Now that we’re weeks into the coronavirus crisis, many brands have established contingency plans, implemented new procedures, and adjusted their product and service offerings to fit our bizarre new normal way of living as we collectively try to flatten the curve. But one looming question remains for brands with locations scattered across the country: How do we effectively implement these changes and communicate updates to hundreds of local business partners, thousands of stakeholders, and millions of customers?
The right through-channel marketing tactics will simply brand management in a crisis. When coupled with technology that makes it easy for local partners to access templates and materials that are brand-compliant, these tactics will allow you to implement coronavirus concerns at scale.
Customize Email Journeys With Updates, Coupons, or Recipes
Use email to keep your audience informed as the situation at your company evolves. With a through-channel marketing automation tool, you can create customized journeys tailored to specific stakeholder groups, such as local partners, customers, purveyors, and investors. For example, a restaurant chain may engage customers with an email journey that providing an update about what products or services they’re offering, then they can offer a coupon for a carryout meal, followed by an educational email on how to recreate a favorite drink from their menu. Or, corporate might send local business partners a series of emails about how to most effectively sanitize their stores according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Update Microsites With Hours, Location, and Contact Information
If your company has microsites for every partner location, update each one to ensure a consistent brand message. Each site should list accurate location data to reflect new hours, store closures, and different contact information. You can also make special announcements using microsites by writing a blog post, changing the homepage copy, or creating an entirely new section that addresses your company’s response to the coronavirus. Creating standard language that can be tailored to each individual location makes it easy for partners to update their site so it presents accurate, up-to-date information and reflects positively on your brand.
Use Social Media to Engage Your Customers
Social media offers an opportunity to develop relationships with customers without a physical presence. Regularly posting and responding to customer engagement on social media is more important than ever. Again, updating your location data across all of your social media profiles is critical for your customers to easily access crucial and potentially life-saving information about your business.
Using social media for crisis communication is a bit different from using it for day-to-day business operations, so be conscious of what kind of content your customers would find valuable and be sensitive when addressing the coronavirus and its effects. Scheduling tools and social media co-op programs not only let you make social media posts at scale. They let you adapt content to be hyper-local for each of your locations.
Want to Learn More about Scalable Brand Management?
Contact Brandmuscle to find the through-channel marketing solution that’s right for your business.
