You are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and everyone feels vulnerable right now. It is now, more than ever, that you need to stay in touch with your customers. And what better way to communicate with your audience than content marketing?
Communicate with your audience to dispel thoughts of insecurity and danger, and replace them with reassurance. Talk to them as human beings to establish a connection and while doing so, present yourself with empathy, compassion and complete transparency.
Here’s a list of what you can do:
Repurpose your existing content
Ask yourself this question: Is the content you create getting you closer to your business goals?
If not, you need to adopt a new content marketing strategy to change your approach considering the situation. If you already have one, consider giving it a thorough audit.
One genuine concern is the constant coronavirus coverage online. So improving your content to calm nerves or provide a distraction should be of utmost importance.
Jumping on the bandwagon of health-related content can have its benefits, especially if you are quick and clever about the output. Remember, empathy is the key to help out your audience where you can, because the real goal is to be a positive outlet for them.
In short, take a good look at what you already have, and invest time and effort into improving your content, re-optimising blogs, landing pages, etc. Converse with the audience at a personal level through your content.
Take a look at an example of a brand taking their content up a notch:
Educational video content
A video marketing strategy is a sure shot way of increasing your outreach in 2020 and beyond. Especially if you’re a social media agency.
It is common knowledge that consumers are watching more videos now more than ever before.
Video is a powerful medium that catches attention but that doesn’t mean you can’t help quicken the process.
Whether it is webinars, live streams, presentations, animations videos, vlogs, tutorials, product demos, infographics, etc, there are multiple avenues you can explore.
But think about how you can utilize the format in a unique way because differentiating your video content from the rest will be a real challenge. For example, you can spread awareness of correct health practices during the pandemic using fact-based information in an entertaining way.
Take a look at this quite hilarious but viral example:
Try out new formats
Live videos are being used by musicians, comedians and sports personalities all over the world to share their talent and insights or to simply connect with their audience during lockdown.
Just like how the cancellation and banning of outdoor events has led to them switching to live streaming, you can optimize your content and explore new formats and platforms.
Try your hand in educational content such as interviews with experts or influencers and conduct webinars related to your brand. Needless to say, the topics of conversation need to be something your target audience is interested in.
Here are some examples:
Engaging the audience
An open line of communication between you and the consumer can go a long way to bridge the gap that the lockdown has created.
Start creating engaging content like polls, surveys, calculators, quizzes and interactive infographics (click or scroll) to bring traffic and increase engagement.
The main advantages of interactive content is shareability and a clear call to action which in turn boosts brand awareness manyfold in the current market.
An example:
Boost your visibility with blogs
It turns out people have a lot of time on their hands during this pandemic. Who would’ve guessed? It seems like the right time to give your website’s SEO content a much-needed boost with fresh content.
If you don’t have a blog, it’s in your best interests to start one. Blogs with regular updates are likely to generate more traffic than dormant ones.
Choose your topics based on your users and reel them in with interesting and high-quality content (Just like we’ve done here (https://www.chimpandzinc.com/blogs/).
Create content through collaboration
It is in times like these, that brands need to collaborate to succeed at content marketing.
If you’re a brand, work with a social media or branding agency who can help amplify your brand story and craft appropriate content for your audience.
The essence of helping and supporting people is the core of this step to combine with customers, influencers, brands, etc. to educate, entertain, provide assistance, raise awareness and of course, engage their customers.
Check out this example of a fruitful alliance:
Challenge for good
Keeping your brand philosophy in mind, explore the idea of starting your own online challenge.
Starting a challenge is a good way to lift spirits and keep your audience engaged and entertained during the lockdown.
Make use of influencer marketing to launch a campaign that encourages people to participate with a theme that is beneficial to the audience.
When the demand for your services bounces back, you need to be there with your eye on the ball, ready to grab the opportunity to firmly re-enter the fray. Now is the time to audit your strategy and engage your target audience during and after this crisis.
Below is a good example:
Building your relationship with the customers who are spending more time online is important. Especially when they are on the verge of forgetting about you. In such a scenario, reviewing your marketing ideas would be a good idea.
There isn’t much that brands can do right now except being there for their customers.
If you use your creativity, compassion and empathy to interact with customers through content, you can take your relationship with them to the next level. And remember, if they stick with you through a worldwide pandemic, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever lose them.
Let’s work together to generate more and more ideas that will help us through these difficult times and beyond.
