The coronavirus pandemic has certainly pulled the proverbial rug from under us South Africans. Following President Ramaphosa’s announcement on Sunday evening, the country as we knew it changed overnight.
We woke up on Monday morning to an entirely altered landscape, one that may actually be an indicator of things to come, or at least of how we do business in the future.
For businesses, brands and entrepreneurs, the uncertain times and the clear change in the way consumers shop, communicate and react, the pandemic has changed life forever..
Is the future here?
Though we obviously could not have predicted (not me anyway) the effects of this pandemic, there is a part of me that wonders, is it not simply a speeding up of an already hurtling freight-train that we know as the digital age? We all talk about the digital revolution and how businesses of the future will do business – does this mean the is future here? Has a horrible, scary little virus forced us to put our money where our mouth is, and to do business differently?
While some businesses may only be mildly affected, able to adapt and hunker down until things stabilise or at least until we understand how the future will look, for other businesses, the declaration by the president, the call for social-distancing and the ensuing panic, could ring a death-knoll.
And then there are the businesses that may actually benefit from the crisis – the law of nature – it’s a jungle out there baby and only the strong survive.
Ah the keyword, survive. In dark times throughout history, people have survived the most horrendous circumstances by adjusting, focusing on the basics and being adaptable. So, is it not in taking lessons from the past that businesses of today can survive?
The lifeboat here, right now is digital media. The crux of the matter is that for a business to survive in this critical, life-altering time we are living in, is to turn to digital – and in doing so, stay connected to clients, build strong connections and to learn new ways of communicating with them. In fact, your potential audience has never been more captive than it is right now, everybody is staying at home and tightly following social media feeds for updates and messages of hope.
Harness power of social media marketing
For the business that is able to harness the power that is marketing on social media, the opportunity is now and ripe for the picking. Well-orchestrated strategies, with content that enables brands to stay connected to their customers in these dark times, through informative, credible and relevant feeds, by providing useful content, sincere information and potentially solving their problem, will have secured customers when the crisis is over.
Digital communication will only increase going forwards. It was always on the cards, with many businesses not only on the band-wagon but leading the charge and who will be the ones who will take a knock but will survive; it is those businesses who have either ignored the signs or have made half-hearted attempts at joining the digital revolution, that now have the opportunity to grab the lifeline that the digital-age affords them in this difficult time in our economy.
Don’t allow the coronavirus pandemic to determine the viability of your business’ future, instead do what a survivor does in times of trouble, look for solutions and make them work for you.
UrbanHouse Media’s director Cindy Kidger is a seasoned public relations practitioner with the scars to prove it.
