Why Communication is Key to Your Covid-19 Response
The old adage says ‘no news is good news’, but tired clichés should never be trusted, and never has this one been more untrue than now.
In business, we expect to have to handle the odd curved ball. The construction industry is particularly good at that; whether value engineering to stay on budget, resequencing to fit the programme, flexibility is a core skill. But there has never been a curved ball like the Covid-19 pandemic and there has never been a more business-critical need for effective, timely and targeted communication.
Amongst all the noise of the media coverage and Government advice, some companies have been doing an excellent job of quietly communicating with employees, customers and supply chain partners to make sure all stakeholders are up to date with how they’re handling the situation. Others - perhaps because they don’t know what to say, perhaps because they think it’s best to simply say nothing – have been eerily quiet.
Quiet is rarely a good thing in business. In normal times, quiet means that customers don’t understand what you do, how you’re doing or what you could do for them. In these extraordinary times, the same principles apply, which is why we’ve put our unique construction marketing package together (see below).
You may feel you’re too busy firefighting to maintain business continuity until we get beyond the ‘peak’ of the virus but there are two important factors to remember:
No-one knows when the peak is going to be
Communication with employees, customers and supply chain partners is part of any firefighting response, not additional to it
Help with Covid-19
The Government has recognised the commercial challenges to businesses during the pandemic and has responded with a suite of financial measures to help keep companies afloat during these challenging times.
But not all of the measures needed to keep a company strong and enable you to plan for the future are financial. Maintaining customer relationships and ensuring you communicate the right messages to the right people at the right time are also critical elements of maintaining a robust business. See below for a structured communications package to help your business.
It’s important to remember that the employees who helped to build your business will be the same employees you’ll rely on to maintain it during the pandemic, and the people that will be essential to helping you get back to normal when all this is over.
Your customer relationships have never been more important and it’s essential to show them you value those partnerships by staying in touch and keeping them up-to-date.
Supply chains are also a key audience, because your business will continue to rely on them now and in the weeks and months after the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided.
Finally, the wider marketplace – customers you haven’t worked with yet, future employees, influencers – will all gain reassurance from the visibility of companies like yours during this difficult period.
Our communications support package can help you ensure that you’re front of mind when all this is over.
The Communications Package from CME
Let’s be clear, there is no one-size-fits-all, off-the-shelf solution to enable businesses to communicate effectively in these uncertain times. Our approach is to provide a structured package that can be tailored to the needs of individual companies and adjusted as the situation changes.
Companies that have a marketing plan and campaigns in place – with us, in-house or with another marketing agency – will need to modify their existing plans. We all want to believe we can plough on with a business-as-usual approach, but these are unusual times and marketing needs to change, just as our day-to-day routines have had to. It does not – and should not – however, need to be put on hold. Indeed, communication is now more critical to your current and future commercial health than ever before.
The Package:
Messaging - based on the unique challenges of your business, your commercial plan and operational activities. This will be segmented by stakeholder group (customer, employee, supply chain, other)
Internal comms - staff are a vital resource and need to be kept informed and reassured where possible. They are also a key interface with customers so the confidence they have in your business will be communicated up the value chain
Website – your website is the first place all stakeholders will go for information. It needs to be up-to-date with all external content regularly uploaded. Case studies on your website also inspire confidence in a robust business with a proven track record
Social media – regular content is critical and immediate. This channel also provides the opportunity to engage and answer questions
PR – at a time when everyone is hungry for content, PR has never been more important. This channel allows you to communicate operational continuity with news stories and highlight your track record with case studies
Sales – we can help you with sales scripts and planning. Leveraging your sales team’s relationships will be an important part of the mix and both phone and LinkedIn are key channels to engage with customers
Ready for Change
Change happens. We’d like to think we’re always ready for it but, sometimes, it arrives out of the blue.
Advising companies on how to manage change and communicate effectively is the cornerstone of CME’s service. Our experienced team has the expertise to advise on strategy and the skills to plan and implement and effective programme. We can be the resource you need to navigate through this challenging period.
Call Sarah Reay on 07590 255415 or email sarah.reay@constructionmarketingexperts.co.uk