How’s your brand’s health?

Whether things are in limbo or you’re charging ahead like never before, what you do for your brand right now will speak volumes when the world rights itself.

We’re all in uncharted territory – a unique situation that warrants a unique check-up on brand health.

We’ve spent a lot of time building brands and protecting them through good and bad. So we’re sharing our check points to dial in on ways to nurture your brand health now, and continue moving it forward in a post-COVID-19 world. Follow along with our 4-part series:

• Check your relevancy
• Check your transparency
• Check your purpose
• Check your post-quarantine communication plan

Part 2: Check Your Brand’s Transparency

The good news is that the first wave of COVID-19 is flattening. While we’re not out of the woods yet, now is a good time to assess the state of your brand’s health, especially your level of transparency as this crisis continues.

It’s no secret that brand transparency is important in creating brand value. A survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers released a year ago found that 86% of Americans say transparency from businesses is more important than ever before and 85% are more likely to give a business a second chance after a bad experience – and stick by it during a crisis – if it has a history of being transparent. Unfortunately, only 15% of people believe brands are actually delivering. With the COVID-19 crisis creating a significant amount of fear and uncertainty, transparency with customers is an even greater necessity to help ensure your brand’s health.

Now is the time to gauge where your brand is on the transparency meter. Consider what your communications say about your brand during this crisis: Are you silent or are you keeping the lines open and offering transparency and connectivity? How you engage audiences is important, too:

Are you connecting with customers the right away?

• Empathetic messages with appropriate tone – Do your talking points make sense and connect with customers in the current situation? What are potential points of confusion and how should they be addressed?
• New channels for engagement – Customized emails, online chats, virtual town halls and conference call Q&A sessions have become commonplace and provide new options for reaching and connecting with customers. What is the most effective way to deliver your messages and stay in touch with your key audiences?
• Frequency of touch points – Are you staying in touch too little? Too much? While there is no exact formula, let your customers be your guide. Pay attention to their responsiveness and engagement, and adjust accordingly.

Do your employees have the communication they need to be successful?

Data shows that companies are doing a good job of communicating with employees during the COVID-19 crisis, but there’s still room for improvement since only 53% of employees say messages were very or extremely useful in communicating what they should think or do. When asked what organizations should do differently, the No. 1 response by employees was “transparency about what the organization knows and doesn’t know.”

A few rules to live by:

• Internal audiences are first – Whatever you share externally should first be provided internally.
• Update regularly – Provide clear, direct information to employees, so they understand how external circumstances could potentially impact them and how they implement their jobs.
• Pick an internal spokesperson – Whether it’s one individual or a crisis taskforce to provide regular updates, it helps to ensure that accurate, consistent information is provided.

Are you capitalizing on media relations opportunities?

Media consumption has seen a massive increase since COVID-19 hit. More than 80% of U.S. consumers say they are consuming more content since the outbreak, with broadcast TV and online videos dominating. If you are ready to talk about the good your brand is doing – especially the things that are relevant to their audiences – the media would like to hear from you. Being prepared to effectively share your message is essential.

• Identify spokespeople – People who are experts on a subject, know your brand’s messages, and have been trained to be interviewed by journalists and broadcasters are excellent choices.
• Develop story ideas to pitch – Consider the key learnings from a difficult brand situation and what can be shared to raise your profile in providing great content and to establish leadership in a particular area.
• Monitor for relevancy – Did you run your message and pitch your idea through the COVID-19 lens of relevancy and appropriateness? While all ideas don’t have to be specific to the pandemic, they do need to be appropriate for today’s world and the mindset of the media outlet’s audience today.

The brands that thrive post-COVID-19 will be those that stay transparent and open, and prioritize communication on the right subject, with the right people, at the right time.

We have a lot of experience driving sound strategy when things get turned upside down – starting with communication that move you in the right direction. Give us a call to learn more.