No business remains unaffected by the coronavirus crisis. Every company, entrepreneur, freelancer and sole trader is trying to minimise the financial impact of this global pandemic on their business. Unless you’re a loo roll manufacturer, it’s understandable that you’re considering which costs you can cut to weather the storm ahead. Additionally, it’s tempting to press pause on any type of marketing, but before you do, read on because there are content marketing benefits even during times of crisis.
Content marketing benefits during the Coronavirus crisis:
Produce quality, value-driven content and your business will always see results:
- Content marketing can improve brand awareness and visibility.
- It can help to cement your expertise as the go-to authority in your industry.
- It can build trust and help you develop relationships with potential clients.
- Finally, it can increase traffic to your website and ultimately lead to the end goal, an increase in sales of your products or services.
All of these content marketing benefits don’t suddenly disappear in a crisis. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that in this particular crisis any efforts you make to produce quality content could see even better results than they usually would. Think about it… You have a locked-down audience looking for information and distractions. But… Here’s the important thing… You need to be mindful of the type of content you produce. For me, anything that appears on my feed or in my mailbox that seems to be remotely sales like heads straight for the bin. Today, I unsubscribed from the Net-a-Porter mailing list because it all seemed too trivial, I’d been a loyal reader of all things fashion and frippery for years. But, in my current state of mind, the content just seemed to be too business-as-normal.
Three tips to help you with your content marketing messages right now:
Alter the plan:
If you’ve been super organised with your content marketing calendar and have the next six months locked in, now is the time to reassess. Those seasonal marketing messages that seemed perfect during the planning phase are probably not quite as pertinent right now.
Watch your language:
Business-as-normal was a total turn-off for me, but so too are negative news posts. If you’re pushing out panicky vibes, your customers will also start to panic. Now is the time to find the messaging sweet spot and empathy is the key. I’ve always advocated that you slip on your customer’s shoes when you’re refining your content. Still, now more than ever you need to test drive their pumps around the block (while also keeping your distance from anybody else taking their allotted daily exercise!)
Think about what you can give:
I’m not talking about sales and discounts. If you reduce your prices now, as tempting as that might be, you will merely be undermining your brand’s value when the crisis is over, and it will end. But, are there other ways you could offer value? What problem can you solve that is particularly pertinent for your customers during the current crisis?
At KateCoote. we knew that the client’s whose websites we host and maintain needed to keep their online clients updated. So we introduced a complimentary service that solved that problem, by installing a pop-up which we configured with their personal COVID-19 update.
Corporate social responsibility comes into its own in times of crisis. If your company offers a product or service that would be useful to keyworkers or those on the frontline at this time, think about how you can develop an offering that helps them. They’ll love you for it, and so will everybody who is watching. Here’s a great example, that landed in my inbox the other day, from the fabulous All Birds.
If we can help you refine your messages or content marketing during this time, do, please get in touch.
