The headlines change hourly. Before lunch, the baseline tariff on all imports you read about at breakfast now includes exemptions for certain countries. The countries not exempted retaliate before you head home from work. Markets surge, then retreat. Your employees and customers are asking some anxious questions.
Some of those details have likely changed since you started reading this, for all we know.
At Rare Bird, we’ve seen that small- and mid-market companies can be particularly vulnerable during these shifts. Unlike bigger organizations, they don’t usually have dedicated teams monitoring policy impacts, but they must make decisions based on how these economic changes affect their business.
Even companies without direct exposure to tariffs feel the ripple effects as their clients and partners adjust their spending priorities.
How you communicate those adaptations effectively to all parties matters. When the COVID pandemic disrupted every aspect of business in 2020, we faced similar communication challenges ourselves, of course, but so did our clients. The organizations that thrived weren’t necessarily those with the most resources, but those who embraced the idea of telling the most honest, transparent stories about their situation.
We discovered three principles that apply equally well to today’s tariff turbulence:
- Clarity Outshines Certainty
When you can’t promise what will happen next, you can at least be crystal clear about what you know today—and what you’re doing about it. - Proactive, Not Reactive
Address potential disruptions before they affect customers—and build tremendous goodwill that lasts long after a crisis has passed. - Consistency Creates Confidence
Regular updates, even when there’s little new information, can prevent trust-eroding speculation and rumors.
Companies that want to survive economic shifts make tactical adjustments. The ones that actually thrive use these moments to reinforce their core values and strengthen customer relationships.
If your prices must go up, how you communicate those changes matters. Clear and timely messaging that acknowledges market realities while reinforcing your commitment can turn a potential challenge into an opportunity to build trust. As your customers and partners watch their budgets even more carefully, you might opt for testimonials, case studies, and other targeted communications that directly address economic concerns to strengthen those relationships.
These aren’t defensive maneuvers. You want to be strategic about aligning your story about necessary business decisions with your long-standing values and customer promises.
Here in Indiana, some of our local clients have deep community connections. That’s an advantage during periods of market volatility. Translating that advantage into compelling web content, email campaigns, and executive communications requires both insight and storytelling craft, but organizations that develop clear messaging—and use every customer touchpoint to remind their audience what makes them uniquely essential—will emerge stronger than before.
The dizziness of the last few weeks won’t last forever, but the relationships you strengthen and the trust you build now can endure. Such challenges are always opportunities—to communicate your values, demonstrate your resilience, and reveal how your business can evolve and thrive when the economic winds shift again.
How is your company communicating with customers about current economic changes? We’d love to hear more about your experiences, either by email or in the comments below.
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