Silence fuels fear in a crisis, especially when the crisis is changing by the day and is something few people have experienced before.  Over the last ten days, we’ve seen a wide spectrum of communication tactics unfold with the spread of COVID-19, and some of those tactics have been truly horrible.  But the organizations that are communicating well are navigating these uncharted waters with reassuring confidence.  What are they doing?

1. Getting organized – quickly.

I watched one of our clients call together the organization’s Critical Response Team (“CRT”) long before the COVID-19 situation was urgent.  The CRT is a team outlined in the organization’s crisis communications plan, which team members adopted last year.  In response to the threat of COVID-19, the CRT met after work one night in early March and mapped out different phases of where this situation might go.  They talked through how different groups of stakeholders may be affected and what would be the best way to communicate with each group.  When the spread of COVID-19 began to rapidly increase, this team calmly deployed each phase of messaging – without internal panic or confusion.

2. Planning for worst-case scenarios.

Prepare for landfall in your back yard.  Team members who routinely manage the direct effects of hurricanes have deployed similar tactics with COVID-19.  They haven’t shied away from the fact that their community could be ground zero, and they’ve written messaging to plan for a worst-case scenario. It takes a strong leader to look ahead and acknowledge the situation could get must worse, but when you are prepared for a disaster, you are able to begin caring for your organization immediately.

3. Communicating openly – but calmly – with stakeholders.

Scrubbing your communications for words that unintentionally induce panic ensures you are calmly and effectively sharing information.  This can be hard to do in a rush, but it will save you a lot of time trying to reassure scared readers that you really do have the situation under control. We’ve seen successful teams candidly acknowledging the impending possibilities with COVID-19.  The same logic of preparing your team to communicate in a crisis applies to preparing your stakeholders to weather the crisis: tell them the truth and what they should do/prepare for, but don’t unintentionally inflate the risk.

4. Speaking up for the unpopular option.

A group may drift toward the easy option when it comes to communicating, but a focused professional will have the courage to speak up for a different, harder option if it is the right course of action.  Consider the CEO who wants a COVID-19 message to go out to employees by noon, but at 11:45 AM the communications professional determines the wording isn’t accurate because the facts have changed.  In times of crisis, an effective communicator must both stay abreast of the latest news, and in this example, have the courage to recommend missing the noon deadline in order to deliver accurate information to the company’s employees.

5. Looking inward to prepare for the long haul.

While COVID-19 feels like it sprang upon us overnight, the effects will be long-lasting.  Your crisis team will likely need to be operating at 150% for the next several months, so consider now how you staff the big projects, how you provide outlets to share personal concerns, and how you ensure everyone gets a break when possible.  Together you can navigate in this evolving situation, but it will take ensuring you care for your co-workers.

While there has already been much communication about COVID-19, it seems that we may still have quite a road ahead of us. It’s not too late to put a solid communications plan in place for the coming weeks. Meanwhile, I hope you and your family stay healthy and safe. If you are struggling, please let someone know. May we all band together, do our part and support the suffering with courage and words of peace.

As the coronavirus continues to spread and increasingly impact day-to-day operations of organizations across all industries and geographies, NP Strategy has developed resources to help you communicate with your employees and customers (read also “5 Tips for Communicating About Coronavirus“). Our crisis communications experts can help you navigate this unknown terrain as the coronavirus situation evolves.

For your efficiency, we’ve compiled a resource packet with templates that you can tailor to your company’s communications needs. This includes:

• Internal Communications – Statement to Employees Regarding COVID-19 Response and Policies
• Internal Communications – Statement to Employees Regarding COVID-19 Exposure or Case(s)
• External Communications – Client/Customer Messaging Regarding Disruption of Business Operations (including variations for diversity of disruptions)
• External Communications – Proactive Client/Customer Outreach

To find out more about the packet or to speak to our crisis communications experts, contact us at crisisteam@npstrat.com. We’re also available to provide custom communications support to your organization. Our attorneys with Nexsen Pruet law firm are also able to provide legal guidance about force majeure, employment matters and other issues related to the virus situation.

Like many of you, NP Strategy is closely monitoring the coronavirus news and making plans for various scenarios as they relate to our employees and clients. We encourage you to have an action plan and to communicate with your employees and other key stakeholders. NP Strategy’s crisis communications team stands ready to help you develop a course of action, if needed.

NP Strategy has developed 5 top-level objectives for your organization to consider:

1. Reduce transmission among employees, customers and other stakeholders

• Require sick employees or those exposed to COVID-19 to stay home or remain separated from other employees
• Encourage proper hand-washing and hygiene habits
• Increase the level of decontamination in the workplace

2. Protect people who are at higher risk for adverse health complications

• Put procedures in place to properly insulate those in your organization or care who are in higher risk categories

3. Maintain business operations

• Review or enact business interruption and crisis management plans and consider potential risk categories
• Minimize adverse effects on other entities in their supply chains, as able

4. Stay informed

• Monitor news, employee/customer/stakeholder concerns and be a source of relevant, credible information

5. Keep perspective

• Be prepared for the worst, but don’t inflate the risk
• Recognize the potential for virus-related anxiety in your stakeholder groups and be a voice of calm and reason

For more information on NP Strategy’s crisis management services email crisisteam@npstrat.com or contact Heather Matthews or Erin Sanders.

For many of us, our day-to-day activities are dictated by the services we provide to our customers – so much so, that we too often forget to think about our own companies. No matter your industry, we all tend to make our customers, clients, board members, or other stakeholder groups our first priority. In doing so, we overlook the most important stakeholder – yourself.

I know this may sound selfish, but it’s true: If you don’t invest in yourself or your company, how do you expect others to invest in you? And how do you expect to provide the best services possible? It’s easy to talk about ‘securing your own mask first’, but it’s harder to actually implement.

So what do these personal investments look like?

• Professional Development

Our team members are our greatest asset. If we fail to invest in their continued growth, we won’t retain them, and will lag behind the rest of the booming job market. This can be realized in different ways; from team-building exercises, skills-building training opportunities, or trade association memberships. While team members will find interest and value in different opportunities, you need to be willing to offer the opportunities that will allow them to flourish.

• Business Marketing

Unless you are a B2C business, you are probably not thinking about the best ways to communicate with the outside world. You may be communicating to other businesses or your clients, but even those relationships need to be marketed. Do you maintain an active social media presence? Do you have a functioning website? These things are critical when trying to build and tell your business’ story. You could answer, “Yes,” to all of those questions but still need to do more. Every level of involvement has an improvement opportunity. If you aren’t finding a way to be a better steward of your business’s efforts, how do you expect to grow and succeed? If you’re starting from scratch, it’s ok to start slowly. I always recommend our clients pick one or two platforms to focus on, and get those right before adding to your plate.

• Strategic Planning

Strategic plans sometimes have the reputation of being cumbersome and expensive but they are critical for any successful organization. These plans can help determine the best approach to building your business, launching into a new market or growing your employee pool. It gives you a blueprint for being proactive – rather than reactive – within your organization by setting long-term goals that can guide your short-term decisions. It also allows you to set a sense of direction and efficiency to make your business more resilient. It may not seem like something you need, but trust me,  it will make your business more directionally focused.

These investments aren’t easy – they demand taking the time to do serious reflection and planning, plus taking the time to see them through to execution. Sometimes, these investments aren’t cheap, either. But, they ARE effective and necessary to begin the path toward a successful 2020 (and beyond!).

For those of us in the professional services industry, clients are our bread and butter. We are constantly looking for ways to provide top-notch, memorable service to our current clients, while looking for new clients that will allow us to grow our business. It’s easy to say that good business attracts more business, but how do you make sure your current clients are not only well taken care of, but eager to recommend you to others? Go the extra mile. Consider the following:

Be Valuable
Always be mindful of putting yourself in your client’s shoes. How can you make their job easier? Take some time to visualize their businesses’ goals and landscape from their perspective. Doing so will allow you to elevate your client by providing valuable insights and strategies you know would make them successful – whether internally with their leadership team – or externally with key stakeholders.

Be Proactive
With your newfound perspective on what your client could do to achieve greater success, don’t waste time in making suggestions. Don’t wait for that weekly call or meeting – let them know you’re always trying to stay a step ahead and keep them ahead of the competition. If you see or hear about something that could be valuable to your client, share it with them quickly.

Be Responsive
Speaking of speed, remember that you work for the client, not yourself. It sounds basic, but responding to their calls and emails in a timely fashion can go a long way. Technology has allowed us to stay in contact in more ways than ever before (for better or worse), and the last thing you want your client to do is feel like you’ve put them on the back burner. Even if you don’t have the answer they are looking for immediately, acknowledge receipt of their message and let them know you are looking into it. A client always wants to be reminded that they are front and center in your mind.

Be Thoughtful
Clients appreciate having more than a working relationship, and if you’re in the business of client services, you should be interested in taking the time to get to know your clients as individuals, even if only for the fact that it makes for good business. Make note of their birthdays, hobbies, and families. Take these insights and apply them during your client interactions by asking about their recent vacation or business trip, or how their mother is doing. Send them a note on their birthday, or take them to lunch at their favorite restaurant. I’ve found that the smallest gesture – a quick, thoughtful email, or the offering of a free ticket to an event you know they’d enjoy – can make a big impression.

Maya Angelou famously said that someone may not remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel. The same philosophy applies to client services. You will never regret going above and beyond to provide a good client experience that creates a long-standing, trusted relationship.

2020 is here, and if you haven’t already, now is the time to identify some New Year’s resolutions for your company or organization. If you need a suggestion, consider the ways you reach out to the community. In my previous work with state agencies, engaging with the public was a critical part of our communications strategy. At NP Strategy, we employ similar techniques when researching and engaging with key stakeholders. Whether you operate in a public or private sphere, these three tips will help you more effectively reach the public in 2020:

1. Do more than the standard weekday, 5-7 pm meeting

Public involvement is a process, and it won’t be accomplished in a single event, postcard or meeting. When trying to connect with your community, think outside the box. Hosting one public meeting during the week to educate and receive feedback is a great start, but it is simply not enough. People have limited time after work, and it’s probably already filled with gym, afterschool sports, homework or church. Challenge your organization to do more than the status quo, and try hosting a public drop-in over lunch or on a Saturday morning. Follow them up with thank you cards to attendees and e-newsletters with additional information. Don’t stop there – make 2020 the year to get creative and enhance your public engagement efforts throughout your organization!

2. Meet people where they are

This one is critical to building a relationship with your community members and educating them on issues. If you hold a scarcely attended event, it doesn’t necessarily mean people don’t care or lack interest. Considering people’s work schedules, family lives and social obligations when planning a meeting or event will increase attendance and participation. Challenge your organization to meet community members in their place of comfort, whether its’s a farmer’s market, sporting event, or even a shopping center kiosk. Delivering information to people where they are versus making them come to you can reduce the information barrier, and in return, create a receptive and informed community.

3. Go digital

The best thing about digital communication is that it is a one-stop shop for people to ask questions and get informed about issues happening in their communities. With social media avenues getting bigger by the day, organizations should frequently look for ways to improve their strategy and adapt to new technology. Successful public engagement requires consistent and strategic information to be shared in “real-time” on websites, social media platforms, emails and videos. By sharing engaging, informative content, the public will feel more connected to your message and be more motivated to take action.

By following these three steps, your organization will create valuable relationships that will grow each and every year. Start the decade off right, and make improving public engagement a resolution your company keeps. Cheers to 2020!

This year has flown by, and as the New Year approaches, so do the deadlines for 2020 planning. If you’re getting started with building a social media game plan, consider these 5 tips that will help take your organization’s social media to the next level:

Identify Your Goals

Before you start posting away, identify your organization’s social media goals. Doing so will ensure your content fits with your brand. If you aren’t sure how to get started identifying your goals, use the SMART goal setting strategy:

Specific – You want your goal to pinpoint your objectives and create a way to measure success.

Measurable – You want to know how close you were to reaching your goal so that you can learn and improve.

Attainable – Set a goal that you can work toward, but be reasonable. If you set a goal that is out of reach, it can be frustrating and will lower morale.

Relevant – Your social media goal needs to coincide with your organization’s big-picture plans. How will building an audience or increasing web traffic help achieve those overall goals?

Timely – Set deadlines. This will help you stay on track and keep your organization accountable.

Identify Your Audience

By identifying your target demographic, you can save a lot of time and energy by only posting relevant content. Who are you trying to reach? Is it women in their 40’s with children who like sports? Is it men and women between the ages of 21-35 who are interested in politics? Know your audience in order to set parameters for how you are going to reach them.

Choose the Right Platform

Each social media platform serves a different purpose, and it’s best to choose a key few that will suit your organization’s needs.

Facebook: The world’s largest social media network is a one-stop-shop, offering everything from content sharing to event scheduling and shopping. For businesses, it’s best for promoting their organization to current and potential clients.

Instagram: Restaurants, the hospitality industry, and companies with large catalogs benefit greatly from Instagram because it’s all about engaging images. No products or services to sell? Try posting pictures of why your business is unique. Is there a conference you’re attending or something fun going on in the office? Get creative!

Twitter: In the world of 140 characters or less, it’s easy to get lost in the array of tweets. Twitter allows businesses to promote themselves in a more conversational tone that fosters trust between the organization and its audience. It’s also great for promoting news and events.

LinkedIn: This is easily the most misunderstood platform. Everyone should use it, but in different ways. Companies can look at potential employees and join groups that relate to their company to answer questions, start conversations and demonstrate expertise (but don’t excessively pitch your products or services – instead, try posts related to your business and share some insight).

Consistency

Successful social media pages need consistent schedules. Simply posting when you think about it won’t do much to increase engagement. Create a social media calendar, write your content ahead of time, and listen to your target audience.

Do It All Over Again

Once you get started, you will want to review your metrics to see what content is working and what’s not working. It’s easy to get discouraged when a post receives little to no engagement, but don’t stop posting! It may take some tweaking and time to find a strategy that lands with your audience.

Think back to an event that stuck out in your mind. The one you attended where your mouth dropped open when you walked in, you left with a smile on your face or that you tell stories about. Was it your event? One that your corporation hosted or your nonprofit set up?
If so, congratulations! Keep the trend rolling and start planning for next year now.

If not….

Examine the details of your event.
From conference conveniences, to hospitality considerations, all the way to branded materials, you don’t have to be “just another” conference or event.  Your attendees don’t need just another thing that sits on their desk, and you want to make the best possible impression. Want to stand out AND stay in budget?

Say yes to sponsorships.

A friend, colleague and fellow event queen once told me that, when you are planning a conference, everything is open to sponsorship. That’s right – everything that you budget for, no matter how big or how small – should be thought of as a potential sponsorship pitch. Best of all: if it’s done well, it will add to the event and won’t distract.

Pitch the perfect opportunity.

• Will you be hosting speakers from out of town? A Hospitality Sponsor provides a welcoming basket for their hotel room – or a smaller welcome for all attendees.
• Are you tired of boring stage backdrops and the same old pipe-and-drape set up? A Presentation Sponsor upgrades any plain spaces and shows your company is in the 21^st This package covers the cost to project sponsor logos rather than printing them on signs (that will be outdated by next year anyway)!
• Have you considered how to keep your attendees powered up? And we’re not talking coffee. Provide a Power Station Sponsor for charging phones – accomplished with a charging tower.
• Do your day-of speakers include audience engagement like Q&A? We hope so – and, consider spicing up the way attendees get access to the microphone with a throwable mic aka Catchbox.
• What are your attendees walking away with? Yes, of course the lessons learned and thematic takeaways. However, what are people physically walking out with? In addition to practical or useful, make it fun and think outside the box – something they look at and immediately think of your keynote speaker.

A great example NP Strategy was proud to support was the 2019 WREN Summit. Gamecock great A’ja Wilson was the keynote, and as part of her walk-up song, WREN blasted Sandstorm and gave the audience WREN-branded rally towels to wave. In line with the theme, relevant to the speaker, and not your typical event swag: check, check and check.

If you need inspiration, a new take or support, often the cost of collaborating with an event pro can be offset by the right event strategy.

Today’s reporters – both print and broadcast – are always on the move. Pivoting from one story to another, preparing a “package” for the 4, 5 and 6 o’clock news, or an in-depth investigation for web AND print, you’ll rarely catch one with ‘down time.’

With a journalist’s world blurring past them, it’s understandably difficult to get their attention. Looking back on my days as a reporter, I rarely had 10 minutes to spare to hear out a disorganized, unfocused story pitch. The ones I DID hear – and pitch to station management – had a few things in common…

Here are five tips to grab (and hold!) a reporter’s attention:

Start with community: One of the biggest factors in determining whether or not to cover a story is how it’s going to affect our viewers. If your story only resonates with a small group, how does this small group impact the larger community? News organizations want stories that specifically speak to their local communities, because those are the people watching, reading, or listening.

Introduce your main character(s). Audiences – people – truly connect with stories when they can see an example of someone who’s been affected. Hurricane coverage is a great example – it affects the whole community, but the news spotlights those who’ve gone above and beyond to help, or highlights a person who benefits from generous donations. Viewers relate to personal stories; reporters call these people characters and their stories are the story.

Provide interviewees. Good interviews are the heartbeat of a good news story. Provide at least 3 potential subjects, or simply let reporters know that you have put thought into the story from their perspective, and make suggestions. Ideally, you’ll have three people already queued up ready to talk. News organizations sometimes pause when provided interviews (as Jurassic Park taught us, the T-rex doesn’t want to be fed…he wants to HUNT!), but they can benefit news organizations doing more with less.

Build trust – specifically, don’t exaggerate. If you’re having an event and only 20 people are expected to show up, don’t oversell it and say there’ll be 50. You want the reporter to trust you and your story. Build a good rapport with the reporters so they know they can come to you for future stories and get honest answers; if you’re lucky enough to have a reporter sell a story to their bosses, don’t put them in a bad spot with weak subject matter.

Be prepared. As stated above, reporters are usually doing five things at once. Keep it brief and direct. Reporters have to work around your schedule and availability, but don’t make them jump through hoops to get to you. Show them that the story would be easy to accomplish but impactful.

Extra Credit: Really learn their lingo – ask how much content they need and when they need it by to make deadline. Ask a broadcaster if they’re looking for a ‘vo/sot’ (shorter story) or a package. Make it clear you respect their (extremely) limited time, and that you want to make it as easy as possible.

A standing ovation, mixed with enthusiastic cheers and a chorus of “good mornings” welcomed me as I walked into get my car oil changed.  You read that right, loud clapping from the ENTIRE STAFF as I walked into Gerald’s Tire in Mt. Pleasant, SC last month, right when the business opened at 7:30 am.  I didn’t know what to say, but my face must have spoken for me.  The technician behind the counter smiled back and said, “It’s pretty nice, isn’t it?”

Imagine if we began every client encounter in the same way (okay, maybe not cheering as it won’t work the same way in a boardroom or over a conference call). But, what if we used the same energy that clearly and certainly displays our excitement to serve? Our clients all have a multitude of options for whatever service or product we offer, and we should feel honored they entrusted us with their needs.

At the core of it all, what makes grown men and women cheer for incoming customers?  Unconventional leaders who demonstrate unconventional excellence.

Show Gratitude Without Fear of Embarrassment. I can only imagine the first time someone at Gerald’s said, “Hey, let’s welcome everyone when we open with a cheer squad from the garage team.” But that ‘someone’ led the way, and it’s clear from the employees’ faces that they like the response they see from customers.

Celebrate Every Success You can’t encourage someone enough. Especially these days when the naysayers fill your social media feed with “glass half empty” or downright rude comments. The smallest of victories celebrated encourages an employee to go the extra effort again.  Of course, this should go both ways.  Your attitude will likely inspire more customers to be gracious, filling interactions with “Thank you”, “Good job”, and “I appreciate you.”

Build Up, Not Tear Down. Mistakes happen. How you handle them either builds someone up or tears them down.  If you want employees willing to love on customers unconventionally, you have to love them unconditionally; that means correcting a mistake in a way where they are shown how to have future success.

Give Back. Give back to your customers or your community, or both.  When you leave Gerald’s from getting your car worked on, there is a fresh cut red rose and note of thanks on the front seat.  A note written to “Our Special Customer.” I’d love to have a hidden camera catch first-time customer reactions to this “thank you” from the crew.

The beauty of Gerald’s Tire teaches me all individuals and organizations can demonstrate unconventional excellence no matter the industry or setting.  It can begin with a personal choice, executed by one person and repeated by many, and then can inspire your entire organizational culture.  My challenge for you today:  Will you lead the way?

(As for me, I’m going to go drive around the block a couple times so I’m closer to my next oil change.)

Heather Hoopes-Matthews is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience in South Carolina. A graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri-Columbia journalism school, Heather has delivered live news from the center of hurricanes, worked with “The Capital Gang” at CNN, and conducted investigative reporting that changed a South Carolina law to protect children.