3 minute read
Focus on empathy, not sales.
It may not be business as usual – but this isn’t a reason to shy away from talking to your customers. From a commercial perspective, maintaining momentum is important; from your customers’ perspective, they may be grateful for the contact – as long as you get it right.
In a time of crisis, you need to maintain integrity; when it comes to your communications, it’s less about what you say and more about how you say it. Human affinity has never been more important – this means establishing a bond between your brand and your customers; a bond based on empathy, rather than simply focusing on business objectives.
Think you’ve got a captive audience? Think again
It may seem blindingly obvious, but your target audience is made up of human beings, not generic ‘customers’, marketing personas or stereotypes. These are real people, facing similar challenges to you – everything from home-schooling to loneliness, sickness and financial concerns. So, from a business perspective, how can you help them?
However, before communicating, put yourself in their shoes: life in lockdown doesn’t mean they’re desperate to hear from you. Quite the contrary: the barrage of Slack chats, Zoom calls and email blasts mean many are already reporting fatigue.
You can still make contact with your customers, but you need to do it in the right way: is a comprehensive whitepaper really going to get their attention, or would shorter, bite-sized content be more useful – and more memorable?
However, before communicating, put yourself in their shoes: life in lockdown doesn’t mean they’re desperate to hear from you. Quite the contrary: the barrage of Slack chats, Zoom calls and email blasts mean many are already reporting fatigue.
You can still make contact with your customers, but you need to do it in the right way: is a comprehensive whitepaper really going to get their attention, or would shorter, bite-sized content be more useful – and more memorable?
Out with the old needs, in with the new
Almost overnight, people’s needs have changed. So, as a business, you must understand – quickly – what your customers need right now.
This doesn’t mean your CVP needs to change; have faith in the value your business delivers. Think about how your brand could benefit customers as they navigate their way through the current crisis. Be generous with your offering by asking, “How is this relevant to what my customers are going through right now? And how can it help them plan for the future?”
This doesn’t mean your CVP needs to change; have faith in the value your business delivers. Think about how your brand could benefit customers as they navigate their way through the current crisis. Be generous with your offering by asking, “How is this relevant to what my customers are going through right now? And how can it help them plan for the future?”
“Think about how your brand could benefit customers as they navigate their way through the current crisis.”
Be empathetic, not embarrassing
Seeing the world through your customers’ eyes is going to elevate you above the competition. Everything comes back to empathy.
Take a look at your existing communications: in the context of today’s challenges, are they still relevant?
Be empathetic; put your customers’ needs at the heart of all communications. Be careful not to display mixed motives or come across as overtly opportunistic: customers will see right through this. And, importantly, be critical: are you saying the right thing – or the wrong thing? We’ve all seen examples of brands who’ve got it wrong. Think first; don’t be tone deaf.
Take a look at your existing communications: in the context of today’s challenges, are they still relevant?
Be empathetic; put your customers’ needs at the heart of all communications. Be careful not to display mixed motives or come across as overtly opportunistic: customers will see right through this. And, importantly, be critical: are you saying the right thing – or the wrong thing? We’ve all seen examples of brands who’ve got it wrong. Think first; don’t be tone deaf.
Don’t make assumptions
Tracking customer sentiment and behaviour is vital. Look at the data: how are things changing? And why? Listen to what they are saying on social media or to your call centre, then respond accordingly – and don’t stop.
If you start making assumptions, you’re playing a dangerous game. In this current state of uncertainty, businesses need a continuous, two-way conversation with their customers: listen, respond; listen, respond.
If you start making assumptions, you’re playing a dangerous game. In this current state of uncertainty, businesses need a continuous, two-way conversation with their customers: listen, respond; listen, respond.
“Seeing the world through your customers’ eyes is going to elevate you above the competition”
Prepare to adapt and flex
Consistency in your working processes may have served you well to date, but is this still true? You need to engender trust in your customers; ploughing on like it’s business as usual will do quite the opposite. This might mean changing the way you communicate.
Although brands need to maintain their integrity, they must be prepared to adapt their guidelines, comms strategies, even the platforms they use.
Although brands need to maintain their integrity, they must be prepared to adapt their guidelines, comms strategies, even the platforms they use.
In these extraordinary times, it’s more important than ever to treat your customers as human beings. Human affinity – creating bonds between your brand and your audience – means you can be confident in the strength of your communications. This doesn’t mean you need to put your acquisition or retention goals on hold, you may just need to take a different path to get there. The positive returns will come later.
OTM is a creative agency that believes deep and complete understanding is vital when it comes to making your brand and content impossible to ignore.
Focus on empathy, not sales.
3 minute read
It may not be business as usual – but this isn’t a reason to shy away from talking to your customers. From a commercial perspective, maintaining momentum is important; from your customers’ perspective, they may be grateful for the contact – as long as you get it right.
In a time of crisis, you need to maintain integrity; when it comes to your communications, it’s less about what you say and more about how you say it. Human affinity has never been more important – this means establishing a bond between your brand and your customers; a bond based on empathy, rather than simply focusing on business objectives.
Think you’ve got a captive audience? Think again
It may seem blindingly obvious, but your target audience is made up of human beings, not generic ‘customers’, marketing personas or stereotypes. These are real people, facing similar challenges to you – everything from home-schooling to loneliness, sickness and financial concerns. So, from a business perspective, how can you help them?
However, before communicating, put yourself in their shoes: life in lockdown doesn’t mean they’re desperate to hear from you. Quite the contrary: the barrage of Slack chats, Zoom calls and email blasts mean many are already reporting fatigue.
You can still make contact with your customers, but you need to do it in the right way: is a comprehensive whitepaper really going to get their attention, or would shorter, bite-sized content be more useful – and more memorable?
However, before communicating, put yourself in their shoes: life in lockdown doesn’t mean they’re desperate to hear from you. Quite the contrary: the barrage of Slack chats, Zoom calls and email blasts mean many are already reporting fatigue.
You can still make contact with your customers, but you need to do it in the right way: is a comprehensive whitepaper really going to get their attention, or would shorter, bite-sized content be more useful – and more memorable?
Out with the old needs, in with the new
Almost overnight, people’s needs have changed. So, as a business, you must understand – quickly – what your customers need right now.
This doesn’t mean your CVP needs to change; have faith in the value your business delivers. Think about how your brand could benefit customers as they navigate their way through the current crisis. Be generous with your offering by asking, “How is this relevant to what my customers are going through right now? And how can it help them plan for the future?”
This doesn’t mean your CVP needs to change; have faith in the value your business delivers. Think about how your brand could benefit customers as they navigate their way through the current crisis. Be generous with your offering by asking, “How is this relevant to what my customers are going through right now? And how can it help them plan for the future?”
“Think about how your brand could benefit customers as they navigate their way through the current crisis.”
Be empathetic, not embarrassing
Seeing the world through your customers’ eyes is going to elevate you above the competition. Everything comes back to empathy.
Take a look at your existing communications: in the context of today’s challenges, are they still relevant?
Be empathetic; put your customers’ needs at the heart of all communications. Be careful not to display mixed motives or come across as overtly opportunistic: customers will see right through this. And, importantly, be critical: are you saying the right thing – or the wrong thing? We’ve all seen examples of brands who’ve got it wrong. Think first; don’t be tone deaf.
Take a look at your existing communications: in the context of today’s challenges, are they still relevant?
Be empathetic; put your customers’ needs at the heart of all communications. Be careful not to display mixed motives or come across as overtly opportunistic: customers will see right through this. And, importantly, be critical: are you saying the right thing – or the wrong thing? We’ve all seen examples of brands who’ve got it wrong. Think first; don’t be tone deaf.
Don’t make assumptions
Tracking customer sentiment and behaviour is vital. Look at the data: how are things changing? And why? Listen to what they are saying on social media or to your call centre, then respond accordingly – and don’t stop.
If you start making assumptions, you’re playing a dangerous game. In this current state of uncertainty, businesses need a continuous, two-way conversation with their customers: listen, respond; listen, respond.
If you start making assumptions, you’re playing a dangerous game. In this current state of uncertainty, businesses need a continuous, two-way conversation with their customers: listen, respond; listen, respond.
“Seeing the world through your customers’ eyes is going to elevate you above the competition”
Prepare to adapt and flex
Consistency in your working processes may have served you well to date, but is this still true? You need to engender trust in your customers; ploughing on like it’s business as usual will do quite the opposite. This might mean changing the way you communicate.
Although brands need to maintain their integrity, they must be prepared to adapt their guidelines, comms strategies, even the platforms they use.
Although brands need to maintain their integrity, they must be prepared to adapt their guidelines, comms strategies, even the platforms they use.
In these extraordinary times, it’s more important than ever to treat your customers as human beings. Human affinity – creating bonds between your brand and your audience – means you can be confident in the strength of your communications. This doesn’t mean you need to put your acquisition or retention goals on hold, you may just need to take a different path to get there. The positive returns will come later.
OTM is a creative agency that believes deep and complete understanding is vital when it comes to making your brand and content impossible to ignore.