6 Dos and Don'ts For Addressing Crisis In Your Business Content
It’s impossible to open your social media or turn on your television without hearing or seeing something about coronavirus. The global pandemic has understandably dominated conversation and content. And you might have found yourself uncertain how your business fits in.
Should you address it? And if so, how?
These are important questions to answer, and not just in the time of COVID-19. Because while we’ve never experienced something this far-reaching before (and hopefully never will again), disasters and tragedies sadly happen regularly. As small business owners, knowing how to navigate this in our content is essential to maintaining good relationships with our audiences.
Say the wrong things, and you risk alienating your audience. Speak incorrectly on something too far outside your purview, and you threaten your credibility. Say nothing at all and you may come off insensitive.
The pressure to get it right is challenging. But these tips can help you avoid easy mistakes.
DON’T: Underestimate the value of silence.
In the face of unthinkable tragedy, it’s not unusual to be unsure what to say. Which is why sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all.
Now, if…
Your business is directly impacted
Your customer base or audience are affected
The tragedy falls within your business’ focus
…it’s important to respond appropriately and in a timely fashion. BUT if none of those things are true, it’s very easy for a response to seem disingenuous. Use your discretion, and if you have any doubt that your intentions might be misconstrued, choose silence.
DO: Check your content calendar.
If you plan your content days, weeks, or even months in advance, when disaster strikes, check your calendar and make sure nothing you have scheduled might suddenly be offensive. Because while you know your content was created well in advance, your audience doesn’t. If you find anything that might seem even slightly insensitive, pull it.
DON’T: Use disaster as a marketing strategy.
This one seems obvious, but a lot of celebrities and businesses have attracted the anger of the public by promoting their products during a disaster. There’s a not-so-fine line between saying, “Hey, my product or service could be helpful and I’m offering it for free or low-cost” and peddling your offerings to suffering people. If you’re not extending your service in a charitable way, dial back the overt marketing.
DO: Share how you intend to help.
Especially if your audience will be expecting you to. Whether it’s a fundraiser, a charitable donation, or some other method of supporting the people impacted by the tragedy, communicate that clearly and update your audience as the situation develops. Use your content as a way to help spread the word that you’re making resources available to those who need them.
DON’T: Pivot halfway.
It may be necessary for you to pivot in your content in the wake of tragedy. Travel blogs, for example, have had to revamp their entire approach to content since COVID-19 grounded non-essential travel. One high-profile platform seemed to have missed the memo, sharing a list of “low-risk” places to travel to in May. Their comment section was a disaster. It’s important that if tragedy forces you to adjust your content strategy, that you adjust it appropriately and entirely to avoid appearing tone-deaf.
DO: Keep it authentic.
However you choose to handle your content during a crisis or disaster, authenticity will always be the right choice. Whether you’re offering comfort, condolences, or charity, make sure your messaging is true to your brand voice, in line with the kind of communication your audience has come to expect from you, and truly heartfelt.
The simple truth is that there’s no one right answer to creating content in during a crisis, but using these tips can help you narrow down your approach. And, of course, if you still need a little direction, we’re more than happy to help!