PR Checklist for the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pan­dem­ic will emphas­ise the import­ance of PR.

Many busi­nesses will per­ish due to the fin­an­cial impact of the Covid-19 pan­dem­ic. It’s sad, and there are no two ways about it. 

However, no mat­ter how bad things are for your busi­ness, tough times are no excuse for com­mu­nic­at­ing worse.

If any­thing, we should all strive to com­mu­nic­ate better. 

The sil­ver lin­ing is that a crisis is an excel­lent oppor­tun­ity to improve your pub­lic rela­tions.

Here we go:

1. Balance Your Covid-19 Communication

Businesses are known for exag­ger­at­ing pos­it­ive news and down­play­ing neg­at­ive news. In times of Covid-19, neither is a good PR strategy. The mar­ket will trust and appre­ci­ate busi­nesses that promptly provide bal­anced and accur­ate information.

2. Don’t Withhold Any Information

Building and main­tain­ing cus­tom­er trust is a long game. Even if you might see poten­tial advant­ages in with­hold­ing cer­tain inform­a­tion for release later, there will come a day of reck­on­ing when your con­duct will be scru­tin­ised and evaluated.

3. Communicate Clear Actions

Many busi­nesses are recit­ing mes­sages already con­veyed by the rel­ev­ant author­it­ies. Instead, your busi­ness must explain what actions have been taken and what steps you will take. In these cir­cum­stances, actions speak the loudest.

4. Tone Down Your Sales Pitches, Please

Consider paus­ing your email auto­ma­tion and sur­vey­ing your run­ning advert­ise­ments. Now is not the time for any hard­core sales pitches. Sales are the lifeblood of all com­merce and should con­tin­ue, but be mind­ful of your tonality.

5. Don’t Capitalise on Public Unrest

The Covid-19 pan­dem­ic (and the sub­sequent unrest) might open up spe­cif­ic busi­ness oppor­tun­it­ies. Be care­ful in rais­ing prices or prey­ing upon irra­tion­al pub­lic beha­viours. Whatever upside your busi­ness might stand to gain short term, the long-term reper­cus­sions could be severe.

6. Over-Communicate

Due to the Covid-19 out­break, many busi­nesses will not main­tain their nor­mal ser­vice levels. Strive nev­er to sur­prise your cus­tom­ers; always explain the situ­ation, take action well in advance, and trust that your mar­ket under­stands your concern.

7. Don’t Be the Hero, Don’t Be the Victim

Avoid brag­ging about tak­ing on extra cor­por­ate social respons­ib­il­it­ies to sup­port the com­munity. And don’t cry for empathy due to how tough your fin­an­cial situ­ation might become. Keep your mar­ket informed without ask­ing them to feel any­thing extra for your business.

8. Increase Communication Budgets

Communicating less in a crisis is like remov­ing any grease from the cog­wheels that are your busi­ness. Instead, share more than your busi­ness usu­ally does. It’s okay for your mar­ket and employ­ees to worry about the real­ity, but not over lack of information.

9. Avoid Talking to People Like Children

Many busi­nesses see the Covid-19 out­break as an oppor­tun­ity to embrace a fath­erly role. However, the mar­ket is not stu­pid, and you would be wise not to speak to them as if they were your chil­dren. Don’t tell them what to do; tell them what you’re doing.

10. Update Your Website 

In times of tre­mend­ous pres­sure, offer­ing just-in-time sup­port on an indi­vidu­al level might be impossible. Anyone with ques­tions regard­ing your busi­ness should find all answers on your website.

11. Postpone Physical Events

The first months of the Covid-19 pan­dem­ic will not be suit­able for cel­eb­rat­ing oth­er news than med­ic­al advance­ments and stor­ies of human col­lab­or­a­tion in adversity. While there might be reas­ons to keep ahead of the com­pet­i­tion, don’t expect the usu­al launch exposure.

12. Go 100% Digital for IC

There is no short­age of altern­at­ives for intern­al com­mu­nic­a­tions using vari­ous digit­al plat­forms. This is an excel­lent time to explore how much of your daily busi­ness oper­a­tions can be run without phys­ic­al interaction.

Read also How insights can help you improve your Public Relations dur­ing a crisis (Whispr Group).

Follow the WHO web­site for coronavir­us (Covid-19) reports.