Ready, Set, Reopen: 5 Tips for Communicating During COVID-19 Re-Entry
Communicating during COVID-19 can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Three Box is here to help. Check out our COVID-19 Communications Toolbox for even more resources to help you pivot, not pause your marketing efforts.
“The new normal.”
We’ve been hearing this phrase nonstop from politicians, CEOs and advertisements everywhere as COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders begin to lift. This new normal means staying six feet away from our neighbors, wearing a mask to run weekend errands and, for many, continuing to work remotely. But it’s also changed the way we communicate.
At Three Box, we’ve always believed in communicating the right messages, through the right channels, at the right time – but never before has this process been more important.
Here are a few communications best practices to follow as your organization prepares to return to (you guessed it) a new normal.
Revisit Your Brand’s Key Messages
If your organizational structure has shifted in the past few months, it’s important that your brand’s key messages and talking points reflect your new way of doing things. Examine every messaging angle, from internal culture to customer service, and adjust your brand’s positioning to align with any recent changes. Have you implemented a more flexible work schedule? Are you delivering your service or product in a new way? What changes have you made for health and safety? Strategically and proactively addressing these pivots will reinforce a clear brand narrative.
Listen for Opportunity
The saying, “diamonds are created under pressure,” though cliché, reminds us that there are a plethora of good ideas waiting to be discovered during this season. Now is the time to survey your organization’s supporters, stakeholders and employees for their feedback and use the data to develop new processes or programs that are better suited to our new normal. By listening to your community, you’ll find better ways to serve them.
Be a Friend to the Media
Reporters have always had a tough job, but between recent industry layoffs and a global pandemic, they can’t seem to catch a break. Start each outreach off by thanking them for their hard work, and make their jobs easier by pre-packaging all the resources they may need for a story (fact sheets, photos, b-roll, bios, etc.). Click here for even more ways to help out your media friends during this time.
Prepare for Future Crises
COVID-19 has proven itself to be an unpredictable storm for business leaders and organizations around the world, but that doesn’t mean you should stop preparing other crises that could occur in the future. Revisit your brand’s crisis playbook, update it with the latest scenarios, processes and messages, and continue to train your team on how to respond when the unexpected happens.
Use Your Social Media for Good
Point blank, there’s a lot of bad news right now. But audiences are still consuming, and even craving, positive content. Use your brand’s social media channels to reinforce your organization’s mission, message and purpose. Recognize outstanding employees, capture your team’s volunteer efforts or share a simple moment of humanity to give your followers a break from the bad and build more engagement.
Do you need additional assistance navigating re-entry communications? Click here to learn more about Three Box’s custom re-entry communications packages or schedule a consultation today.