Maintaining Relationship with Consumers

Extended lockdowns, uncertain futures, crumbling economies, fluctuating markets and yes, so much of everything around us is beginning to sound the same and redundant or repeated to most parts. What is new? What is fresh? What has happened in the last couple of months that inspires change and paves way for better futures?

If as a brand, you are telling people the same thing as everyone else, you run the risk of becoming a ‘me too’, doing the things everyone else is doing. There is impact and strain on the brand-consumer relationship and while its important to remind them of the value you bring to them as a brand for the future, it’s also important to remind them in the current context that you are concerned for their wellbeing. If as a brand, you can solve for their current needs and problems, even better because your communication with them is in the current times and can be kept contextual. 

To engage with them meaningfully, here are ten tips that you can leverage either as B2B or B2C brands. 

• Your consumers are all stakeholders at this point and the universe includes everyone from shareholders to employees and customers
• Like all times, stay true to who you are as a brand, your brand identity and purpose and the vision of the brand 
• Innovation and adapting to change is key and trying to find new ways and means of leveraging technology and engaging with consumers need to be developed
• Keep the consumer interest at the fore as you shape the pieces of communications for them on whatever platform you choose
• Think from the point of view of the consumer and what you would like to receive as pieces from brands that you engage with
• This is a good time to analyse, assess and review existing practices and hone and fix gaps and try and make the future processes seamless
• Let empathy and compassion and emotional quotient guide the process of all crafting of communications
• In times of such crisis everyone is very sensitive to tonality and content and that needs to be considered and remember this is being built to last
• Value systems can really help in such times credibility, integrity, trust and respect can all be guiding values in the process
• It is a time to put everyone’s interest over revenues and numbers and that should be the focus for the immediate future

Here’s an easy way to remember and implement with EMPATHY as the central guiding directive

• Ease of interactions and business
• Mitigate the risk of insensitive communication
• Prepare to problem solve in the now and prioritise your
• Agility for change and adaptability for change management
• Tenacity and resilience for lasting out the crisis
• Humane and heartful communications always
• Yield to the needs that are real time 

“Everyone experiences tough times; it is a measure of your determination and dedication how you deal with them and how you can come through them.” – Lakshmi Mittal

The idea is to ride out this wave with the least negative impact on business and brand. 

What is going on around us as the new normal is in no way easy to adapt to and learn and imbibe, but with not many choices left, we need to cope with what comes our way and use the best ways we can to navigate through this space. 

Looking forward to the future with hope and hoping that with this wave, will come a better time with change… 

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Shreya Krishnan

Vice President - Marketing and Communications at Aon India Insurance Brokers

Shreya is a CSR Specialist and Corporate Grooming Consultant. Her interests lie in Activism, Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Blogging, Modelling, Acting. She considers herself an Earth Warrior and is an Event Anchor and Trainer. She is a Pageant Winner and public speaker.