4 Communication Tips That Will Help Your Customers Feel Safe

One of the themes that keeps popping up as businesses reopen is the fear that customers have about going into stores, booking in-person services, or being around other people. Eric, our CEO, talked about it last week: Businesses may be officially open, but they’re not really open until customers come back. 

But you’re all upping your safety measures, cleaning more, outfitting staff with PPE—anything and everything to make your customers comfortable. What now?

The only way to bring current and past customers back is to educate them on how you have taken measures to protect them.

suggests Maury Kosh from the Performance Based Marketing Group. The question is, how do you communicate that you’re doing all you can to keep them safe?

Thankfully, it’s easier than you might think, according to the marketing experts we talked to on Alignable. They're here to help with their best advice on what to say and where to get the word out, so your business can get back to full capacity asap.

Let's take a look.

Customers’ Fear of Going Out

Before we share our experts' top tips, let’s dive into the data around customer fear to find out why it’s so important.

In one of our recent weekly pulse polls, we asked 19,500 of you what you were most concerned about when it comes to reopening. And nearly 40 percent of you told us that customer fear about going out topped your list. In fact, it was the number one response to that question. 

And for those of you who are open, not as many customers are coming in as they did before. Over half of you reported seeing 50 percent or less of your customers return this month in comparison to before the crisis. 

Related discussion: What are your top safety concerns during reopening?

In short, you were worried that customers' fear may affect your reopening, and customers aren’t returning in the same numbers as they did before. While it’s not causal, fear might be playing a role in how many of your customers are showing up. 

Other data and experts back this up. 

For example:

• 67 percent of people do not feel safe shopping at retail stores and 78 percent don’t feel comfortable dining at a restaurant, according to a May 3 survey by Washington Post and University of Maryland.
  
• In areas where shopping malls and retail are currently open “traffic has still been light,” says Nick Saunders, who tracks retail data trends for an international firm, in a recent NPR article. The reason? "Consumers are very concerned about coming out. And some are just not confident to go out to locations and shop like they used to."

So what can you, as a small business owner, do to pull your customers back in? 

One idea you can try is to share your efforts with customers so they know how much you care about their safety. 

According to Juliana Weiss-Roessler of WR Digital Marketing:  

People want to get back out there and start living again. But they're scared. Your job is to assuage those fears by letting them know you are attempting to make them safe when they come in.

And there are lots of ways to get the message out there. 

4 Steps to Communicate Your Safety Efforts to Your Customers

Here’s a quick plan of how you can tell your customers that their safety matters and what your business is doing about it, according to marketing experts here on Alignable. 

Let us know if you try any of these steps and tell us what else you’re doing for your customers. We're all ears. 

Step 1: Figure out what safety information to share

The key here, according to our experts, is to be specific. 

“Consider questions people may have before heading to your business,” advises Juliana Weiss-Roessler of WR Digital Marketing.

• “Will you be wearing a mask?
• Are they required to wear a mask? 
• How are social distancing measures being followed?
• What cleaning policies do you have in place?"
  
  

Roddy Camper Jr of Clique Success (1 plus 1 = 3+) agrees. Here are some of the specific things he’s encouraging his retail clients to share. 

1. “We coat our door and door handles hourly with antimicrobial spray.
2. Our employees have their uniforms sprayed with antimicrobial spray at the start of every shift and returning from breaks and lunches.
3. We use an antimicrobial coating on all menus and cleaned after every customer.
4. All handout sales flyers have an antimicrobial coating. 
5. We have changed our air filters to MERV rating 16 for the best possible protection of the air we all breathe.  
6. All of our sit down tables have been adjusted to support social distancing.
7. We now have mobile pay pads so there is no need to go to a register.
8. For those paying in cash, all bills get sprayed with antimicrobial spray so the bills you get in return are clean.”

And consider sharing why. Why are masks important for your customers? Why do you wear one? If you frame your answers so they highlight the benefits to your customers, you’ll be in good shape. 

For example, "I wear a mask to protect you, and your mask helps to protect our employees so we can be here to help you."

For more safety tips, check out our interview with an emergency preparedness expert at a Boston-based hospital

Step 2: Share your safety guidelines wherever your customers are

Maybe your customers talk a lot on social media or maybe email is their MO. Whatever it is, bring your safety messages to the places your customers are so you can share them with as many people as possible.

“I would recommend focusing on your target audience/customer/prospect and drive your message through as many relevant mediums as possible,” says Scott Sanchez of Firebrand Media LLC.

“We all know people prefer to consume content in different ways, print, online, phones, tablets, email, social, etc. If you know your customer and know how they consume content (specifically during the lockdown), you can get your message to the most people at the best value.”

And do so often, suggests Thomas McClusky of Decided Excellence Catholic Media and McClusky Media: 

Stay in front of your customers. The same repetition that you used in the past is most important now.

Step 3: Communicate consistently

Now that you know what to say and where to share your safety protocols, use the same messaging across your platforms.

“One particular aspect of your communication is that you need to be consistent and up to date. All your business channels, social media, website, Google My Business need to tell a consistent story about your hours of business, how you are complying with local health standards, and what customers can expect,” suggests Galen Sonntag of NetNotic Marketing

“Give them multiple methods to contact you, phone, video, text, email. Let them choose how to interact with you,” he adds.

Doing so ensures that your business stays relevant, says Trish Bass of RevLocal. “If you have not updated this information on all media channels (social, website, Google) consumers are going to hesitate to reach out.”

Step 4: Use multimedia 

One great tip from our marketing experts is to try different ways of communicating your safety guidelines, like video, suggests Dustin Dauenhauer. 

Video is the most powerful way to reach out to [customers]. 

“Use your smartphone on a tripod, have staff film it, or hold it. Do a [short] video explaining that you are open and what safety measures you have taken to make their experience as great as it can be. Tour/walk around your facilities if that is needed and point out things you have done for them,” he suggests.

You can do it all in one video or try breaking it up into shorter ones “...each 30 seconds in length that explain a different part of your business and the new post-COVID protocol,” suggests Mike Doria from Mike Doria Life: Personal/Business Coaching.

After you film your videos, “put the video on YouTube and email your list of people. Text your clients the link,” Dustin says. This can help people feel comfortable coming back and also take the mystery out of the in-store experience. 

And finally: Ask your customers how you can help 

One last thing you can do is check in with your customers about what would make them more comfortable. 

“Try asking, ‘How can I better serve you in the context of my business and present-day health issues?’ ‘What are other businesses doing now that you like?’” says Bill Griffith from M2DS Media. Their suggestions can help you tweak your plan so it works best. 

Ultimately, caring about our customers is what we as small business owners do best, so hear them out, keep them updated, and adapt as you go. And let us know how you’re doing and how we can help. After all, our community is resilient and supportive, and together, we'll make it through. 

How are you talking with your customers? What's working and what isn't? Share your communication tips below.

For more ways to focus on your customers and adapt to the world now, check out some of these articles:

• 7 Customer Service Tips From Owners Who Get It
• How to Adapt Your Events Business to the Coronavirus World
• How to Keep Your Customers Safe During Reopening
• 4 Essential Steps Your Business Can Take To Kickstart Recovery