Boost Your Business Immunity With Content Marketing During COVID-19

“Content Marketing is all the Marketing that’s left.” – Seth Godin

The world is in uncharted waters and everyone is wondering what they should or shouldn’t do. This new world order has brought chaos but chaos presents opportunities in one way or another.

COVID-19 has brought in a dramatic shift in our plans, priorities, and our personal lives. But times like these call for being more compassionate, resilient, and innovative.

Content marketing is the opportunity at hand here to come out of this global pandemic stronger. Let’s understand why content marketing is an essential weapon to battle the strong currents of this global crisis.

Why is content marketing important?

Let’s take a quick look at history. During the Great Depression, when everything was at its lowest, Proctor & Gamble (P&G) set itself apart, while many of its competitors cut down their advertising. P&G decided to play by new rules and started sponsoring radio broadcasts, advertised their products (which were primarily bathing soaps at the time), targeted and pitched to women at home, and gained massive popularity with these radio broadcasts.

The way P&G kept their calm during the crisis and ramped up their content marketing strategy, they were rewarded with massive brand awareness post-crisis.

Right now, we are in a similar situation, facing a crisis that has reshaped everything. Now is a good time to practice mindful content marketing to build relationships with customers.

How can you adjust to the new normal?

Although there is no absolute answer for what to do in such trying times, a lot of it depends on your business, the industry, and what your customers need. Which is why we’ve curated a few guidelines we thought would be helpful:

1. Step back: You must take a pause, take a fresh look at your goals, and audit your resources or planned events with respect to the situation. Be mindful of what you share, provide your audience with a bit of normalcy. At this time, your content should focus on how you can educate or help your customers with answers to their questions as opposed to blatant sales.

2. Keep customers informed: Acknowledge the situation, practice transparency in your communication to show how you are adapting with the situation, and exhibit measures you are taking for business continuity. For instance, if you had events planned for this year, don’t just cancel them but go virtual with those, keep customers updated with the details, and maintain consistency in communication.

3. Adapt your content creation strategy swiftly: Times like these do not come with an instruction manual, which is why you if you’re contemplating hitting the brakes on content production, you shouldn’t. According to Edelman, 85% of people expect companies to use their power to educate their audiences during the COVID-19 crisis. This is why you must create content today that will help you thrive tomorrow, just like P&G did.

4. Repurpose: Find out your quality content, give it new life, and present it to your audience. Think about what more you can add or create, like an infographic or a case study, and tie your content into an insightful topic that can help it reach new audiences.

5. Use the right tone: It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. During this time, it’s crucial to ensure that your tone reflects compassion and empathy and avoid making your messaging or imagery flashy or panicky. For instance, Nike created a campaign ‘Play for the World‘ that shows an emotional appeal that we must all do our bit for the world and ‘play inside’.

6. Offer support: Don’t just tell customers that you are there for them, show them that you are by offering something they value. Share relevant messages or any information that would put their mind at ease. Offer tips on work-life balance and maintaining a healthy lifestyle at home. Ask them to share tips on how they manage work or if they discovered something insightful. This would not only help you understand their mindset and preferences but also keep them engaged with your brand.

We are in unsettling times and while it is difficult to stay the course, now is the time to just be there for each other. And with content marketing, you can assure your customers that you are in this with them.

Are you making the most of your content marketing? Talk to us!