Crisis communication plans that flatten business panic during Covid-19

Company owners must keep their business on float, taking the necessary measures in following a strategic plan for ensuring business continuity and communication is a significant player during the current crisis in terms of human resources, marketing, and even sales.

1. Your crisis communication plan should start from the inside

We have previously discussed how important it is to prioritize your employees’ health status since they are your business’ foundation. In conditions where everyone  is working remote, your company should make sure to:

• Consider creating an explicit remote work policy and an employee handbook

By doing this, you will make sure that everyone follows the same rules and finishes their tasks in time, to meet projects’ deadlines. More than that, the guide can prove very useful to those employees experiencing remote work for the first time. For them, you can also create separate guidance groups, if necessary.

• Keep your employees updated with the latest information regarding the crisis

Another essential recommendation regarding the communication with your employees is to keep them informed about Governmental measures regarding quarantine, school closures, or paid leave.

Since you want to keep your employees safe, you can provide them with information on how to stay healthy during this period. Remember that during the pandemic, your employees might be affected physically, and also mentally. It is your duty and responsibility as a business leader to know the state of your employees’ mental health during the stress they might be facing during COVID-19.

Keep your employees updated with information from reliable resources that communicate about the current situation. By knowing the right information regarding this pandemic, your employees will be linked to real sources, such as those delivered by the World Health Organization.

• Communicate regularly about the status of your business activities

Your employees need to know at every step what your plans are regarding your business strategy to have continuity in this context. Remember that the role of internal communication in a crisis is to flatten any panic that may interfere. When you communicate about your business continuity plan to your employees, make sure to be clear and, first of all, supportive.

2. How to adapt your marketing strategy through effective communication that mitigates crisis

Now is the time to adapt your marketing strategy, but while doing so, remember to quickly adjust your strategy to the new market demands, and leave aside any first assumptions that were not being analyzed carefully first, and which could lead to cutting your marketing budgets, since this is not the first option. To adapt, your business should evaluate again how your marketing efforts lead to achieving your objectives. In doing so, consider the following tips:

• Try to avoid self-centered communication topics

While you might want to keep the same communication plans, it is time to adjust and try to avoid communicating about your company, products, or services while excluding that they will not be affected by the current situation. Your new content should speak about your engagement with the business community, and it should focus on CSR campaigns. These changes imply that you should adjust your social media calendar continuously.

More important, you must know by now that no matter how hard this situation will become, your content should not fuel existing concerns. When we talk about content activities, remember that visuals should also be carefully thought out. It might be challenging to have a visual content that will speak clearly about the impact of this pandemic upon your business, while not being offensive.

• Build your communication strategy around the business community

Initiate a PR campaign that will focus on helping other businesses, rather than spreading news regarding your company. By communicating with other companies and their challenges, you will better understand the situation, this way, having a more extensive view of the consequences of the epidemic outbreak. There was never a better time for your business to live by the motto, “Sharing is caring!”

So remember to share real-time tips and cases coming from your clients or even from your competitors. One example here is to be opened on all of your platforms about how you will be addressing conferences, events, or exhibitions, as an organizer or participant.

Added to these tactics, a global crisis like the current one is asking for CSR initiatives. You don’t have to see it as a public obligation, but to think about it as a way to boost good spirits, for those benefiting from your campaign, as well as for those working in your company. Here you can find an initiative taken by Facebook in offering free advertisements for the World Health Organisation during this period.

3. Guide your sales team on how to focus on opportunities, rather than deals

The sales department needs maximum attention from the management these days. Your sales team should consider looking for opportunities, and they can start from:

• Quickly monitoring possible changes and taking relevant actions

A good sales team will have the ability to predict how demand drivers may change in the future for each market segment. To make sure that your business can overcome these challenges, seek to identify opportunities for your product or service in the rapidly changing climate.

• Considering new markets for your business

Looking for alternative solutions is something that your team should continuously keep an eye on. And 2 examples of such solutions are: to enter non-affected markets and to join industries that are benefiting from the Coronavirus pandemic by customizing your product functionalities.

Final thoughts

There is no doubt that each business is looking for support in the following period, so take the initiative and be the one who offers real solutions for growing a sustainable business community. Or let us help you find the adequate strategy that can advance your business continuity. Get in touch with us, and let’s talk about the challenges you predict for your business and how we can overcome them.

Meanwhile, you can register to participate in our webinar, taking place on Thursday, the 19th of March!