For a really long time (ok, 25 years) I’ve banged on about staying connected with your people, your audience.
Connection. Communication. Sharing. Inspiring. Leading.
Whether it was when I was in marketing at realestate.com.au (please Agent X, stay in touch with your potential buyers by adding real value to their search – they could turn out to be your next listing), or as a recruitment consultant at TMP Worldwide (please Client Y, communicate nicely with the candidates you have interviewed – they may not be right for you but they may know someone who is)… and in all that time, there has never been a MORE critical need than now for you to support your people with nurturing, educational content.
Connection at this time is vital – for THEM and for YOU.
THEY – your audience, your followers, your past clients, your prospects – need the info, the encouragement, the inspiration, the advice, the understanding that you can provide. They need to know what you know and they still need help with their problems.
And YOU need the exposure – possibly more than ever! Staying visible now and continuing to build strong relationships will help you navigate YOUR business during this weird and wacky time. Those who continue to build relationships will be the ones still standing when all of this is said and done.
This is not a time to stop communicating, to go underground.
In fact, I urge you to do the exact opposite. But I know many of you may not be sure what to write about or how to handle the emotion and sharing of personal
experience.
Nothing is surer than Covid-19 has upended our lives, our work, our finances. It’s part sci-fi, part horror movie and there is a lot of fear and uncertainty around. But there is also a wave of new leadership and new creativity emerging, that is highly motivating and inspiring. We are all somewhere on the spectrum between fear and heightened motivation – and often we swing between the two all within the space of an hour!
What is safe to say however, is that none of us is feeling exactly the same way as each other OR the same as we did prior to the pandemic.
You may have lots more time on your hands these days to write to your audience — or you may have a lot less (hello homeschooling parents or those who need to work on creating whole new business models). Regardless, NOW is the time to increase the comms with your list and raise the bar on their perception of your value. (Or, if you don’t already have a regular schedule of nurturing emails now is the time to start – even if your list has only 10 people on it!)
How to connect with your audience
Write regularly – more than you’ve ever done. Write honestly but don’t rant. Deliver something of value but don’t be apologetic for just checking in. Connection is key; be the one who reaches out.
I encourage you to:
– Address the emotion in the air
– Address the problems your audience may now be facing (that you can help solve)
– Address the opportunities that are now available
– Address the productivity pressures
– Address the self care issues
– Address the family relationships
– Address the financial challenges
Your opinion and viewpoint on one or all of these things will strike a chord with your followers. They will feel your empathy and in turn they will be empathetic. Understanding will strengthen and connection will grow.
Please. If you do nothing else in the coming week, write a letter to your audience. Let them know you get it. Let them know you’re still here. Let them know you can help.