The reality of coronavirus has left many wondering what the impact will be on different industries. As we battle against the changes COVID-19 has imparted on business practices, it’s more important than ever to put an emphasis on sales. While there are bound to be some financial losses, acting now may make all the difference in your company’s ability to endure. We’ve compiled some considerations for maintaining sales during the crisis.

Take stock of current clients, deals in progress, and your approach to new business outreach. If you’re a consumer brand, take stock of your income, and supply chain to note any current or potential disruptions. Know that at this time, there’s potential to lose a client or two, have a deal fall through, see a decline in sales, or realize your new business efforts are no longer appropriate. If you don’t have a plan in place to deal with any of the mentioned, now is the time to create one. Pay attention to the long term goals of the sales team, are they still realistic or do they have to be adjusted? Have you had to close your stores? Is your website equipped to handle the influx of online traffic as a result?

Many business owners are grappling with having to close offices in response to the global COVID-19 outbreak. These unprecedented measures bring up many questions create many questions. For heads of companies looking for extra guidance during this time, we’ve compiled considerations for how to best handle and communicate office closures.

Communication with employees is extremely important during this time. Be transparent with them about potential office closures, the reason why you’re closing, and when they can expect to be back in office. If you don’t have the answers to these questions, that’s ok. However, be sure to let them know this so they don’t feel they’re being left in the dark.

One of the fundamentals of public relations is tracking and monitoring the opinion of the public. Additionally, in the past few years, thanks to social media, it has become easier than ever for PR pros to keep track of what the public is thinking or talking about when it comes to particular brands.

When it comes to social media, aside from the fact that it’s an excellent tool for publicity, and free publicity at that, it allows brands to directly communicate with a target audience without going through intermediaries, such as the media. It’s also important to keep track of what that audience is saying when a brand isn’t directly promoting a product or a service.

There’s an old adage that you only get one shot to make a first impression. That was true the first time it was said, and it’s exponentially truer in the days of digital marketing and online media, when a single interview – good or bad – can be played, indefinitely, on an endless loop, meaning people are “introduced” to new audiences all the time… a dynamic that is often out of their control.

The rules for a successful TV or online video interview go all the way back to the first televised U.S. Presidential debate, when candidates Kennedy and Nixon squared on in prime time. Kennedy looked cool and poised, while Nixon appeared sweaty and nervous. The impressions of those watching at home were solidified, and Kennedy beat Nixon handily. 

Any casual observer can say there’s a building trust issue with the media at large. Most consumers will say that they trust a few outlets but greatly distrust the others, mostly along partisan lines. It’s a touchy subject in some circles, but one that requires some reconciling, especially since people still get their perspectives and messaging through media sources.

Recently, the head of one powerful media brand described this issue as “a crisis of trust.” Speaking to CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” Time Magazine owner Marc Benioff said he sees a “crisis of trust,” not just in the media, but in the world at large. Time, he hopes, will be part of the solution to this emerging problem.

Many businesses inevitably undergo some sort of mishap or crisis that requires professional handling. This could be as simple as an unhappy customer or as large as a massive product recall.

Crisis communication is an aspect of doing business that many find uncomfortable, but it’s something that must have a defined protocol in order to effectively employ it.

The modern-day news cycle means that industry stories don’t stay under wraps for long, and for many brands, it is only a matter of time before they find themselves dealing with one form of PR crisis or another. But wouldn’t it be better to avoid them in the first place?

With the right preparation and planning, there are a number of ways to minimize the likelihood that your brand will be forced to tackle a PR crisis head-on. Here are a few suggestions for keeping your business on the right side of publicity.