How Brands Should Handle COVID-19

We’re in unprecedented times, and navigating these troubled waters is going to be difficult for all of us. Here’s a guide to what your business should and shouldn’t be doing during this pandemic. Note: this isn’t a guide on how to profit from coronavirus or how to earn your brand brownie points. This is an appeal to do what you can for our communities. A rising tide lifts all boats.

The Don’ts

Stop sending out-of-touch emails.

Your customers are genuinely worried about their health, their next paycheck, their rent. About 10 million Americans have applied for unemployment within the last two weeks. It is simply disingenuous to be sending out emails with “10% off with promo code QUARANTINE”. If your business is sending out emails saying that you care but offer no changes or resources, then it’s a non-update and non-essential. Frankly, it leaves a bad taste. There’s a time and place for brand awareness-this is simply not the time.

Now, there are certainly necessary emails. If your stores are closed or if there is a disruption of service, of course your customers should be notified. If your business or organization is actively helping or providing resources, do send out that email.

Do not advertise how clean you are now.

We’ve been seeing ads on how some businesses are now taking sanitation seriously. This implies that your business wasn’t taking sanitation seriously before. While we understand that it is important to assure your customers that your business is clean right now, we encourage you to think about if your brand assures them of this normally. In what ways does your business inspire confidence normally? In what ways does it not?

Do not treat coronavirus as an opportunity to make money.

Businesses exist to make money. You need money, and we do too. However, there is no business without safety, consumer confidence, and trust. (See: the economy right now.) This mentality comes first, and every decision you make as a brand should come from this. Customers and communities are paying attention to who’s doing what right now. If you’re running tactless ads, not proactive with safety measures, or raising prices, consumers will take note. Would you want to have articles run on your business for being insensitive? It’s not a good look for any brand.

We’re not advocating for your business to just stop making money. We all have expenses that need to be paid. Transition your business as best as you can to online sales and services, or transition into a relevant product. (An example: breweries transitioning to making hand sanitizer, helping them stay in business.) Keep running ads. We’re simply advocating for tact and sensitivity.

Our perspective is that businesses often try hard to build trustworthy brands, but they squander away their hard work and reputation through carelessness.

The Dos

Help your communities.

Do this in earnest. If you have the ability to give, please do. This is a reminder that being good people is good business, and being a good business is being good people. This is not an opportunity to win brownie points for your brand, but instead, it is an opportunity to give back to the communities that helped patron your business-that fed your families.

Do send out emails and post on social media with local community resources. For example, if your audience is normally families with small children, send them links to local non-profits and government agencies that can help with providing childcare, baby food, or enrichment while they’re bored at home.

Be radically transparent. Honesty inspires trust in the long-term. If you make mistakes, acknowledge them and do better. This is not the time to put your ego first.

Moreover, do what you can. We’ve seen non-medical manufacturers jump head-first into building ventilators. We’ve seen local restaurants give out hundreds of free meals. We’ve seen businesses pay their employees while closed. While we understand that not every business has the means to do this, consider doing what is in your means.

Listen to your employees.

They interact with your customers likely more than you do. They understand what your customers are worried about. Treat them well because it is the right thing to do. They need you more than ever. If your business’s core values include “family”-this is the time to show that. If your business is still operating in-person, provide extensive safety measures. If you’re closed, organize relief funds if you can’t pay them.

Get ahead.

Use this time to practice your craft or work on your business strategy. Assess if your brand is doing what it needs to do. This pandemic will absolutely put pressure on any brand. Now is the time to see the gaps in your brand. (Does it inspire confidence and trust in both good times and bad?) Use the time spent isolated and at home to read and learn more about your trade, branding, social media. Just because business is closed does not mean building your business has to stop.

Connect with your friends and family.

We know that building a business is time-consuming. There are weeks where we don’t talk to our friends, where we don’t call back our parents. If there was ever a time to reach out, it is now.

After all, we build businesses so that we can provide for the ones we love. Take the time to love them-from the comfort of your home. Being isolated doesn’t have to be isolating. Video chat each other. Play games online. Have digital happy hours.

Now’s the time.

Stay Safe

We know this isn’t an easy time. If you’re reading this, we sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are safe. We hope that this guide helps you make good decisions for the longevity of your business. It’s easy to fall into the trap of making decisions for the short-term; we offer these tips as a road map for the long-term.

If your business is struggling to keep the lights on, here are some resources that may help. We are not sponsored by these.

1. Shopify is extending their free trial to 90 days. They recently added gift cards for all plans and customers.
2. https://www.localfirstaz.com/covidresources. Local First AZ has an extensive list of potential funding resources, from relief funds to small business loans.
3. https://www.asba.com/page/covid19resources. ASBA’s list of resources.

Originally published at https://www.thirdanalytics.com on April 2, 2020.