Every business needs a crisis plan
A marketing budget carries an implication of money spent on sales pitch advertisements. For the most part, that is true. As a business, ads pitching products and services are a primary source of generating leads and sales.
But sometimes, circumstances arise that completely shake up day-to-day life. Natural disasters often bring temporary halts to economic operations in a given region, forcing businesses to alter their daily processes.
Rarely, if ever, do these disasters forewarn of their arrival. A large part of what makes natural disasters so economically devastating is their degree of unexpectedness. Yet, despite their destruction and disruption, the recovery process is routine. We’ve dealt with these disasters before and know we’ll face them again.
Then, there are crises that confront us but once a lifetime.
The current Covid-19 outbreak has caused unprecedented closures in nearly every aspect of global life.
Every facet of our entire economic system, from global trade to small businesses, is scrambling to figure out their next move. Planning for the “long term” feels unthinkable, even the “short term” seems to grow shorter by the day.
At the local end of the economic spectrum, small businesses have been the most vulnerable. The uncertainty of survival has local employers and employees in a heightened state of anxiety.
Similarly, consumers, and communities as a whole, are just as lost and disoriented. As businesses struggle to navigate these unprecedented times, it is critical that they ensure their customers and communities are informed and kept in the loop with changes and updates.
For instance:
- Is your business still open?
- Have hours and operations been drastically altered?
- Has business adapted to meet new demands?
- What about partnerships with other businesses or organizations?
As businesses enact rapid changes, keeping their doors open, there will still exist a marketing budget that needs to be utilized. In fact, it is arguably more important than ever to ensure that particular budget item has dollars allocated.
It is crucial to understand that a marketing budget doesn’t necessarily mean sales pitches. It can, particularly in times of crises, simply mean communication.
And no business can afford to neglect their lines of communication.
The importance of having an emergency digital communication plan in place guarantees that when unforeseen circumstances arise, businesses can have peace of mind knowing that dollars are set aside in order to distribute their message at that time.
A marketing emergency fund also gives businesses the resources to let their trusted digital marketing and communication experts handle the messaging and distribution.
Businesses, particularly smaller operations, in the midst of a crisis have more than enough to worry about. Composing and engaging with digital communications is one major time-consuming burden that business owners can pass along to their digital marketing agency.
Covid-19 is forcing everyone to re-evaluate and re-assess every aspect of every process in nearly every industry. For struggling businesses, being able to transition from sales marketing to a crisis communication plan can ensure their customers can be kept up-to-date with any changes or critical relevant information.
It is important, that once this storm passes, businesses and organizations consult with their digital marketing agencies to make sure an emergency communications contingency is incorporated into their budgets. ThriveFuel stands here, ready to help you and your business weather the storm and thrive once it has past.
