Pub. 1 2019-2020 Issue 4

Issue 4 2020 33 WVADA your online experience. Scroll a number at the bottom of the screen that they can call (during regular business hours) for friendly human help from your online advocate. If you don’t have one, get one … even if it’s you. A little handholding is an incredibly powerful opportunity to start a conversation and customer relationships. Blanket Online Security Concerns, Especially During Times of Unrest Security is another resistance point for the non online set , especially during times of social unrest. Address this head-on with a one-sided handout sheet and an identical webpage. Content should center on bulleted points that hammer home the fact that your online service is built with best-in-industry security technology: local service, world-class security. Even if your front-end web presentation is basic, most businesses have robust back-ends from larger organizations with multiple firewalls, particularly for transactional functionality. Adapt some of their super security techno facts to this purpose. If you need help shaping up this message, get outside marketing professionals on the project. You will be asked about security. Have this tool ready to blanket concerns from prospects. Win their trust, and online utilization volume will follow. Sure, many of us are “kick the tires” businesses, but the process starts online, and that trend will only increase in the future. For Employees: A Motivational Team Message We’ve all seen the famous, stiff-upper-lip British message that urges readers to “Keep Calm and Carry On.” It was produced to motivate the English population to stay strong in spirit during what became “The Blitz” bombings of London during World War II. Given the war we are currently engaged in with an insidious viral enemy, we offer a version of that message for small busi - ness employees, many of whom may be sequestered at home: Stay Connected and Carry Through. The first part of the message is obvious — we all have to stay connected through our wealth of digital tools to continue do - ing our jobs and serving our customers. The second part is a gentle reminder that performance expectations remain high despite the change in the work environment. Now more than ever, it is important to “carry through” on all work responsi - bilities. It ain’t a snow day kids … there’s real work to be done. A simple messaging device can serve to galvanize employee spirit and focus on the tasks at hand. There are many creative directions to fit the unique culture of any business. Whatever your team’s rallying cry may be, it is valuable to have a brief motivational message that can bring people together as a unit - ed force determined to overcome a common, formidable chal - lenge. Remember the Alamo. Three More Crisis Communication Absolutes 1. A centralized communication hub (such as a landing page or dark site): Present all of your outreach efforts separately from your standard web content. Separating the two helps people quickly find information conveyed within the crisis context and timeframe. Specifically, what are your business’s current poli - cies and practices, and how can people contact the business? 2. Ongoing and up-to-date messages (email, social media, etc.): Don’t make customers and community members come to you; continue the outreach and gain new social media and email followers by providing regular, relevant communication. 3. Focus your advertising efforts (Digital advertising, OOT, pre- roll video, etc.): Make sure that your messages are showing up where the audiences are during the shelter-at-home man- dates — online. Budgets are tight, so make sure your media spends are tracked with analytics to ensure ROI. t Michael C. Keenan is the president and CEO of Keenan-Nagle Advertising, Inc. Based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with an integrated team of creative, media, web, analytics and client service professionals. The Keenan-Nagle firm has been in continuous service since 1954 and is the longest-serving advertising/marketing agency in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley region. For more facts, visit www.KeenanNagle.com or call 610-797-7100. Given the war we are currently engaged in with an insidious viral enemy, we offer a version of that message for small business employees, many of whommay be sequestered at home: Stay Connected and Carry Through.