Permission Granted: telling your business story matters now more than ever

In a crisis like this, many business leaders are feeling overwhelmed, if not paralyzed, by the thought of communicating with and marketing to their customers. When your audience is focused on paying rent and staying healthy, is anything appropriate to say, sell, or push? Here’s some good news: the most appropriate story you should tell your customers right now is your story.

• Is your team made up of hard-working humans who are committed to customers, family, and community? Tell us about those humans. (It will make us feel like we know you better.)
• Is your business guided by values that are shaping the way you treat your staff and clients in good, bad, and pandemic times? Show us examples of your values in action. (It will remind us why we are proud to do business with you.)  
• Is your business pivoting to meet a local need, or partnering with another business to offer a pandemic-relevant service? Share with us how you came to that decision and how it’s working out. (It will make us feel like we are on this journey with you.)
• Is your mission being fulfilled in ways you could not imagine, and you need the support of your clients/donors to reach even more people? Show us where your resources are going and who they are helping. (It will make us feel like we can control something by helping others, if we are financially able to do so.)

If you’ve been waiting for someone to come along and tell you it’s okay to market to your customers right now: permission granted. Just be sure you tell the story of the real you and avoid non-relevant, sale-sy, spammy content.  

In her April 6 Harvard Business Review article, Ernst & Young marketing guru Janet Balis wrote, “feel-good content that alleviates anxiety and promotes positive messaging will go a long way to enhancing (your) brand” as long as that content is authentic. 

More good news: your customers are easy to find right now, as they are at home on the internet. Invest in storytelling channels like social media, online advertising, Search Engine Optimization, email campaigns, direct mail, and traditional media outreach. 

The time is ripe – and it is entirely appropriate – to build trust with your existing customers by marketing your true, values-driven, human story. Business development, cold calls, and new customer outreach can wait. Today is the day to dance with the ones that brought you this far. 

Be memorable and build customer trust by consistently telling your story. Just be you and tell people about it. Authentic and mindful marketing today will help you reap the reward of loyal customers tomorrow.  

Margie Newman is the Founding Partner of Intesa Communications Group, a San Diego small business doing its best work for people and causes it believes in.