Adapting your Digital Strategy during A Global Crisis

Global crisis is not something any of us are really familiar with, but it is something that we are all having to deal with right now. At some point in all our lives we have experienced a disruptive moment that has forced us to adapt. Though the current situation is unique to all of us worldwide, our response should be no different. Many small to medium size business owners are challenging themselves with the same questions, What do I do now? How can I continue to run an effective business? How can I be there for my staff, and my customers? 

We certainly all feel the impact of what is happening in the world right now, but it is important that we pivot, focus on keeping calm, and carry on. We wanted to provide some support and ideas around digital & business strategy to those in this same situation. We’ve been listening to a lot of professionals lately and wanted to provide some tips on how to adapt your digital strategy during this time:

Focus on your people and your customers during this time 

I cannot emphasize this enough, now is a time for humanity which means we genuinely need to be there for eachother. Cindy Zhou, the CMO of LogRhythm said it well, “Focus on your customers during this time, reach out, avoid a sales pitch and be available. Be human.” 

There are several ways to do this: 

• Leverage your CRM to email your current and previous customers and internal staff:
  • Let them know that you want to be there for them and we’re all in this together
  • Avoid negativity – keep your messaging lighthearted, people want to smile right now
  • *Please Note* If you are not very active on your email and now all of the sudden reach out to your customers, it may be viewed as insincere, so keep that top of mind
  • Lastly, avoid layoffs, your people have been the driving force of your business, do what you can to show them that their efforts are valued and appreciated, even during unprecedented times
• Use your Social media channels:
  • Digital is a very effective channel during this time, people are looking at their social media feed more than ever
  • Share your messaging to your customers through this channel if not through email

Produce more Digital Content 

Depending on your business, these times may be requiring you to pull back substantially on your normal media plan. If your current situation allows you to, shift your attention to building out some helpful and informative content. Share that content on your social channels, create some engagement, community, and continue to grow your brands reputation. 

Be sure that the content you are producing is consistent across all of your platforms. Your website content (blog post) should be shared on your social channels and shared in your emails. Keep the messaging consistent so that you are as visible as possible. It’s important to note that if you go dark, your customers will go dark on you as well. 

If any of this sparks some ideas, please reach out and I would be happy to discuss further. This is something we are all going through together. We must weather the storm and things will return to normal. Don’t get discouraged, ask for help, adapt and think of other ways to help your people and your customers