It’s 2024, and brands that are able to pivot when needed and weather all storms are the ones that truly thrive. Picture this: You’ve taken days to develop a well-crafted brand strategy, established a solid online presence, and things are sailing smoothly. Suddenly, a crisis hits – be it a global pandemic, economic downturn, or a PR nightmare. How will your brand survive this storm?
Let’s take a look at the role resilience plays in times like these and how brands can create actionable strategies to proactively prepare for an ever-evolving business landscape.
Embrace the Chaos
Brands need to be ready to embrace crisis or chaos when it arrives. The characteristic of a resilient brand is such that it understands that crisis is part and parcel of the business journey.
Authenticity Matters
When crisis strikes, it becomes all the more important to stay authentic. Share the issues and challenges you are facing, be transparent about what you’re doing to facilitate customers. This will allow your customers to connect with the human side of your brand, acknowledge your efforts and foster a sense of solidarity with your business.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Keeping customers as well as all other affected stakeholders informed in times of a crisis becomes the key to navigating during tough times. Whether through social media, newsletters, or press releases, maintain an open line of communication.
Agility and Adaptability
Embracing innovation and coming up with creative solutions is another characterisitc of a resilient brand. Learn to adapt and become more agile with changing market situations. If you have the resources, try to assess the situation, recalibrate your approach, and embrace innovation.
Strategies for Brand Resilience
- Build a Strong Digital Presence
It is the era of digital. Your online presence is quite literally your lifeline. Invest in a website that is easy to navigate, make use of social media to maximize brand reach and explore multiple e-commerce avenues. Making sure your brand remains accessible to your customers through multiple touchpoints even during a crisis that causes physical disruptions is essential!
- Keep your Employees Healthy
Let’s face it – without your team, your brand would cease to exist. A healthy team, both mentally and physically, is the backbone of your brand. Prioritize their well-being, ensure continuous support, and foster a positive work culture.
- Planning Ahead
It is always a good idea to have plans A, B and C ready in anticipation of potential crises. Have your teams develop strategies based on potential crisis situations or scenarios. In order to respond rapidly, your brand needs to play a proactive role by having contingency plans in place.
How do you know if your strategies to become a resilient brand are working?
- Employee advocacy – The strength your brand reflects from its internal customers, your employees, is the brand that your external customers will see. If your employees believe in the goals and values of your brand and are engaged well enough to communicate it, your brand is in good hands.
- Market share – If your brand continues to grow in times of crisis or in a saturated market, then rest assured it has embraced resilience.
- Customer loyalty – resilient brands have loyal customer bases that will continue to support the business despite times of crisis.
- Positive public perception – if your brand is being seen as the leader in the industry that contributes positively to the society, you’re definitely building a strong resilient brand image.
Today’s world is becoming incresingly uncertain. Embracing storms by building a resilient brand and converting challenges into opportunities for it to grow, will become your most essential survival skill. Here’s to staying strong and taking strides in the world of success!