During a pandemic, so much of the news cycle is focused on what’s “breaking,” and many organizations will find it difficult to break through the noise and get traction in traditional media. As a result, some might think that slowing down communications efforts during this time is the way to go.
But communications goes beyond media coverage, and this time of uncertainty is when your stakeholders need to hear from you most
Now is the time to evaluate how you are communicating with your stakeholders. Keeping up engagement helps solidify your relationship with supporters and allows you to be creative with your resources and messaging. Use this time to boost communication frequency and brainstorm different types of strategies that your organization can do to maintain engagement. Make sure you are reaching out to supporters on a regular basis, using the tools at your disposal: email newsletters, social media, and even sharing original content.
When dealing with uncertainty it is important to open the lines of communication and focus on building stronger foundations and creatively engaging with others. When evaluating your communications efforts, keep these strategies in mind:
Focus on empathy
This is also a great time to nurture some of your relationships with donors, supporters and don’t forget your dedicated staff and volunteers. Use this time to send more personal messages to supporters via email. Consider making phone calls, or recording a video or audio message and share it via Facebook or Instagram. Showing people that you care, while demonstrating what your organization can accomplish during hard times will help establish a more authentic relationship.
Get creative
Optimizing the way you communicate within your resources is important, so now is the time to experiment and try things that were on the back burner! Figure out which conversations you would like to be part of, and test out new evergreen content and hashtags on social media. Do a deep dive in your digital analytics to figure out what content is working and what is not on your website. Create fresh infographics or graphics for social media and messaging materials.
Make plans
Feeling connected is a critical component when building your relationships and making plans can help! Whether your activity is virtual or socially distant make sure your supporters know you are being active. Be active in conversations—plan to host a virtual meeting or panel discussion. Be active in the community—invite others to help your organization service your community safely. Create campaigns and content that have a specific end goal and purpose, tracking the progress along the way.
Stay relevant
Don’t forget, there is a fine line between boosting your communication and over communication. Make sure that there’s a good reason for why you are communicating to your stakeholders—the information you share needs to be important, timely, and relevant to today.
