It feels like society is shrinking before our eyes. Disappearing faster than non-perishable food. Each day a fresh slew of announcements and measures that nudge us further into the abyss of self-isolation.

We’ve lost major events and pastimes that bring us together. Travel is becoming highly compromised. Revenues evaporating. Jobs threatened. Trust spirals while suspicion soars.

These forces conspire for us to take defensive action. To spend less. To limit our interactions. To make ourselves smaller targets in the face of an unseen and un-quantifiable menace. These certainly are momentous times; indelible history being printed on each page of the calendar.

So how will your business be remembered?

The overwhelming response is to survive. Like individuals seeking to limit their risk of infection, most businesses will be inclined to safeguard themselves from this economic malaise by ducking for cover. And that is understandable. In many cases, there will be no alternative. But while regular trade might be impossible for a certain time, that should not stop your business from carrying-out whatever still remains possible on its day-to-day ‘To Do’ list.

Among them are marketing, messaging and branding.

There is no reason why your business should stop telling the world what is here for. There is no reason why your business should give its customers an excuse to forget its existence.

Consistent and positive communication will not only paint your business in a reassuring light. It will also put your business at the front of people’s minds when the crisis abates and opportunities re-emerge.

But communication during such turbulent and unprecedented times can offer much, much more. With established consumer habits thrown into disarray, it is the businesses that quickly understand and adapt to the new behavioural norms of social distancing that could well thrive.

Sharing messages of comfort and support will be appreciated. Providing advice from your business’s perspective on how to handle the current situation will also be seen as a blessing.

There is perhaps no better time to spread your message. Self-isolation has bred a captive audience. Without normal work and social obligations, its likely people will be even more reliant on their screens for information.

Don’t let your business miss the opportunity to give it to them.