Social distancing, while good for the public, is bad for businesses. Since the coronavirus outbreak, foot traffic in physical stores has dropped steeply as more customers stay home. Many business owners are troubled that the impact of COVID-19 will be bigger and more enduring than anticipated. As such, they are looking for ways to help their customers feel safe and welcome during the pandemic.

5 Methods for Communicating Safety Standards to Customers

As a business owner or leader, you shouldn’t assume that your customers know everything about COVID-19 and how to stop its spread. Although safety measures are echoed in mainstream media outlets, you should also ensure that your business outlines them as a reminder. Reminding your customers about the proposed safety measures is one of the ways to show that you care. The following are the five methods for communicating safety standards to your customers:

1.      Answer customer’s concerns through signage

When walking up to a business, unsure if they are open or not, what’s the first thing that customers look at? Most potential customers look for an open or closed sign. Signage is a brilliant way of communicating with customers as it not only helps grab their attention, but it also informs them before they step into the building or when they are already in the building.

The main objective of a printed sign is to keep people informed about something that can be of their use. During this pandemic, creating custom COVID-19 signage is one of the best ways to ensure that customers have answers to their concerns.  Businesses can use coronavirus signs to keep their esteemed customers informed about the updated actions or strategies to stay safe. Here are some instances when signage can be applicable:

• When you need to inform your customers that your business is now open or that you’re back,
• When you need to update customers about your working hours, temporary closure, pick-up services, or anything else that is important for them and your business,
• When you need to spread awareness about the pandemic,
• When you need to encourage customers to keep social distance while at your business premises, etc.

Despite what you opt for, having custom COVID-19 signage set up in your workplace will be a great way to respond to this pandemic and keep your communications with your customers flowing effectively.

2.      Educate customers through creative posters

One of the ways to communicate the safety measures during COVID-19 is through creative posters. You can create helpful coronavirus posters to post in your workplace and across your social media outlets. These posters will inform your esteemed customers on the best practices to implement, along with the measures your business is taking to safeguard them.

There are different types of posters related to COVID-19 that you can create. One of them is a poster of coronavirus symptoms to watch out for. You can place your symptoms posters near popular areas, such as the lobby, restrooms, bathroom walls, and mirrors.

Another important type of poster to create is a cleaning and disinfectant poster that outlines the best hand-washing and surface-cleaning practices. Other types of posters that you also need to create are protective gear posters that outline the type of protective gear that your employees and customers should wear.

The posters that you design for your workplace should not only be informative, but they should also display accurate information. It would be best if you check the CDC website, as well as your state government website for the most recent facts and updates.

3.      Caution customers with social-distancing floor stickers

Maintaining social distance is crucial in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. However, humans are innately driven to socialize, which makes it hard for most people to remember to observe the social distancing measures. One way that your business can help your customers to feel safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is by making it easier for your customers to observe the social distance. Social-distancing floor stickers can help you do that.

Floor stickers can be used inside and outside of all types of businesses, such as grocery stores, restaurants, supermarkets, and other establishments that need to regulate long lines. Social distancing stickers have made a huge impact in public spaces during the pandemic. They are a simple solution that you can use to not only direct your customers, but also inform them of social distancing regulations while keeping them safe.

4.      Spread general awareness through advertisements

With most businesses already dealing with a slowdown, if not a total shutdown, advertising during the pandemic needs a lot of creativity to ensure that the brand message is effectively communicated. If you have a service or product that could sell a lot during this period, it would be best to reevaluate the communication as the message could come about as insensitive.

To ensure that your marketing messages won’t come off as a strategy to boost sales, you should create ads that not only promote your brand, but also spread COVID-19 awareness. For instance, you can craft an educative social media campaign to reach your target audience organically.  Spreading general awareness through advertisements gives you an opportunity for your brand to show that it genuinely cares about its customers, and will help you build and retain trust with your target audience.

A good example of a brand that has taken a hands-on approach to spread hygiene awareness in times of COVID-19 through their ads is Lifebuoy. The soap brand, which is marketed by Unilever, has embarked on a public service campaign to remind people of the importance of hand hygiene and how it can help minimize the spread of infections. They are not only sharing a public service message via print, but they also include the message in their digital ads, which focus on ways to prevent contracting the coronavirus.

Final Thoughts

During this challenging time, you should do your best to help your customers feel safe. Whether you’re instructing your employees and customers to keep social distance, wash their hands, or wear their masks, you can still put the message across in an on-brand, creative way.

If you need help drafting the message for your posters, banners, signs, ads, and social-distancing floor stickers, you can count on Geary Company. We are an advertising agency that’s dedicated to crafting meaningful messages that businesses can use to help their customers feel safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact us today for more information on how we can help.