Like everything else in today’s world, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned content marketing on its ear. Chances are that the 2020 plan you carefully developed last fall is a distant memory. You may be struggling to determine what’s important to communicate while still empathizing with your customers. And you may be wondering what you can do to make content marketing an effective tool right now. Even though we may be operating in uncharted territory, we can learn, adapt, and stand out with a flexible content strategy.
To help move your strategy forward, we shed some light on how you can adjust your plans to meet the changing needs of your customers.
Identify and Understand the New Goals of Both Your Customers and Your Company
The first step to effective content marketing in today’s environment is to get a crystal-clear understanding of not only your customers’ but also your company’s current situation and goals. Determine the answers to questions such as:
- What new goals has your organization set for the short term?
- How will those goals change as the pandemic evolves globally?
- How do the new goals drive what your company needs to communicate and to whom?
Once your company’s needs and goals are clear, start to evaluate those of your customers. How can you help them solve issues in their current situation? Where are there gaps in awareness of your services?
Then, use what you learn from asking these questions to create a list of topics for a content calendar that you continue to update.
Shift to Very Short Planning Timeframes
Since the pandemic is causing things to shift rapidly, it’s critical to only plan communication up to two weeks in advance. Hold regular content planning meetings to make sure your topics are delivering the right tone and message to your customers. Don’t neglect some longer-term planning but be willing to accept changes in objectives and strategies.
Work with your organization’s management to ensure you’ll receive the help you need to move quickly. This includes expediting information gathering from your colleagues, developing content, and getting it approved for release in much shorter-than-normal timeframes.
Meet Your Customers and Prospects Where They Are
Have your customers transitioned to working from home? Are they up and running but only at 50% capacity? Have your sales calls turned virtual? The way in which you reach your customers has vastly changed. The better you understand where they’re spending their time, the more likely it is that they will receive the messages you’re sending out. That might mean holding off on the mailer campaign you’d scheduled and instead sending an email communication or targeted social post.
Stay Informed About the State of the Pandemic
The more you know about the current and projected state of the pandemic itself, the more effectively you can plan subject matter and timing for regions that matter to your business. You don’t have to do a deep dive, but regularly reviewing this information can also provide insights into your customers’ changing situation. This can allow you to offer content with solutions that will help them adjust quickly. It will also enable you to develop broader instincts about shifting priorities.
Moving Your Content Marketing Forward
In late 2019, could you possibly have envisioned the 2020 that evolved? The earth has shifted from beneath our feet. Right now, there is no such thing as business as usual, even for industries deemed as essential. So, it’s important to let go of old plans and outdated strategies and start preparing for the future by creating new ones that better reflect your industry’s and customer’s changing needs.
