Why Communication is More Important Than Ever

by Caragh Welford 9th of April, 2020

With COVID-19 forcing local, national and international businesses to close or change their operations, it’s easy to feel as though there isn’t much point posting to social media, sending that email or making that call. Although it may be difficult to adapt to the changes, and a lot of business owners may be feeling like they're at a stand-still, it’s important to ensure you’re still communicating with your audience. In fact, communication is more important now than ever before.

You’re in limbo, that’s ok!

That’s ok, a lot of businesses are. And most customers, suppliers, and employees are expecting that perhaps their favourite brands are still finding their feet in this new format we’re all trialing. Sharing where you are currently at is just as important as sharing new news.

What marketing can you do?

Do you know how many free marketing tools are available? Lots. Here are some easy ways to communicate with your audience while saving your pennies:

Social media - it’s a no brainer but sometimes we forget we can simply post to Instagram stories, or do a quick live video to update where the business is at, what you’re experiencing and what the plans are for the short-term. People expect stories, for instance, to be more casual in tone, so don’t be afraid to be more human in this space and let everyone know where you’re at.
Email marketing - sending emails is free for businesses who have a database below 2,000 (check MailChimp) or relatively cheap to do if you have a larger database. Ensure you don’t spam your database and design the email so it’s straight to the point - we’ve all been receiving a lot of emails with the COVID-19 pandemic, so be direct.
Blogs - now is the time to share content. You’re an expert in your field, share what you know and inspire customers to learn from you and eventually (when everything is back up and running), make your business their preferred. This is also a great way to be more conversational, don’t be too formal unless the topic requires a higher level of professionalism. The beauty of writing blogs is that it’ll help your SEO in the long term, but it’ll also provide you with quality content to share across all of your platforms. (We practice what we preach at Bsale, check out our Business Articles section on our website for more business information).
Video and Livestreams - it seems to be the #1 way to communicate at the moment with family, friends but also within our place of work. Hosting videos or webinars is a helpful way to educate your audience, share insights and engage 1:1. Also, the benefit of focusing on video content is you only need to do it once, and it can be reused multiple times without actually causing you to do more work.

If your business is open, great! Chat about what products or services are available, and how people can make a purchase. If your business is closed, that’s ok too - share where your business is at, how you’re adapting and what the plan is when you’re going to reopen.

Stay positive, this will pass and you’ll be back to business in no time.