COVID-19 has impacted businesses worldwide, forcing many companies to reevaluate their marketing strategy and content plans. Not only is it important to adjust your content strategy to address the current climate, but it’s also imperative that you start planning the content you want to put in market once we start returning to “business-as-usual” or the “new normal” (whatever that may be).
Focusing on What’s Happening Now
Many companies schedule content to be posted weeks or even months in advance. It is a common practice as integrated campaigns involving social media, digital advertising and email marketing all rely on various pieces of content like whitepapers, blogs, and eBooks to drive traffic and leads. But in a world like we are living in now, content that was developed months or even weeks or days ago might not be relevant or could even be insensitive in the everchanging news and business world.
That does not mean you should stop posting or developing regularly scheduled content all together but rather consider whether a post remains appropriate under the current circumstances (social distancing, travel restrictions, etc.). You may be able to adjust some content without having to completely scrap it. If your company had planned on speaking at a conference, you could repurpose that content into a webinar that people are able to access live and on-demand. Blogs (like this one) are a great option to quickly and effectively increase your content development and change direction when needed.
It is also important to show your human side through all of this. Develop a blog series about your team’s experience working at home, post photos on social media of your zoom happy hour or other “behind the scenes” looks at how your company is trudging on. Many times, corporate culture content performs best on social media and within email newsletters as far as driving engagement.
Looking Ahead
We must remember that life is not going to return to “normal” instantly. It will be more of a slow and gradual process. Because of this, it is important to start planning ahead. Many businesses are inevitably still trying to get through the current crisis we are experiencing, but many are already thinking ahead as to how they will help customers and prospects move forward.
Start thinking about what your business has learned during the crisis. Have you effectively helped a customer transfer to remote work set-up? Have you helped a customer increase leads because they work in an industry that is in high demand? Case studies are effective forms of content you can develop to show how your services were able to help those in need during difficult times. They make for informative material especially when a new prospect is vetting you against a competitor.
Blogs, whitepapers, and eBooks are great content options that you can begin to develop now. You can utilize blog posts to engage with your target audience, attract online traffic, and even nurture leads. Whitepapers and eBooks are designed to educate your target audience by going in depth on a specific subject or report. The reader benefits by learning something new and their confidence in your company’s expertise on the given subject is likely to grow. You benefit as these types of content are typically gated so you are increasing lead flow. Like any other piece of content, you want to make sure it is well-written and high quality. Your reader should feel as though the time they spent reading the content was time well-spent.
Properly adjusting your current content strategy and developing a future content strategy should be a priority for every company right now. Posting content is one of the most effective ways to communicate and maintain brand awareness among your customers and prospects. Work on creating content that is similar to pieces that have resonated well with your audience in the past and do not be afraid to try something different with knowledge you have gained throughout this strange time.
