During these unprecedented, uncertain times, our most important currency is kindness. As we confine ourselves to our homes, the line between business and personal blurs, and external distractions/pressures decrease, which should give us greater capacity, time and space for kindness at home and at work.
The greatest kindness you can offer, is showing that you care and are available, and you need go bear this in mind for your communications with clients and community, as well as family and friends – the same rules apply.
I turned 40 at the weekend and with a strict lockdown in place here, I genuinely expected absolutely nothing… and was therefore blown away to receive a deluge of messages, calls, virtual cards, videos, and deliveries, which ranged from flowers, balloons and cake, to edible fruit arrangements, home beauty treatments, teddies, and chocolate covered fruit, as well as bottles of bubbly, and lunch items left on the doorstep.
It made me feel connected in these days of isolation, and incredibly grateful for the friends and family who made the effort and kept me smiling all day – giving me the best start to the new decade under these strange circumstances. If I could make just one more person feel that sense of connection or value, whether they are a client, or a friend, then that could make all the difference.
As businesses, we want to maintain connection with our audience, and deepen the bond and sense of community in order to increase loyalty, word of mouth, sales, awareness and referrals. We need to put ourselves in the shoes of our clients and community when we are planning and creating content. What is it that your clients and community are thinking and talking about? What are they googling? What is that they are most concerned and worried about? What are they spending their time in lockdown doing, reading, listening to? Be warned however, this is not the time for fake marketing gimmicks, you need to mean what you say, and develop campaigns out of a genuine willingness to help and support your community, rather than trying to find angles to take advantage of the current crisis. If you really do care, the communications should come naturally – look to your peers for inspiration.
At the moment, a lot of people are feeling frustrated and disappointed – we’re missing events, special occasions and more importantly, people. There are many people feeling scared, uncertain and sad, and fluctuating between good and bad days. So, we need to take this time to appreciate what we HAVE got – particularly our loved ones and our health – and have empathy for those around us who are suffering… It’s ok to be sad, but try to make the most of the time, stay safe, be kind, support others and remember that ‘this too shall pass’ – sooner rather than later if I get my birthday wish!
