As a business owner, you know you can’t stop functioning during a global crisis because your livelihood depends on continuing to sell your products and services. But you also know going about business as usual can come across as insensitive, ignorant and offensive to your audiences. How do you move forward gracefully?

While I can’t speak to your exact context, I can offer some advice on addressing the coronavirus as a business while setting yourself up to move forward with your sales and marketing gracefully and without putting off followers or customers.

Before posting or emailing anything strictly business-related, address reality.

Address “it” before addressing anything else. When the world, your country or the majority of your followers are concerned about a shared issue, you absolutely need to address it before moving on to business topics. Your next social media post or email should include an acknowledgment of the issue. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or wordy, just let your audience know you’re with them in their concern. When you have done this, you can continue marketing your business. For as long as you are marketing alongside the tension of a global issue, make sure you’re filtering your messaging with “does this come across as insensitive or ill-timed right now?” Most of the time the answer will be no. In cases of doubt, run the content/promotion by a couple other people just to be sure.

What to say to customers about the coronavirus.

This is greatly dependent on how the virus and quarantining affects your business. If you need to calm fears about sanitation, delays or the quality of your service being impacted then these are all talking points you need to address. I recommend using multiple platforms to share how you’re dealing with any direct concerns.

If your business isn’t as affected by those ramifications, simply let customers know you are thinking of them and you are available to answer any concerns they may have. If you do get questions from your customers, use the opportunity to answer that question for your whole following via email or social media.

How often should my business bring up coronavirus?

The first few days are the most critical but as long as it’s a major issue causing disruption for your followers, you are wise to make it a regular part of your marketing conversation. This doesn’t mean you have to add something coronavirus or latest news-related to every post or email. It does mean once is probably not enough. Posting a check-in here or there to ask your audiences how they’re doing or starting the occasional email with a reminder of how your business is dealing with the situation is smart. You also shouldn’t feel like it needs to always take over the narrative. People want levity and distraction too. An over-saturation of COVID-19 talk is as much a turn-off as saying nothing.

There’s no better time to be personal and honest than during global upheaval.

Let your followers and customers know if you’ve struggled with a business decision. Let them know if there is a problem you’re addressing or figuring out. Let them know business must go on so you can continue supporting your family. It is the time to be sensitive. It’s not the time to be apologetic for running a business. It is helpful for our communities, countries and world long-term for commerce to continue and economies to flow. Whatever you are doing to pivot and provide goods and services in a safe manner should make your audiences proud.

Address the crisis. Be honest. Show your human side. Be proud of your business.