We are in the middle of the Coronavirus outbreak, which since it was first detected in December last year in Wuhan, China, is continuing to spread around the world.
Since the outbreak was confirmed, the Chinese Government has stepped up its efforts to control it. The Government has locked down cities and provinces, quarantining millions of people since the start of the Chinese New Year.
With fears of SARS, MERS and Swine Flu, the Chinese Government has acted firmly to limit the impact of the virus on the country and its economy.
The newly-named COVID-19 virus has spread quickly within China and beyond, firstly to countries in Asia like Japan, South Korea and Singapore, and then to Europe, the Middle East and North America.
The potential impact on life and the economy could be challenging.
Given the apparent ease of transmission from person to person, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned countries around the world to prepare for a possible pandemic.
To date, the virus has infected over 79,000 people worldwide. In mainland China, there have been 2,663 deaths of a reported 77,262 cases. The rest of the infections are spread out over 30 countries, which are establishing processes to control the spread of the virus and the impact of the wider population.
Unlike the Swine Flu pandemic of 2009, the world today lives is much more connected by air travel and supply chains and from the perspective of individuals by digital and social media, which allow us to communicate in real-time.
Today’s Coronavirus has been described by MIT Review as the world’s first ‘infodemic.’ Fears around the coronavirus have been amplified by social media, leading to an increase in panic and racism fueled by fear and misinformation.
One country that is leading the way in controlling the spread of COVID-19 is Singapore. Its geographical position, financial clout, culture and the level of internal influence has enabled it to identify carriers of the virus and quarantine them.
Singapore has also allocated significant resources at communicating with the public and battling misinformation. Their population are the eyes and ears of what is being shared in private groups, meaning that by engaging with the wider public they can quickly refute falsehoods before they create panic.
Last December I worked and trained a team from SingHealth to help them understand how people communicate and engage online.
Understanding not just social and digital media, but how people engage and communicate on these channels is essential in order to effectively reassure and support the wider public, especially on an issue that is getting so much amplification and media attention.
What is being published on Facebook is one thing, the conversations and rumours that get spread on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram is another.
Open social media channels are locations for educating and reassuring. Think of it as advertising on these networks. The battleground for effective education are the various
Like the Singapore Government, the WHO has partnered with technology companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tencent, Weibo and others, to enable them to reach people and inform and engage with them. This is critical as it’s essential that people around the world act on scientific and authoritative advice.
So what can the world learn from the approach that Singapore has taken?
Keep the narrative and messages simple
During a crisis, it’s important to keep the narrative and message simple.
Messages need to be crafted in an easy to understand way so as to avoid any confusion. There is no room for ifs or ‘buts.
The rule of thumb is to keep messages to a maximum of 3, developed around user-behaviours. Consistency is key. Reassure and educate.
Monitor the conversations, especially for misinformation
On average we see 5,000 ads each day. That is JUST ads, so imagine the competition that a public information campaign has in order to reach and engage with people in a way that educates and safeguards them. It’s not easy, especially in closed groups where there’s a high risk of sharing unverified facts. This is why it’s essential to not just listen to what people are sharing online and on social media, but in groups.
What starts off in a group can quickly jump onto mainstream social media channels, and like a virus spread.
It is important to understand what people’s fears are and be in a position to react and reassure.
Asses the impact on internal and external stakeholders
Speak to your stakeholders and listen to their concerns. Factor their views into your communications messaging and resolution processes.
Make sure that your senior people are ready to lend their support, but make sure that you choose the right ones to go online and give confidence, such as Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong, who after panic buying of food and masks took to Facebook and other channels to instil confidence. He has also attended hospitals and other locations.
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. Singapore was prepared.
Integrate with other delivery and management activities
Make sure that you understand what is happening at both a strategic and tactical level.
Advise on how activities will be perceived and know what messages are needed for each task and audience group, even for specific channels.
Be at every stage of the process to make sure that the delivery is clearly understood by your various audiences. Everything has to be mapped out with clear comms at each stage.
Remember, you are responsible for delivering trust and confidence at each touchpoint that your audience is.
Create and deploy content
Don’t just think of the content, think of the people that can give confidence to your various audiences and stakeholders.
If there is no confidence, there is no trust. If there’s no trust there’s a risk of misinformation taking hold and panic setting in.
Your people on the ground, need to be on message and understand how to deliver and share with confidence. They need to understand their purpose against the stated outcome.
To reach some audiences you will need to remember how you present yourself on your owned, earned and paid channels.
If you engage with influencers, make sure that they are the right ones and that the script relates both to their brand and the message that you want your audiences to understand and act on.
Monitor, adapt and repeat
Keep listening, engaging and remember to be open.
Different stakeholders might need different levels of support and guidance.
Look at your data, understand and iterate, always keeping a focus on perception and trust.
The medical teams will be at the front, critically doing the hard work, but they will need the support of effective communicators, who understand people, our behaviours and fears.
Effective strategic and tactical communications will play a role in how the Coronavirus outbreak is controlled.
