Across industries, we’ve seen companies rapidly adapt production lines, supply chains and sales strategies to meet customers’ evolving needs. But in the rush to respond, I worry many are failing to apply the same pace and ingenuity to their communications strategies.
That’s not to say they haven’t tried. The crisis led many organisations to a rediscover their internal communications function. However, red tape often makes it difficult for brands to use this channel meaningfully. Similarly, as brands shifted to more immediate and prolific customer communications, some have found themselves under fire for insensitive or irrelevant messaging.
So, what are the key considerations for businesses looking to up their agility? Here are a few things I’ve learned helping our clients to navigate COVID-19:
1. Believe you can be more agile:
Against all odds, the crisis has proven that even large, monolithic institutions can effect rapid, wholesale change. It’s a process which has to begin internally – we’ve seen lots of our clients leaning more on their internal communications teams and immediate content (from leadership videos captured on smartphones, to virtual townhall events) to share information quickly and impactfully, even when they don’t have all the answers. Marriott CEO Arne Sorensen’s moving 6-minute video shared at the outset of the pandemic is an excellent example.
2. Rethink your communications processes:
A positive outcome of the current situation is that it has forced many organisations – my own notwithstanding – to take an honest look at their existing procedures. It’s a critical inflection point at which companies in all sectors need to evaluate how agile their communications and marketing function is, and where the key gaps or roadblocks are. In most cases, there is scope to simplify decision making. We also urge our clients to put in place a framework for a virtual marketing ‘war room’ – with a team that understands their individual roles, can communicate effectively and is empowered to move fast on key priorities.
3. Listen and react to what the data is telling you:
Fortunately, many businesses today are blessed with vast amounts of real-time data. This allows you to observe and understand customers’ changing priorities, adapt your offer to their needs, as well as focus their spend on the most effective communications channels. Site traffic and search data are important, easily accessible indicators of what is working best. Social listening and customer pulse surveys are also useful to see how stakeholders are faring and decide how to help.
4, Assess your channel strategy:
Today, as before, an organisation’s speed and effectiveness depends on its channel strategy. We advise clients to evaluate their channel mix, identify which are over/under-indexed, and prioritise those which are most effective. Often, the answer isn’t to create lots of new content. And it definitely isn’t to forgo longer-term brand building. It’s about understanding what customers need in this moment, where they are looking for solutions, and ensuring they hear how you can help. Finally, as B2B increasingly moves towards digital sales, it’s important to remember that there will be multiple internal functions using these channels. This makes it critical to coordinate efforts and avoid platforms becoming cluttered.
5. Be ready to adjust your messaging:
Last, but by no means least, the past few months have highlighted how important it is that your message and creative be sensitive, relevant and solution-oriented despite changing circumstances. It’s something we’re not typically used to in B2B, but which the heightened media interest around the pandemic has made vital. Indeed, even those companies with highly evolved messaging structures have needed to pivot. Often this can be achieved most impactfully with the support of external counsel, empowered to bring in valuable perspective, help stress test messages and ensure the messages strike the right tone.
Let me finish by reassuring you that any B2B business has the potential to be nimbler in just a few considered steps. While being mute may no longer be an option, how brands communicate can radically impact the business both positively and negatively – as such, whenever you respond to your employees and customers remember the fact they are human and so are you.
