The ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is indeed a difficult time for all of us regardless of what we do or what situation we are facing. Companies and organizations across the globe are looking for effective measures to make sure that their businesses stay afloat during the current situation of crisis as well. The only thing that we can manage and control efficiently at present is how we communicate with our already existing and potential customers in our overall Digital Marketing Strategy. The current scenario is uncertain to a great extent; however, you need to ensure that your business doesn’t come off as unsympathetic, triggering, or exploitative to your customers. It is undoubtedly a sure-fire way of turning off your target audience and further damaging your entire brand reputation. So, let us now make ourselves familiar with a few ways using which you can improve the levels of communication with your customers.
1. Address the Current Situation Proactively
For a lot of companies and organizations out there, the first critical question is whether there is a need to change their overall marketing strategy and approach or not. To put it straightforwardly, the answer to this is both yes and no. The entire industry at present has found itself in a situation where not mentioning the Coronavirus crisis is impossible, as the same has affected all the brands and businesses. As a business owner, you might have halted a few digital marketing tasks, which you had earlier planned to carry out. However, irrespective of the required changes in your overall marketing strategy, you must look forward to addressing the current situation, carefully, proactively, and sympathetically. You must communicate with your customers directly at all times to make sure that they feel special and develop a sense of trust and credibility towards your business. You can make the most out of social media platforms to implement and improve the levels of communication as a part of your marketing strategy. By doing the same, you can humanize your brand, introduce a feeling of collective grief, and work towards making the situation change for good. Remember, not every post or blog should directly address the novel Coronavirus; you need to post relevant content that revolves around the current situation.
2. Ask your Customers about their Requirements
It is imperative to make a point of the fact that your customers, too, are experiencing an entire shift in their day-to-day lives. You must take a step forward to encourage a sense of reassurance and support among your customers, and embrace the ethos of “Keep calm and carry on,” which are quite popular around the world. You can directly ask your customers about what they want from you and your business to have the most authentic form of marketing in hand and present your business as transparent and sympathetic in the industry.
3. Create Relevant Content
Without any doubt, creating relevant and valuable content for your target audience should always be your topmost priority. If you have resources and information that can prove to be exceedingly beneficial for your users, specifically at this time, then you must post the same on all digital platforms, including social media networks. Till the time you continue posting content that is genuinely helpful to your customers and addresses their pain points, you will have a positive brand image in the market. What you can proactively do is create engaging points of discussion, list all the useful resources, and come up with compelling social media posts. Remember, your objective is not to be overly pushy with your offerings; instead, you must modify your brand messaging to provide informative content, which, in turn, has real-life value.
4. Be Transparent in your Approach
For making sure that your customers view your business as authentic and transparent, you need to come up with a strategy through which you can update your customers from time-to-time. Social media platforms are indeed the go-to place for spreading relevant information, creating brand awareness, and conducting virtual events. Therefore, you can consider reaching out to your customers and target audience on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, to name a few and share honest updates about your offerings. You can even work on moving face-to-face workshops to virtual meetings. And, last but undoubtedly not the least, you must show your gratitude and thank your customers for their immense support in such tough times as well.