From communications to content, it’s important to write with empathy during difficult times—or maybe not say anything at all
We are all being touched by this pandemic. For some, it’s already causing intense suffering and sorrow, and this will be true for more and more of us. We are suffering illness and loss and we are losing our jobs and our businesses. We are self-isolating and making significant changes to our daily lives.
Your customers may be experiencing fear, uncertainty, sorrow and even anger. And yet they still need to be informed, reassured, entertained and distracted. They will still need products and services.
It’s a difficult environment in which to engage with customers and I’m writing this piece because I’ve seen both inspiring and disappointing attempts in the past weeks. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I hope I can give you something to think about that will help you navigate through these difficult times.
Empathy is your guiding principle
Communications, content, social media and digital advertising are going to become more important than ever as we work from home and practice social distancing. But make empathy your guiding principle.
Put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Imagine how they will think, feel and experience what you’re saying in everything from direct emails to social media posts to long-form content. Are you giving them the information they need, reassuring them where necessary and being sensitive to what they’re going through right now?
Who’s your audience?
To write with empathy you must first know your audience. You’ve probably put great effort into understanding your customers for marketing purposes. Yet, the direct communications that have arrived in my inbox this past week haven’t always been tailored to the intended audience; instead, they address multiple stakeholders.
The audience for customer communications should be your customers. Employees, investors and other stakeholders are different audiences. Don’t use the same message for everyone.
Many of the notes I’ve seen spend multiple paragraphs talking about internal steps being taken to protect employees or the business itself. These are of great importance to your customers as citizens and human beings. But they’re not the first concern for customers looking for answers from your organization. Speak to customers first. Tell them what they need to know and then, if you want, you can add the rest.
For employee communications, demonstrate empathy rather than describing how you believe you are being empathetic. Be transparent and informative; reassure them if you can and outline how you can help. You don’t need to share this information directly with customers; companies become known for treating employees well without having to state it.
Should you say anything at all?
In a time like this you feel that you must say something—anything. But only say something if you have something to say. Most organizations will need to tell customers whether they are open and give instructions on how they will be conducting business going forward. Some will be able to give information based on their expertise. Others may need to give reassurance that they will continue to provide necessities.
Marketers will be discussing how to “get out ahead of this” with thought leadership or topical content. But think carefully before doing this. Does your organization have anything to say that is directly related to the crisis? If you make hair scrunchies, it’s probably not necessary to develop anything that references the crisis. Advertising scrunchies for self-isolation style will seem opportunistic and crass.
Some companies have valuable information to offer and are expected, if not obligated, to share it. Clorox has done a great job of providing information on its website about the virus and how to use its products to stay safe. This is essential information for many people right now.
Galen Weston, executive chairman of Loblaw Companies Ltd., addressed customers’ fears with a letter reassuring them that grocery stores and pharmacies would remain open, prices would not be raised and shortages would be temporary. At the same time, he built trust and credibility by being honest and transparent in stating that “it won’t be business as usual.”
Financial professionals have crucial advice for their clients right now, but they should remember the concerns of their audience. Talk about their investments and what their options are—but don’t spend time pumping up your firm. Show, don’t tell. And be tactful about investment opportunities that arise from current conditions. You wouldn’t extol the investment benefits of widespread cancer.
If you’re already writing posts about healthy eating, working remotely or gaming, then just keep on keepin’ on. People will be searching for information on these topics and it’s a good opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and engage with existing and potential customers. If you have something to add, then now would be a good time to write about it.
But you don’t need to mention the crisis. Most people will be searching “working remotely” and not “how to work remotely during a pandemic” so there is nothing to be gained by mentioning the pandemic. By leaving it out, you will avoid looking opportunistic. Of course, if it’s related and helpful, then mention it.
Many organizations are also posting expressions of sympathy or solidarity. But have these become so prevalent that they now seem obligatory rather than sincere? Keeping your audience in mind, you will need to decide. People may be turned off by what seems like an insincere attempt to get a trending tweet by expressing sympathy or an empty pledge that you stand by the community.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes: Do you think they’re checking their social feed for your sympathy post? Few customers will notice if you’re silent on the topic. And there is rarely viral Twitter rage toward a company’s silence (unless they need to address something they’ve done wrong).
Stick to what you know
Don’t offer expertise you don’t have. If you sell snow tires, you shouldn’t be giving medical advice—and people aren’t looking to you to provide it. Advice for how to self-isolate or social distance should be left to the appropriate authorities. There is too much false information being shared and it could cost lives. Keep content focused on what you know.
Use credible sources
When you do provide information or reference facts, make sure you’re using credible sources. Even the experts can fall prey to false information. In February, an American university professor who researches emerging diseases had to apologize after retweeting information that turned out to be false.
And not all false information is from dubious sources on Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, some politicians and commentators have also spread misinformation. Examples of credible resources include the World Health Organization (WHO), the Canadian Red Cross, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Canada and Johns Hopkins University.
Don’t lie
This shouldn’t need to be said, but don’t lie. Companies should not be doing so at any time, but doing so in a crisis may lead to a particularly bad public relations nightmare. Just ask the major cruise line that instructed its salespeople to make false claims about coronavirus safety.
Assess your current and planned marketing and social media
Review your current and upcoming blog posts, ad campaigns and social media posts. Make sure they don’t sound inappropriate now. Keep reviewing as the crisis evolves. You may want to temporarily stop some prescheduled posting—what is okay today may be completely tone-deaf next week. Don’t be the next viral story about a poorly-timed tweet or tone-deaf ad. Don’t be the airline that sent out a pre-written email in March with the title “Never a Better Time to Fly.”
Control your message and who is spreading it
Now is the time to restrict who can speak for your company and set clear rules as to what they can say. I’ve seen LinkedIn posts about the pandemic that don’t hit the mark and were clearly not approved by the organization the person works for. And monitor your influencers. There are already plenty of stories about influencers creating insensitive and ignorant posts.
Communicate early and don’t disappear
If your organization needs to update customers, then do it sooner rather than later. You lose trust and credibility if you wait too long. You may be taking the time to craft a careful statement. This is a good idea, because we tend to make poor decisions when they’re made too quickly. But put out a holding statement. This can simply acknowledge the situation and state that you will be following up with more information soon.
Once you’ve communicated with customers, it’s important that you don’t disappear. It’s true that you’ll need to be more careful about what you say, but now is not the time to stop posting on social media, creating content, advertising or directly communicating with clients. Ceasing to do these things will not help you or your customers now or in the long run.
It’s a treacherous time for marketers, communications professionals and content creators. But by putting yourself in your customers’ shoes, you should be able to avoid any major missteps.
Douglas Warren is a co-founder of Walmer Road Writing. He’s a corporate writer with expert knowledge of financial markets, economics, insurance and commercial real estate.