Spreading the word

The COVID-19 shutdown has seen completely new businesses rise from the ashes of restaurants, cafés, pubs, and clubs decimated by the forced closure. But with so much change happening across the nation so quickly, getting your word out about your restaurant-now-takeaway or café-turned-general-store in such a crowded market can be hard.

We have been speaking to some people in the PR and marketing industry to find out what works to spread your word and what doesn’t.

Holly Formosa is a well-known industry marketing consultant now producing the much-followed blog Comms Class. We asked her for some advice on communicating in the age of Corona for foodservice businesses. “Do not go silent!” she says. “It’s basically ‘ghosting’ your customers!” She says it’s essential to communicate what you are doing and to engage and retain the audience you have already built. Holly adds that clear and transparent communication is the way to go. “If you are offering takeaway and you didn’t before, show and tell your customers,” explains Holly. “If you have launched a new eCommerce store for delivered goods, tell them! If you are continuing to operate as usual, then share the precautions your business has taken to work around COVID-19,” says Holly. “Let your customers know how you are implementing social distancing and sanitising, for example,” she explains. Holly adds that when going out with a message to the public, you need to use language that is positive about your offer but sensitive to the fact we are living through a pandemic. Always make sure the offer is clear and that the call to action is easy to follow.

Holly goes on to say that one tactic of engaging your audience working exceptionally well at present is the online educational video. “People are responding to chefs who are sharing their shopping tips, secrets on top suppliers, what’s in season now, cooking basics such as how to peel garlic or how to make the best roast potatoes,” she adds. Holly points to one great example, Coolangatta born chef Nick Stanton appearing on a series sponsored by the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. She suggests Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are popular and cheap ways of getting content online quickly and cheaply.

Mark Murphy is another industry professional, working in visual marketing and live venue ticketing and promotion. He co-founded shoutyourlocal.com.au, an initiative to support pubs in which customers pay for drinks vouchers now and enjoying them later when the pubs open once again. He says right now is a good time to appeal to people’s willingness to help others. “I think it’s a case of empathy and alignment,” says Mark. “The problem we are trying to solve is the cashflow crisis caused by COVID-19,” he says. “We’ve been very clear to both the venues and voucher buyers that every voucher is not just a vote of confidence, but also directly translates to money in the bank to help these businesses right now.” He says that now is an excellent time to reach out to the public because people are presently wanting to do something to help other people. “This period is a time of massive, short, sharp disruption that is challenging everyone to question what’s important,” he says. “COVID-19 is a shared problem that demands many solutions compounded by a pretty urgent timeframe – it’s a fertile environment to appeal to our collective community spirit.”