9 Actionable Tips For Empathetic Covid 19 Content Marketing
How do you justify continuing your content marketing during the pandemic? And should you? The short answer is yes. But …
… there’s a new reality businesses have to speak to now
I understand. If a company is not well capitalised, it has to cut costs. But trying to shrink your way through a downturn rarely succeeds.
COVID-19 has led to a crisis of global proportions. To some, prioritising marketing strategy might seem irrelevant – or even indulgent – right now.
However, slashing activity is a short-term fix that will have long-term consequences. Staying visible in your market is essential for future profitability during and on the other side of now.
It’s more important than ever for businesses to deliver empathetic content. Communications must connect with what your audience is thinking and feeling.
Content marketing is a long game and content for content’s sake won’t work. The pandemic means different conversations.
Different messages are needed to educate your prospects and build loyalty and brand consistency.
Unlike advertising, content marketing isn’t overtly promotional. That makes it the perfect delivery tool for empathy.
The right attraction content marketing approach will keep you top of mind with your customers and prospects.
What questions should you be asking yourself now? This. ‘What messaging is appropriate and how do you most effectively engage with customers during the outbreak?’
The power of content marketing is that it works at all stages of the buyer’s journey. Your prospect may or may not be ready to buy from you or use your services now.
But through sensitive content, you can create an on-going relationship during, and after, the coronavirus pandemic so that yours is the go-to solution ahead.
“Content marketing gets three times more leads per dollar spent than paid search advertising”
This pandemic will be a time in our lives that we will all remember for a long time. But it will end. And the decisions each company makes to deal with it now will determine where that business will be in a year’s time.
Uncertainty can be paralysing. Most companies are responding in one of four ways. They are either
Reacting (laying off marketing staff, cutting budgets)
Anticipating (re-shaping and pivoting their marketing activities for the future).
Neglecting (postponing marketing projects and cancelling plans)
Maximising (developing empathetic content and growing their existing strengths)
History has shown that it’s the companies that are proactive with their marketing and business planning – as opposed to those who stand still like a deer in headlights – are those that weather the storm and come out stronger.
They’re the ones that recognise the value of marketing as an essential cost of future-proofing their business – rather than a luxury.
Examples? GE started right before the Panic of 1873, Disney was founded during the Depression of the 1920s, Microsoft began in 1975 when the United States was mired in stagflation and Apple launched the iPod right as the dot-com bubble burst.
During the most recent depression of 2007-8, Amazon, Netflix and Groupon all prospered by doubling down on their marketing and forward planning.
“It’s hard to know what each day will bring, but with quick thinking, creativity and a heavy dose of empathy, brands are leaving their mark.”
Silence is not golden
In this time of the pandemic, companies that don’t reframe their conversations and show empathy and sensitivity will be irrelevant.
You may not see the biggest return right away, but in the long term, you will.
It’s important to have a diversified mix of communications with your prospects and clients. The mere-exposure effect means that people prefer things that they are most familiar with. Allocating your budget for keeping your brand visible will deliver long-term benefits.
So what can you do now? All, or some of, this:
Repurpose your existing assets and deploy them to get better results
Evaluate your past marketing language or visuals to match today’s reality
Show generosity by providing previously gated content for free (and adapt where necessary)
Adapt the content for multiple social platforms to be more visible to your online target audience
Change the backdrop of existing evergreen content and repost as new
Reformat your content into e-books or webinars with new topical messaging
Remove any content for now that won’t resonate in today’s environment
Leverage automation and lean hard on personalised email campaigns to share new content
Craft new offers better aligned with the current reality
Do you need help with your editorial scramble today?
“What I’ve learned from going through two crashes (the dotcom crash in 2000 and the real estate crash in 2008) is that the best time to double down is when others are not.”