By now you’ll have dealt with initial shock of being forced to close business, or dramatically adapted your offering or modus operandi. Have you communicated this effectively and are you making the most of the efforts you’ve made?
Are your staff aware of the steps you’re putting in place to keep the business ticking over? And how are they coping? Your employees’ well-being in these unsettling and uncertain times is your responsibility. Make sure they are safe at home, that their workstation is optimal, the IT set up supports productivity and that you are making the most of collaborative tools and communication channels.
Have you targeted new potential customers – for example by putting a social media strategy in place, or by getting online press publicity? There’s never been a better time to target the digital audience – alongside the tasks we’re all having to juggle at home, we’re digesting content like never before. However, it’s important to get the tone right, to not look like you’re cashing in on a crisis.
It’s a rapidly-evolving situation, too. So don’t rest on your laurels. Employees will be looking for guidance from their leaders. Customers bases will develop as restrictions are eased and the economy adapts. Plan ahead, get ahead of the game so you can react faster than your competitors.
And you should be proudly publicising any efforts you’re making to help your community through this extraordinarily challenging time. People will remember those companies who went the extra mile to support the national effort.
Now is also a really good time to audit your marketing activities. Are you happy with your website, your tenders, social media platforms, PR strategy, newsletters, advertising? They should all be playing together like an orchestra, in harmony. If they’re not, then this is the ideal time to straighten things out.
Yourcomms shouldn’t stop once we’re over the crisis. Take people with you through the recovery – your employees and stakeholders will want an optimistic yet realistic outlook how your business can grow and prosper in the future.
A report by business consultants McKinsey recently highlighted five stages – horizons, they called them – in the journey through this crisis. They were:
These sound like big corporate themes but they’re actually applicable to all businesses, large and small. And at every stage in this journey, PR and comms could help to bring people – customers, clients, suppliers, employees, stakeholders – with you throughout the weeks, months and years ahead.
Turn The Tables is itself a reimagining – a broadened offering based on the PR background of its predecessor Elmhay PR and Media. Its founder Rupert Janisch has developed a his own reputation and a solid client base over the last decade, while always toying with the idea of developing a ‘virtual agency’ – a network of quality freelancers all working remotely, offering great services without the agency overheads (offices, recruitment costs, holiday pay and so on) normally passed on to clients.
So whatever your message, whatever channel you need to promote it through, we’re here to help. We have a host of experts at your disposal – writers, ex-journalists, comms professionals, marketeers, designers, photographers and videographers, social media gurus – all independent and working at reasonable rates.
Of course we’re happy to have an initial chat, no obligations and free of charge. Fundamentally, we’re at your service. So drop us a line if you need some support.
We’re all in the thick of the coronavirus crisis. No one’s exempt. The situation’s a massive challenge for businesses, their employees and our communities. So it’s an important time to communicate properly while you weather the storm and plan for the future.
So how can PR and communications help your business during this? Well, we’d suggest it’s vitally important to think carefully about each different audience you need to be speaking to, so they know how your business is coping, adapting and planning for the future.
We’re all in the thick of the coronavirus crisis. No one’s exempt. The situation’s a massive challenge for businesses, their employees and our communities. So it’s an important time to communicate properly while you weather the storm and plan for the future.
So how can PR and communications help your business during this? Well, we’d suggest it’s vitally important to think carefully about each different audience you need to be speaking to, so they know how your business is coping, adapting and planning for the future. These may be obvious immediate audiences necessary to communicate with for short-term survival. Or they may be new audiences, as yet untapped, who can be the key to future success.
The organisations which survive – and even thrive – will be those which adapt to circumstances, take quick, decisive and sound decisions, communicate them properly and take their staff, suppliers and customers with them on this journey.
Ideally, you should be looking to:
So whether it’s through press releases, social media activity, newsletters, staff communications or lobbying – PR and communications experts can help devise and execute the most effective ways to get your message across.
The coming weeks and months are effectively a period of ongoing and continuous crisis, so getting your messaging right as the situation evolves could be critical to your future.
Simply, PR is reputation management. It’s looking after how your company is perceived. Of course there are a range of audiences this can be applied to – your shareholders, your staff, customers and clients, graduates, the community and the general public, investors – and there are different tactics and strategies for each.
One of the best ways to get your message out is through the media and that’s what PR experts usually specialise in. The best are often ex-journalists, working with colleagues in the press to tell business stories and promote a client editorially, without paying for advertising.
Editorial coverage packs the most punch – people read, discuss and share it on social media and sometimes even send it viral. But it takes skill to get right, often some lateral thinking, and confident honesty with a client over what will (and won’t) pique a journalist’s interest.
PR also covers crisis communications – helping to protect a brand during times of crisis and also dealing with any negative media attention as and when it occurs.
We’re not talking about your IT set-up here – ‘comms’ are the other ways, apart from through the media, of how you communicate with your key audiences.
There’s a massive variety here and the key is to select the right tactic for the right audience. It could range from local newspaper advertising, leaflets and inserts, SEO or online spend, video footage, through to press releases distributed by newswire, or quality printed collateral delivered by post. Getting the medium is as important as the message.
So for example, a blue chip firm wouldn’t release its company annual report to investors through a series of posts on Twitter. Nor would a local pizza chain promote a Wednesday night two-for-one offer in a press release to its key business sector publication. It’s a matter of identifying the appropriate audience for what you want to achieve, then strategising your comms and executing as appropriate.
Your employees are of course key internal stakeholders. It’s essential to keep them motivated and productive, looked after and well-informed so that they stay with you, work hard and help to advocate your brand. How are you communicating with them? And are you making the most of the potential that your relationship with them can have?
By now you’ll have dealt with initial shock of being forced to close business, or dramatically adapted your offering or modus operandi. Have you communicated this effectively and are you making the most of the efforts you’ve made?
