No Ronan, you're wrong. Communication is key.

I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan of Ronan Keating. For those who know me well, that’s probably no great surprise. 

As someone who has worked in PR and communications for more years than I’d care to count, him crooning “you say it best when you say nothing at all” is enough to make my blood boil. In my humble opinion, saying nothing at all makes any kind of communication or mutual understanding pretty bloody difficult. 

Bear with me. There is a point to this 90s boy band bashing. Although, to be frank, I’ll gladly take any excuse. And yes, I know he didn't write the song in question, but he perpetuated the myth and shared it with a whole new generation...

Whether you’re a business owner, a marketeer or a consumer, these are confusing times. In fast-moving and uncertain situations, many of us are asking questions that no one can answer, people are worried about their futures, business leaders are finding new ways to manage teams remotely and workers are getting to grips with the realities of working from home - often with kids in tow. 

It is very early days. To survive and thrive in the longer term, businesses will need to embrace new ways of working and ensure that they are communicating effectively - with employees, with customers and with stakeholders. Failing to do so could make all the difference. 

While the temptation to switch off the marketing and save the cash must be a huge temptation - and for some businesses, a necessity - the reality is that communication is vital in times of crisis. Face to face relationship building is well and truly on hold for the time being, and the situation is evolving fast, making it increasingly important that businesses look at other avenues to maintain their customer base. 

Whether you need to improve your web presence and SEO rankings, engage your own workforce with increased employee communications or be more proactive with your online audiences, this is one time when “saying nothing at all” is absolutely the wrong thing to do. In these times of social distancing, we need to embrace the art of communication. We need to keep in touch (although not literally, obvs).

When it comes to the crunch, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Need a hand? Give me a shout.