Content Contributed By Speak Creative
COVID-19 has likely forced your organization to make a plan A, B, and C over the last few months. Then everything changed again and you needed a whole new set of plans. Sound familiar?
Organizations across the country have been diligently making plans to reopen in a way that is both safe and sustainable. While you’ve been developing a plan to reopen, we’ve been strategizing how to best help our partners communicate that they are open. Simply saying “we’re open” won’t be enough.
Quick confession: I almost titled this blog post marketing your reopening plan. I’m not encouraging anyone to exploit the crisis, but putting your marketing skills to use here will be imperative. Outside of your grand opening, you’ve never had to market that you were open because it was a given. Marketing that you are open along with the precautions you are taking to keep your audience safe will help you build their trust and confidence.
Not addressing concerns about COVID-19 will make you appear out of the loop and won’t give your audience the confidence they need to support you. You’ve put in the work to help your organization address the spread of COVID-19, make sure people know. Here are the platforms that need your attention:
1. Your Google Listing
Update your Google listing with your revised hours. This will let your audience know you are in fact open. Our Digital Marketing Manager put together an excellent video to help you navigate your digital marketing plan, which includes updating your listing.
2. Your Website
You likely created a page alert on your website to inform your audience you were closed, now use that page alert to inform them you are open. You may be asking, don’t they know I’m open because I’ve got my regular business hours on my site? Not necessarily. We’re big fans of the ‘tell them and then tell them again’ strategy. We’d also encourage you to set up a new page alert letting site visitors know the precautions you are taking when opening back up.
Additionally, if you changed the purpose of your website to temporarily help your audience find your online resources and other essential messaging it’s time to navigate back to your previous layout. Focus on what will drive your audience to your desired action. Is it purchasing a ticket or getting a quote? Whatever it may be make sure your website entices that action.
3. Your Social Channels
Updating your hours on your social channels will be important but consider how you’ll communicate with your audience the precautions you are taking? A text-heavy post will likely go unread. A short video explaining your protocol or even a strong graphic will help you clarify your message.
4. Your Mobile App Users
A push notification to your mobile app users letting them know you’re open is great, but don’t stop there. Your mobile app can be a massive tool within your reopening strategy. Requiring an app download to enter will help you communicate with your onsite audience and will increase your app adoption. Here are a few of the features you should consider adding to your app to give your audience peace of mind:
- Maps that will illustrate your COVID-19 traffic flow plan
- Heath guideline notifications so that you can require your visitors to review specific information while on your property (a mask must be worn at all times, for example)
5. Your Email Subscribers
Hopefully, your subscribers have heard from you throughout the shutdown, but they definitely need to hear from you now. What subject line will you use to entice them to open your email? Call them to action with a compelling message. Similar to your social channels, a text-heavy list of precautions will go unread. A video or graphic that you used on social media can have an extended life in your email marketing.