By Rachel Peabody, Communications Manager, Illinois Soybean Association
As COVID-19 has rocked the globe and continues to change life as we know, both personally and professionally, association communicators know all too well what comes with the territory. It looks a lot like carefully-crafted membership updates, talking points, and website resources created in short order, and updated by the minute as the situation quickly evolves. For many of us, crisis communications is part of the job, but for 2020, it might feel like it’s become the job.
So, what’s an association communicator to do to make sure they are helping members navigate during uncertain times?
- Listen, and then respond
- Timely communication that’s consistent
- Ready resources
Listening
Your members are bombarded by what they see on the news. They are digesting info and opinions of their friends and neighbors on social media. It’s the same for us – and we know it can be a lot. Our farmers are uncertain about what’s next for their livelihood – and as their state trade association, we need to be there to listen. For the Illinois Soybean Association, that’s looked a lot like one-on-one conversations with board members. It’s also included requests for more information on topics such as small business loans, or pesticide training dates, and we’ve been quick to get that information in their hands.
And in our instance, through listening, we were able to gather that our farmers were very concerned about the ability for ag retailers to stay open during the 2020 planting season. That’s why we joined Illinois Corn in an effort to get corn and soybean-based hand sanitizers out to every ag retailer in Illinois so that their doors could stay open during COVID-19.
Timely Communications
When the COVID-19 situation was first breaking, we decided it warranted a special-issue statement from our organization detailing how ISA operations would be continuing for the near future. And, as the situation evolved, we updated that. As with all breaking news situations, it’s imperative to be quick and nimble.
For news that we could sit on for a few more days, those items we gather and put in our weekly farmer newsletter that goes out every Thursday. Our weekly update has become a hub of COVID-19 related resources for Illinois farmers, and we continue to push out those communications consistently through that channel. We look for opportunities to share good resources from our other state groups such as the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and farmdoc among others.
Ready Resources
Complex situations require resources that are easy to find, so that’s why ISA decided to implement a web page dedicated specifically to COVID-19 resources. We continue to update that as we find resources that our farmers would find helpful, and we provide this link in all of our outbound communications. You can check out our resources here: www.ilsoy.org/COVID-19-resources
For all association communicators currently on the front-line of the COVID-19 response, you’re doing a great job. Lean on each other, share good resources and remain engaged and supportive in your professional communities.