We are in unprecedented times with the coronavirus having reached global proportions in a matter of days. The impact has been far reaching but the truth is we won’t know the depth and magnitude of the crisis for several more months yet.
For many businesses, regardless of the sector in which they operate, the likelihood is that this pandemic will have a significant impact on the supply and demand of their products and services.
With social contact now restricted, how do businesses communicate with their customers, their suppliers and their stakeholders?
The answer – via your company website and associated social media platforms, mail shots and other such tools.
It means, there has never been a more pressing time for businesses to own and utilise their digital assets.
This is a time when communication is vital and with more people set to shift online for work purposes, businesses need to make sure they have fully functioning, easy to navigate websites.
There has been increasing interest in companies wishing to create or update websites, launch new e-commerce channels and create social media campaigns focused on home-workers and a real focus on using influencers and SEO to reach new audiences.
How to get the best out of your company website?
- Be open, honest and up front. Keep customers informed at all times to help them understand the difficulties you’re facing. This helps to build trust and will help you retain existing customers and potentially earn new ones.
- Use your owned news channels – blogs or news sections – to explain to customers any challenges you might be facing or indeed to promote any positive steps you are taking to support others in the community. In just a matter of days people in all corners of our communities have rallied to support one another by supplying and handing out essential provisions to those most in need.
- Use your website to help share your own efforts or community campaigns.
- Use your website and social media channels to help promote and share the latest Government guidance and advice for your industry. Be a conduit for positive news but make sure what you share is genuine and stick to information on approved sites.
- Use your website to tell customers and stakeholders that you’re open for business. If you’ve changed your working practices due to the threat of coronavirus (COVID-19), tell customers what you’ve changed and why. If your new working practices could have an impact on customer service, use your website and associated social media channels to explain clearly what the problems might be.
- Be regular and timely with your updates. Updating your website each day with latest company news, procedures, plans and action means you’ll build on that trust we wrote about earlier. This will help with maintaining a loyal following. Whilst people may not be in need of your products and services right now, keeping them engaged means that when things return to normal, you’ll still be the go to business for whatever it is you provide.
- Also be aware that Hackers are increasingly targeting the workforce being sent home across the world due to coronavirus. So, ensure your remote staff use the same security measures they would in the office. Remember that you should not let anyone connect to your machine remotely, and do not open email attachments unless you are certain of its origin.