What is marketing communications’ role in a time of crisis? In wartimes, its role is to inform the general public by providing facts, but there is also a responsibility to inspire faith, maintain a sense of normalcy and share survival skills with viewers and readers. With the market challenges we are experiencing today and the scars left over from the Great Recession, people need their financial advisor to be honest, reassuring and constructive. Let’s face it, we can’t answer all the questions people have, but we can help them focus on what’s in their control. In other words, keep calm and carry on. We need a wartime response to steady clients’ nerves as they continue to get blasted with scaremongering from financial news and social media.

The British Government formed the Ministry of Information in World War II to drive publicity and propaganda. In 1939, the ministry was charged with building morale-boosting posters, including this one which was intended to be issued only upon the invasion of Britain by German forces: 

The poster design was discovered long after the war ended and has become the quintessential expression of the British mentality. How ironic, that the U.K. is now at the center of a drama full of surprise, alarm and uncertainty that is spilling over to the rest of the world. How very un-British it all is! Some say the British public is now facing a major hangover, muttering, “Oh no, what was I thinking?” But we’re all stuck with the messiness of the Brexit decision and the slow unfolding of what happens next in this complex situation.

In times like these, it’s really important to put yourself in your clients’ shoes. Trying to tell them you have a unique understanding of what’s happening can backfire. You can’t know exactly what’s coming. No one does, and your clients are aware of that. You also can’t tell them not to worry about their financial lives. But a communication strategy encompassing the below components will engender respect from your clients and help them move forward. Be sure to tell your clients these three things:

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