amrinder Singh, Director, Bonn Group of Industries
With majority of the population maintaining social distancing and working from home to cease the spread of the deadly coronavirus infection, this is one of the most unprecedented times for brands to make their customers engaged and stay connected. As times are changing every single day, it will be a task to build a bond with new customers and nurturing the old ones as compared to six months ago. Therefore, your strategies of communication with the consumers during the highly-troubled moments of coronavirus pandemic play an important role in attracting your customer. Keep in mind that your brand engagement strategies should be crisp and empathetic towards your consumer, who may be reeling under the economic slowdown resulting from the global pandemic.
Coronavirus has completely transformed the way we live, work and do business. Over the past few months, we have quickly moved to conducting our entire businesses virtually. A lot of this change is likely to stay even when the COVID 19 crisis ebbs. We are likely to see reduction of unnecessary travel as organizations realize that we are doing equally well with virtual technology. During these times, every communication play an important role. However, by being little sensitive to craft an informative social media campaign, one could touch the hearts of many people. Prime focus should be more on educating your audience about the pandemic. Take these extraordinary times as an opportunity for your brand to show that we stands with our consumers.
Social media is the need of the hour
As everything is going digital right from the way you are getting education to buying products, social media can be a key platform for your brand engagement strategies. More than 50 percent of the population in India is using various social media tools – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin – these days to connect with people and express their views. Infact, as people are practicing social distancing from home, their activity on online have also increased. It is just the right time to cash in on the various social media platforms to increase your brand visibility organically. Make eye-catchy content for your customers or do some live session with a celebrity/popular face to talk about the brand and the current ongoing situation.
Spread awareness about safety measures
As we all are going through a rough phase, it becomes imperative that your company create awareness about the preventive measures. By giving knowledge to the stakeholders about the safety measures, it shows that we care for their health in the times of pandemic. It also helps to build a bond of trust with your customer base. Simple and informative pieces of content will be liked by the audience and it will also help you to educate masses about the company’s brand value and future prospect.
Distant customer service plays an important role
We completely understand that certain services do need face-to-face interaction. But, now they require certain modifications in the methods of communication. Social media platforms can be the requisite tool for spreading the information about your new adapted change in operation. One should use mediums of communications that already have with established customers, like emails and apps to do the same. With almost the entire workforce now operating remotely, help your service team adjust to now dealing with clients and customers online, and help your customers have a good experience dealing with your brand.
Company’s message should be sympathetic, compassionate
Effective communication is critical at a time of any crisis. During an ongoing crisis, the way an expert and leader shares his view with the public matters a lot. People rely on information from those groups to understand an unfolding event and to make decisions about what they should do in response. When that communication is done well, it helps manage people’s expectations and fears. If it’s done poorly, it can undermine trust in the institutions leading an emergency response. An organization needs to change its messaging. The messaging should be sympathetic, compassionate, encouraging and sensitive to how people may be feeling after emerging from a difficult period. When much of the world would need help to start their lives once again, the best way to establish a positive presence of your company is to help people through any which way.