3 Things Every Business is Doing Wrong with their Crisis Communications (Video and Breakdown)

Hey there. I know we're all getting tons of emails and messages about the Coronavirus/COVID-19 from different businesses. And there are three things that I see every business doing wrong with these messages and emails. And I'm going to tell you what they are, so you don't make the same mistake.

1.      Start Your Message for the Customer. 

First, all the email messages about the Coronavirus have all started with, we, me, I, us. You know what? Your customers don't care about what's going on in your office or your company. They want to know how you're going to help them get through this difficult time, and what they should be thinking about and, again, how you're going to help them. So stop with the, "We're working hard," and "We guarantee," and "I know how." You all, stop it, stop it, stop it. That's number one. Start with your customers. Your message should be, "This is how we're going to help you," or "How can we help you?" X, Y, Z, done.

2.      You must “Give to Get”

Number two, the other frustrating thing that I keep seeing in every email is, asking for something, and that's it. This is a huge mistake that the restaurants, and yoga clubs, and everybody's doing. They're saying, "Buy gift cards to support us." Okay, in that sense, that's not a bad thing to ask. But don't ask me to do something, give me something, and then ask me. So instead, restaurants, I would say, "Here's a recipe that you can make at home of what your favorite dish is that we have here. And Chef X is going to help you make it. Here's a video on how to make this dish." Then at the end of the video, say, "Thanks for being such a great restaurant patron. We're going to give you a $20 gift certificate for $15." Now, isn't that much more appealing than just, "Support us by getting a gift certificate."

Offer Great Content, then Make Your Ask

Same what the yoga clubs, don't say, "Give me... Buy our gift certificates." Say, "Hey, here's a 15-minute practice that you can do at home, yogis." And after the video, then tell them, "Hey, thanks for being such a great yogi and practicing today. We're going to give you a $20 gift certificate for only $15." And that's just not for a direct customer and retail, banks could do this, financial advisors, marketing firms. Whatever your business is, "You've got to give to get." And I'm going to have to quote that from my friend, Brandon Hawkins, so there you go. Yeah, I did it, Brandon, so now you're done. All right, what's the third thing?

3.      Get to the Point – Don’t Draw out Your Message

The third thing that's driving me crazy that every business is doing wrong is, your emails and your messages are just too long. Come on, people, get to the point. Your email, or message, shouldn't be any more than two paragraphs, maybe three if it's value-packed information on how you're going to help your customer. Otherwise, get to the point. What are you emailing? Why am I getting all this stuff in my email for? You're bothering me, I don't have time, so make it easy and direct to the point.

Businesses, Let’s Communicate Better

All right, businesses, I want you guys to communicate better. This is a crazy time right now, and we all need to help each other out. So one, start with your customer in mind. Don't tell us what you're going to do. Tell your customers what you're going to do for them. Two, don't ask for something, give them something, and then you can ask. And three, get to the point as fast as you can, because I don't want to waste my time or your time.

All right, here at REBL, we'd love to help you with your messaging. If you're having any problems, you don't know what to say, you're just jumbling it all up, you can't cut it down, give us a call, we'll help you, 858-848-7325.