Unprecedented times have forced us all to think and act differently. How businesses have communicated with their stakeholders and responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed a whole new side to many brands, and in some cases, has changed our perceptions of a company, its leadership, and its place in our society.
As business came to a screeching halt during the early days of the coronavirus crisis, many became hyper-attuned to what was happening in their customers’ (current and prospective) lives and sought to lend a hand and provide new meaning, value, and assistance. This response isn’t something that should happen only during a pandemic.
Slowing down to look at the world through stakeholders’ eyes and identifying innovative ways to be acutely relevant and helpful are exercises that brands should conduct regularly. A keen and empathetic understanding of your audience is influential in strengthening relationships, building loyalty, and fueling innovation.
COVID-19 has provided business leaders with significant opportunity. We must weave this lesson, along with renewed and reinvented approaches to resiliency and strategy that I explore in my Forbes Communications Council post on key behavioral changes for brand communications, into our future business practices to build a stronger tomorrow.
A complete version of this post originally appeared on the Forbes Communications Council.