By Dan Pecchia

Measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 have suspended many of the communication channels business people rely on to sustain and grow customer relationships. Trade shows are canceled. So are sporting events, concerts, in-person conferences and many meetings. Even lunch is out. 

So organizations that want to preserve client relationships in these challenging times need to think a little differently.  The good news is that digital strategies for staying connected continue to get better every day. 

Here are seven considerations for staying in touch during this uncertain, online-first season.    

Don’t be a “salesperson”  

Most organizations are focused on addressing the many ways this coronavirus has affected their business and not really in the mood for “sales calls.” You don’t want to be seen as annoying. So anything that has a flavor of “I’m trying to get business” should be avoided like the coronavirus. 

Anticipate likely questions and have answers

On the other hand, if you’re genuinely in a position to add value, it’s good to communicate that. One way to deliver value is to think of questions your clients are likely to have in these unprecedented times and start formulating answers before they ask. Offering guidance can demonstrate leadership and expertise. Some buyers will need it, and even those not ready to buy will admire your initiative. 

Evaluate your digital communications infrastructure

If you haven’t cleaned up your email list for a while, now may be the time. If your social media strategy revolves around things that are now canceled, think about retooling it to spotlight ways you’re delivering value to your clients. Do some spring cleaning on your website to update information and make it clear you’re capable of serving clients well in this online-first environment. Now that the emphasis is on remote, virtual solutions, you don’t want “Copyright 2007” on your home page — or anything else on your site that looks dated or out of touch. 

Invite and react to feedback

Beyond just getting messages out, make it easy for customers and prospects to get to you. Give them a reason to click a button or dial a number. Include links in your messages so that readers have more reasons to engage with you. 

Place a higher value on email 

When in-person meetings are no longer an option, the importance of email skyrockets. Many are finding it necessary to communicate by email more frequently, and at greater length, and to use it for guidance, reports, extended exchanges and other purposes more critical than routine approvals or requests. Longer emails with higher stakes may require a brush-up on grammar and usage skills — or a hunt for a good editor. An email distribution service can lift the look of your emails and make list management easier.     

Be brief, and focus communications on your readers

As efforts to battle COVID-19 escalate, almost every organization is sending out communication. Some of it is quite good, and some suffers from ghastly disease. 

The foremost ailments we’ve seen in these messages so far are the two we see in most poor communications — verbosity and self-focus. When almost anyone you can write to these days is battling some measure of stress, it’s important to be brief and focused on what the reader needs to know and do. One way to do that is to write with a primary focus on the reader (not your corporate talking points or the speaker at last month’s seminar). Put yourself in the reader’s shoes and think honestly about what he or she would find valuable. 

Consider the awesome power of great communication 

Great communication can position you as a leader, and lousy communication can expose you as a pretender. If the economic earthquake shaking us now continues, we may be working through a recession in the months ahead, with too little demand to keep everyone in business. 

If you can communicate carefully, effectively and consistently about the value you can offer the marketplace, you’re much more likely to be among the survivors. So treat every major possibility for communication as an opportunity to invest in a longer, better future for your organization. 

Dan Pecchia is an Ohio corporate communications consultant and president and founder of Pecchia Communications.