Letting people know what you can do at this time is a public service.
The COVID-19 pandemic crisis is affecting every individual and every business in America. Sadly, a lot of companies have been forced to suspend operations as demand has fallen off—but for many manufacturers, demand is as great as it ever was, if not exponentially higher. If you are an essential manufacturer who is up and running during this national emergency, you owe it to your customers and the general public to let them know.
This isn’t about raising your profile or marketing your company. Companies like yours are filling vital needs right now, and people are looking for information about your capabilities.
Here are some ideas for how you can get the word out:
• COVID 19 Capabilities Page – Think about what your company is doing (or is capable of doing) as it relates to COVID-19. Have you switched over to manufacturing PPE or other critically needed emergency equipment? What have you done to ensure that your supply chain will be uninterrupted? Have you made changes with the materials you use to reinforce safety and sanitization? These are things people need to know! Create a page or section on your website detailing how your business is addressing COVID-19, and make that page easy to find. Put it in the Capabilities dropdown on your navigation or feature a link to it on your homepage.
• Protecting Your Employees – You have probably taken major steps to protect the health and wellness of your workforce, too. Add that information to your website so people know how serious you take your commitment to keep your employees safe while staying in business. This could be part of the COVID 19 Capabilities Page or you could create a standalone page to thank your employees.
• Press Coverage – If you have the ability to meet a lifesaving need, reach out to the media and let them know. Now is not the time to be shy about communicating your know-how or your capacity to ramp up if needed. A press release detailing what you can do could put you in front of someone who urgently needs your products or capabilities.
• Industry Outreach – ThomasNet has put together a database of manufacturers and their capabilities as they relate to COVID-19 needs. Be sure to share your information with them, as well. Also reach out to your industry publications to learn what information they’re looking for.
• Blogging – Add all this information on your blog, and post regular updates. Things are changing quickly, and you will want to keep visitors to your website up to date on everything you are doing. Make it easy for anyone with a need to quickly understand how you can help.
As an essential manufacturer who is operating during this time of crisis, you are helping to keep our country running. Communicating your capabilities is a service both to your customers and the general public, so don’t neglect to do it. If we can help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.