The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 49: June/July 2020 | Page 26

COMMUNITY VOICES
TAKE CARE WITH YOUR PR WH
COMING OUT OF LOCKDOWN
We are starting to come out of lockdown in the UK
it’s going to be a very bumpy ride for business. Yo
before you more than ever before – how is your re
It’s time for an honest assessment
of how your clients, customers,
suppliers and fellow business
people and community are seeing
you, talking about you, sharing
and commenting on your brand.
Or have you become invisible?
With this in mind here are ten
tips to consider around your PR as
lockdown slowly lifts:
MAKE A PR PLAN AND INVEST as
‘normal’ is not coming back any time soon
– if you’ve never really embraced PR before
for you or your business, now is the time. You
will have to consider different things when
it comes to the customer experience and
you will need to communicate that in many
different ways.
BE VISIBLE – using gentle sales
messages show your audience and
community that you are open for business
and also ‘how’ you are going about your
business.
EMBRACE VIDEO – video posts or
animations rank higher on most platforms
than pictures and higher than just text.
Ensure the video quality matches any
product or service you are showcasing.
WORK WITH YOUR LOCAL MEDIA
– work with newspapers, online influencers,
magazines, radio and tv as that kind of
visibility creates credibility and visibility you
will rarely achieve on your own. Understand
what they want NOT what you want to them
to have (unless you are paying).
AVOID RADIO SILENCE – if lockdown
and the effect of Covid19 has made you
retreat into your shell, start being present
now. If you do not, others will take market
share. Why? Radio silence will speak
volumes to your potential customers. Have
you gone bust? Are you still in lockdown? Do
you care?
ATTITUDE TO EMPLOYEES – as
your business comes back onstream and
your team come back to work, consider
how you treat them. If you start being
heavy handed with staff who are scared
to come back, cannot come back due to
home-schooling commitments EVEN IF
YOU ARE LEGALLY WITHIN YOUR RIGHTS
– consider what your behaviour says about
your brand. Reputational damage caused by
a disgruntled employee/ex-employee who
feels bullied could cost much more to your
reputation than trying to reach a workable
compromise.
VALUE YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN
– for many businesses, the supply chain
fluidity is vital to returning to business
health. If you have not paid your bills or just
let people go in a very uncaring manner, you
could be in trouble. Those people may wash
their hands of you as you did with them. Start
putting out those feelers to see who’s still
with you and who you might need to replace.
Are you clearly commun
your business makes a d
CREATE STAND-OUT MARKETING THAT S
14 www.tbeswindonandwilts.co.uk