What and how we communicate is key. Right now the number one thing your business needs to be sharing is how you are handling business in and around the coronavirus.
Unfortunately, many businesses aren’t saying a word.
Covid-19 is the elephant in the room. It’s not something that can be ignored.
Not only do your customers want your product or service, but they also want to know how you are making sure it’s safe. They want to know how to reach you and what the availability is.
Whether you offer CBD products or offer services, your customers want to know that it’s safe to receive and use. Think of the news. Many food processing plants closed down due to employee Covid-19 infections.
An immediate wave of questions went out following the announcements on the evening news.
People wanted to know whether the food from those plants is safe to consume.
The focus of news reports seemed to be more on employee health issues and the impact of the closure on food supply rather than product safety. I think the general answer was virus couldn’t withstand cooking temperatures. With proper food handling and handwashing, any microbes would be destroyed.
Yet, this brings up a valid point...
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People are going to be much more germaphobic. It won't go away anytime soon. Concerns for safety will affect many aspects of our society for not weeks or months, but years. Every business from manufacturing, to offices, to restaurants and hair salons, is having to make changes.
For businesses to survive and have continued success, sharing safety measures is crucial.
It is part of integrity, transparency, and most importantly, trust.
Keep in mind, if you ignore the coronavirus elephant, you invite it to step on you.
Many major retailers are completely sold out of all CBD products. Kroger has completely removed its displays. A disconnect is happening.
If you have products available, but the supply chain has collapsed, it may be time to take it to the consumer.
First, create a list of all the ways you are making your business safe.
Consider the manufacturing process. List measures taken for staff and product safety. Follow your product from sourcing to final packaging and storage. Then from storage to delivery.
B2B pathways will be a little different than B2C or D2C. You lose control when delivering to the retailer or distributor. However, you want to pass your safety information along to the person purchasing from you so they can provide assurance to the end-user.
Many manufacturers aren’t doing this and it creates unease in the public arena. Especially when an outbreak in a manufacturing plant makes the six-o’clock news.
For businesses that sell to the end-user, consumers, follow the product through the shipping process.
Next, create your communications.
Create a blog or article about your process and all of the factors you employ to assure safety. Make it detailed enough to build trust.
If you have changes in business hours or response time to questions, include them. Have you had changes in order processing? What about handling times?
Remind them that shipments are routinely taking longer.
People are slowly becoming accustomed to not getting next day deliveries. Not even Amazon can assure that.
Has your state and or the federal government instituted new or additional guidelines that you must now follow? Let people know what they are and how you are following them.
People also like to know how you are protecting staff. They associate protected staff to protection for themselves.
Include images that support and demonstrate safety features.
Once you have this component created, the next two strategies will be easy.
Email is one of the best ways to stay engaged with clients. They want to hear more from you than that you’re having a sale. It’s your most reliable communication system. Especially right now when businesses have a lot of remote workers.
If they have to post questions on your website to get answers, you are probably leaving money on the table. If your guest leaves with their question unanswered, they may never see it. I recently posted a question for a product I purchased, but they weren’t online. By the time I found the response, I had given up on the product. They lost repeat orders.
Consider an automatic message on your chat. Suggest your email link for questions when chat is not available. Then they will get your answer to their inbox and you stay foremost in their mind.
Use content from your article to craft an email specifically to your client list(s). Let them know what you have set in place to assure the highest quality product and its safety.
Even though the information is on your website, your client might not have visited since you posted it there. So you need to include most of the information from your article in the email. Build that trust!
Consider perhaps previous clients haven’t been back to your website and seen business changes you have made. Perhaps you are now offering more direct to consumer offers, like online shopping or product subscriptions so they never run out.
With the supply chain issues, it’s a smart option.
Take the article and from it extract the key takeaways you want people to remember. I can usually generate 5-8 easily. Convert each into a short post or meme.
Short posts can contain links to product or landing pages. Be sure to include appropriate hashtags specific to the social media channel.
Memes are even shorter. Think a phrase, idea, or something you’d quote. There are numerous software programs available to make the job easier. They should be eyecatching and memorable.
The tricky part of social media is delivering your post to your prospect. The challenge is the way the channels function. That’s why, for my clients, I like to set memes to repeat multiple times. The best time and day will depend on your business.
To maximize your results check out industry stats for your niche.
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
