Gear Up Your Online Content to Maintain Members’ Trust in a Crisis

By now you’ve probably gotten your fill of anxious phone calls from members wondering how the coronavirus crisis will affect their finances. What if you had a bunch of informational materials already at hand to refer them to?

That’s where content marketing comes in. In this case, you’ll want to create and share targeted, timely information about the crisis to build or maintain a strong, trusting relationship with your members or potential members. After all, credit unions are set up to work directly with the community and help their members succeed, so members are especially going to look to you for guidance through a crisis that has the potential to affect their lives so dramatically.

At the same time, the challenge to overcome is that most people believe businesses are the least prepared to respond to COVID-19, per a survey from APCO Worldwide. Break this stigma by filling your online channels with pertinent information, using these best practices:

Plan Content Carefully

This is the time to be blasting online content at full speed because people are hungry for information. Think about how you can best leverage each of your owned channels to keep people informed and at ease. For example, share helpful articles from authoritative sources on your social media, post blogs with tips and best practices on relevant topics like financial planning during a crisis, create infographics or share with relevant media expert commentary from one of your executives.

Don’t forget about any previously-planned content that you may have scheduled for publishing before the crisis hit. Review and make necessary changes to ensure it appropriately addresses the crisis at hand, or, at least, is not “tone deaf.” For example, this is not the time to be sharing information about new product launches, which could appear too self-serving during a time like this. But it is a good time to share news about corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Keep All Channels Updated

Even in uncertain times, people will look to their usual places to seek information. So, update all of your channels with the same content. Don’t be afraid of being repetitive – it’s better that your members see the information in five places rather than miss it. That means updating your social media channels, blog, website and anywhere else you regularly post content.

Something to note is that employees expect daily updates from their employers during a crisis, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer. So, assume the same for your members. While you don’t want to bombard anyone, it’s important to have a strong presence across all channels.

Make Information Easy to Find

The last thing you want is for members to have to search for information from you. That goes for any time, but it’s especially crucial during a crisis. Put links to all relevant information in plain sight, such as on the front page of your website and on your social media, and use email to deliver information to members directly.

The key is for members (and others) to be able to easily find your content and share the relevant information with their networks. That’s how you become a trusted source of information, and build rapport with your members and potential members.

Watch Your Tone

Keep in mind that members are probably fearful about how the crisis will affect their finances, so be sure to share information with a soft touch. The goal is to assuage some of these worries, not to exacerbate them.

Also remember that members are most likely looking for factual, actionable information, not your opinions on the crisis. Try not to put any “spin” on the information, or you run the risk of downplaying the situation or casting it too positively. You want members to feel like they can come to you with their concerns, so be clear that you share in those concerns.

Crises can be nerve-wracking and, quite frankly, overwhelming, but a calm front is what’s going to carry you and your members through. Prioritize creating and distributing information across all channels that is helpful and authoritative, and your members will stick with you confidently.

Jeff Bradford is President of the Nashville, Tenn.-based public relations agency the Bradford Group.