The COVID-19 outbreak has been the toughest challenge most organizations will have ever faced. With no clear end in sight, many are wondering how they can preserve their business in the long term.

In times of uncertainty, it’s important that you make a plan to secure not only the health of your staff and customers but also that of your brand as well. Here are our 5 tips for protecting your brand’s reputation during COVID-19. 

Protect Employees

Protecting your brand starts with protecting your employees. Now more than ever the public is concerned with how big businesses intend to safeguard their staff. So if your business is still operational, posting regular updates on the precautions, policies or training you’ve set in place for employees can go a long way to putting your customers’ minds at ease.

Aim to be calm, sincere and open with any messaging, you want to communicate your care, concern and commitment to the safety of your team and customers. 

Be Prepared

By now you may have a basic communication strategy in place, but you should continue to prepare for any changes in the coming weeks. With the lock-down in the UK extending by three weeks at a time, having a contingency plan for different scenarios is vital for meeting customer demand.

By maintaining an updated social media policy that includes a crisis communications component, you can effectively manage any negative fallout or changes to Government policy. It’s important to keep an open dialogue with your customers to protect your relationship, it will also enable you to listen and adapt to their changing needs.

Outlining channels of communication and roles of responsibilities now will help you act quickly and confidently tomorrow.

Monitor Concerns 

In the next few weeks, it is possible that your business will experience an influx of customer concerns and queries, this is normal. To stay on top of it, it is important that you have a team responsible for monitoring and responding to customer questions quickly and efficiently.

Comments and reviews can quickly mount up if left unattended, so giving your staff guidelines on how to answer everyday questions can help. Alternatively, investing in a social media marketing partner or ChatBot supplier can ease the burden. At Red Media, we can help you engage with your customers and deliver your message and products to your target audience. 

Check-In With Service Providers

If your brand works with local vendors, delivery services or any other partners in conducting day to day business, it’s important that you check in on their changing policies. Finding out whether they plan to close or limit their service can help you adjust your policies, seek alternatives or inform your customers of any changes in advance.

Being upfront with your customers on how changes might impact your usual service is the key to preventing negative fallout. Most customers are now willing to accept closures, delays or no contact drop-offs if they know it is to protect their own safety, so don’t be afraid to be open and honest in your communications.

If your business is forced to close or operate part-time, remember to update your business listings. These simple steps will help protect your reputation by offsetting negative customer reviews.

Helpful and Relevant Campaigns

The biggest risk to your brand reputation is insensitivity. It’s natural that your immediate advertising will have undergone changes due to the outbreak, but that doesn’t mean it has to stop entirely.

A study conducted by Kantar in Marketing Week found that 92% of the 35,000 consumers surveyed thought that brands should continue to advertise. That said, there was a clear focus on what kind of advertising they wanted to see; 50% believed brands should market as they always have, while 78% expected businesses to market only ‘how they would help customers in their daily lives’ and 74% wanted ‘information on their changing policies.’

What is evident is that consumers are looking to brands for help and information. Our Social Media Team are well versed in designing, segmenting and producing effective campaigns. We can help you connect with your audience and maintain your reputation throughout COVID-19. Get in touch today to benefit from lasting customer relationships.

Protect your brand’s reputation by offering help and information where you can. Put in place control measures and a strong communication plan with the help of Red Media. We can protect your brand reputation so you can continue to achieve your long term goals.

Need Some Marketing Advice?

Marketing for your own business can be difficult at the best of times, and marketing during the current circumstances adds another layer of complexity. However, it’s more important than ever to keep building your presence and moving forward, and Red is here to help.

From branding, to digital marketing, email campaigns, and design, our team of creatives can help to make sure your brand is far from forgotten about during this unprecedented situation. Get in touch today.