The Coronavirus pandemic has hit a lot of people and businesses really hard. During the lockdowns a lot of businesses had to close and unfortunately could not afford to make it back in time to reopen. That is why it is important for you to make sure that you are in ongoing and open conversations with your client base and any possible clients you can gain. More likely than not, your business took a bit of a hit during the lockdowns, and that is very normal. Communication, in any industry, is a key component and is a necessary action businesses must take to ensure that they maintain their revenue and keep up with their clientele.
There are many ways you can continue communications going with your clients. It is best that you use all the necessary avenues you can think of to make sure your customers know you are open and that your services are still available to them. There are a lot of people who do not know that your business is not open. During times like this, people are more likely to be focused on things that they need to maintain the health and safety of themselves and their loved ones. We at Catdi Printing create a COVID-19 Marketing Resources
So what are some ways you can reach out and let people know that your business is open? There are a few ways you can go about that. Continue reading to find out the ways you can openly communicate with the public during COVID-19.
Use Direct Mailing
Many marketers turned to digital channels during the pandemic for a bunch of reasons. It made the most sense for B-to-B companies where their customers were at home accessing email but not their office postal mail. Yet the increase of electronic communications eventually produced a certain numbness among consumers who began freely exercising the use of their delete buttons. Likewise, social media was used more for interactions with friends and family with advertisements often viewed as an unwelcome intrusion.
Not so with direct mail marketing. Mailbox content thinned out, and well-targeted, well-produced, pandemic-sensitive direct mail was welcomed. Further, health authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quickly established that both mail and packages were completely safe, thus minimizing concerns over disease transmission. In fact, there have been no confirmed COVID-19 infections in the U.S. from either mail or home-delivered packages. Both the USPS and the package delivery services have done a great job further allaying concerns through their own best practices and procedures.
Direct mailing is a good way to get the message out that your business is open and ready for business. Electronic communications is probably the number one way a lot of businesses are out there communicating with the public that they are still open. While that is a way you can go, when you go the direct mailing route, you may stick out amongst the pack and that could very easily lead to more business coming to you.
Use Your Site
Another way you can communicate with your customer base is through your website. This is the easiest and most efficient way you can let people know you are open since almost everything is done online today. One thing you can do is set up an “alert” email chain where your clients can enter their emails in so your business can send them updates via email on what is going on with your business.
Something you want to remember when using any method of communication with your clients, is it is okay to acknowledge that these are not normal times that we live in. Address the issue right away so your customers know you understand what they are going through. The second thing you want to do is not keep the marketing of your company exactly the same as it was before covid. That will just give off the sense that you are not attentive to the struggles that the people are going through. A big thing you can do when reaching out to people during corona is give them hope. This does not mean you have to tell them everything is going to be awesome, but it does not take a lot to make sure your communications with them are on the positive side. This will make them think fondly of you and your business and that will only help both you and your customers in the long run.
Social Media Is Another Tool at Your Disposal
Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Snapchat, or any other form of social media, those are the number one forms of communication used today. More likely than not, you have your business page on one of those platforms. The best thing you can do with your page is use it as a line of communication. Use social media to reach out to the public and let them know you are open and tell them why now is a great time to purchase whatever you are selling. It is not going to be an easy task, but it is one that is manageable.
As it was with the direct mailing and website, the number one thing you want to express through social media is compassion. If you come off as someone who is just trying to make money off of people during a pandemic, the public will immediately shut you out and go somewhere that seems more like they care. These are sensitive times and now is not the time be as aggressive as you once were.
In the end, these are trying times for everyone, from businesses to families. Almost everyone has had it rough. While your business is important, you do not want to lose sight of what is happening in this country. It is not wrong of you to market your business during a pandemic. It just means you now have to be even more careful of what you say and how you go about doing it. It is a tricky path but one that is manageable.
