Covid-19 Safety Perception: The Essential New PR Metric

As businesses across the country reopen after the Covid-19 lockdown, they wonder if customers will return. That largely depends on how safe consumers feel on the organization’s premises.

Traditionally, companies focused marketing and PR messages on quality customer service, their product’s unique selling proposition, and metrics such as brand awareness. But in this unprecedented environment, safety – and perhaps more important, the customers’ perception of safety — has become paramount.

Industries like healthcare, airlines and automobiles often highlight safety in their PR and marketing messages. But now almost all organizations that offer in-person services must make safety a top priority and an essential marketing and PR message.

“Clearly the perception of safety and trustworthiness of your place of business, service, or product must now become part of your USP (Unique Selling Proposition),” says measurement expert Katie Paine. “Something as simple as a clean bathroom could be the difference between a successful opening and going out of business.”

Until consumers feel safe venturing out, many establishments may have few returning customers. Management will then likely invest in more PR and marketing to attract customers. Drawing in customers won’t happen unless they trust the establishment and feel safe. Sanitizing surfaces and enforcing social distancing is not enough.

For the next few months at least, businesses must promote and measure their Covid-19 safety precautions in all marketing and PR materials, but especially on their websites. That’s the most likely place customers will first check on the business and its safety precautions. Pictures can often better tell the story of safety precautions put into place. A picture or video of a waitperson squirting Purell onto the hands of diners in a room with spread out tables says more than words about a restaurant’s attitude toward coronavirus safety. If it happens, a second wave of infections will only elevate and extend the need for safety precautions and communications. .

How to Measure Covid-19 Safety Perception

Media monitoring and measurement can reveal how frequently your key Covid-19 safety messages appear before your desired audiences. If your safety messages are relatively straightforward and easily identifiable — like “we regularly disinfect” — then you might be able to identify them with a Boolean search of media and social media, Paine notes.

Measurement may show that organizations need to revamp their PR and marketing strategies, develop new messages, and perhaps even new products and services to meet consumers’ new needs and preferences.

Media measurement can also compare your organization’s Covid-19 safety perception to those of competitors. Competitive intelligence insights may uncover new PR and marketing tactics such as new media outlets to approach. Knowing what competitors are claiming and doing about safety can give your business a competitive advantage – and verify that you are doing as much or more to assure the safety of employees and customers.

A social media listening tool with automated email alerts can promptly notify businesses if customers post violations of health guidelines on social media. That will allow PR pros and business managers to quickly rectify the situation before posts spread virally and lead to unfavorable media articles and public criticism.

The Value of Surveys

PR pros may benefit from email or online surveys to determine if their target audiences are receiving and believing their key messages. Paine recommends asking questions such as:

“What concerns do you have about doing business with us now that stay-at-home orders have been lifted?”

“What would make you feel safer, more secure, or protected from harm?”

“What concerns you most about going out to public spaces?”

If perception of your Covid-19 safety is low, then you clearly have work to do. That might entail increased safety inspections, increased messaging and help from brand ambassadors and other influencers. Further media measurement and surveys can reveal improvements in perceptions over time. If measurement shows no improvement, you may have a cultural issue to repair.

“You will have to adjust your survey, or maybe do some focus groups to tease out the problem,” Paine says. Either way, save the survey data for future reference or to use as a baseline.

Bottom Line: How safe customers feel when visiting a business will determine if its reopening is successful. Gauging how customers feel about Covid-19 safety through surveys and media monitoring measurement will help establishments improve health measures and promote their reputations as safe environments.

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