Thursday, March 28, 2024

In Times of Crises, Communication is a Strategic Ally

Marlene Fernández F., General Director of the Inter-American Communication Agency

The social isolation the Covid-19 pandemic has forced us into is not a reason enough for the established relationship between organisations and their audiences to cool down.

Today, more than ever, the values associated with brands must be there in the minds of their employees, customers, local and national authorities and also in the manner how they engage with the community they live in.

It is a fact that the measures adopted to preserve the health of the population in the face of this threat did generate an unwanted impact on business. Entrepreneurs, large or small, are cutting budgets and maximizing their resources. And often one of the first decisions is to cut down or give up communication. However, companies must bear in mind that this crisis will be over one day and they should therefore make sure their brands remain in the minds of customers, in order to recover from the economic effects of the crisis and contribute again to job creation when the time comes.

The vast majority of organizations, public or private, are suffering the financial blow that the virus has brought with it. Health and economy are in crisis, but we cannot add a reputational crisis to it in this complicated world scenario.

In order for the reputation of organizations to survive the implications of the pandemic, work must be done to address, for example as regards planning, addressing the economic aspects at the same time. Communication cannot leave the stage as it runs the risk of losing what took so many years to achieve.

Against this background, companies and organizations should place particular focus on the following aspects:

– Knowing how to act and communicate in accordance with the expectations and those of your target audiences in this crisis context. In times of crisis like this, the level of awareness of the different target audiences is a few degrees above normal. Everyone will see more clearly how your company is responding to the emergency: if it is following the guidelines of the authorities,, for example; if it showing sincere concern – and acts accordingly – with its employees or suppliers; if it developing initiatives to help customers cope with social isolation, among other aspects.

– Assess the impact the crisis has had on your reputation. Analyse if there is a particular situation that has damaged or benefited your brand, in relation to the pandemic. If your company is transnational or part of a franchise, see if any external event generated changes in perception.

– Establish a Reputation Crisis Committee. There may be people in your company coming up with ways to cope with this economic situation, which is fine, but don’t neglect managing your reputation. To do this, rely on people (hopefully experts) who will define what your messages should be, who will be your spokespersons and which channels will be used to disseminate your information.

– Design particular communications for each of your audiences. Even if the message you want to convey is only one, take into account that, under the current situation, there may be different needs, depending on the audience you want to address.

– If necessary, correct. Many of the actions that companies usually design may not be perceived in a positive manner under the current situation. If your company makes changes to accommodate new stakeholder requirements, communicate them firmly, without bragging.

– Social isolation implies being vigilant. Do not lose contact with society, given that once the isolation is over your business will have to operate under new conditions that you should be aware of. Monitoring what is happening now will help you make decisions and see which situations or guidelines may affect your reputation.

– Even if your business is not operating now, keep communicating with your audiences. This doesn’t have to be done at a cost considering that there are currently means, such as social media, to establish contact and even seek new paths that generate empathy without incurring costs. If one of your employees, for example, have a particular skills, record a masterclass and share it via your website or social media.

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