Public Relations vs. COVID-19

I’m writing this post, as many of you are experiencing yourselves, while working from home (with a three year old climbing on my head). We’re in truly unprecedented times, and the actions organizations take over the days ahead may have a lasting impact on future success. I want to provide, from a PR and strategic communications perspective, ideas on how you can best navigate this period of disruption. One thing is apparent: if we’re going to get to the other side of this, we’re going to need all hands on deck.

I have lived through and worked in public relations during some of the most challenging economic times in recent history: the dot-com bust, 9/11, and the 2008 recession. There’s a lot we learned from those experiences that we can apply to this new age of uncertainty. Below, I have put together a list of five public relations recommendations and best practices for your marketing and executive teams to consider:

1) Develop Comprehensive Plans

In times like these, we’ve learned that it’s impossible to overplan. In fact, planning provides much-needed stability which can provide comfort and support to your employees and customers. We recommend developing a detailed communication plan for the next 45 days. What messages will employees and customers need to know both in the short term and long term? What is going to be important next week, by the end of the month, and on Day 45?

2) Be Hyper-Communicative

Consistent communication with your team members, customers and stakeholders is critical. People are looking for guidance, and as long as the message is targeted, viable and sensitive to the situation, we don’t believe you can over-communicate during this period. Regular dialogue offers a sense of normalcy, and brands that are able to maintain empathy, personality, and an understanding of their stakeholders’ situations will be remembered. These goals can be accomplished with a live landing page, weekly update email, podcast, or even a webinar.

3) Unify Messages

During periods of confusion, it’s crucial that companies avoid errors. The easiest way to prevent rogue messaging is by unifying your communications strategy across emails, websites, employee outreach, and even virtual meetings. We recommend creating a concise, easily accessible master list of talking points to ensure that all internal stakeholders are able to stay on message and present a unified front.

4) Maintain Routines

Our social situations are changing on a daily—sometimes even hourly—basis. It’s important to provide a sense of normalcy to your employees. Try to keep meetings and calls on the calendar to ensure that you’re able to support your team members during this time. Of course, providing stability to your customers will also make a lasting impression for the post-COVID business environment. Cancelling meetings and changing routines should be avoided as much as possible.

5) Be Sensitive, and Consider the Greater Good

We all need to be sensitive to what others may be going through right now. Some may be home alone, some may be taking care of kids. We don’t recommend putting any heavy sales messages into the market at this time. Your messaging should be focused on the greater good, and on how you plan to support employees and customers. It will benefit the brand in the long run, and it’s the right thing to do.

We may not see it now, but there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Business and commerce will go on. The actions we take today will likely have a tremendous impact on our future. Maintain communication as much as possible, and maintain your support for team members, customers and stakeholders. 

I wish everyone all the best and am happy to answer questions and/or brainstorm about the public relations and strategic communications needs of your business situation. Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].