As the current situation has profoundly changed the way the vast majority of businesses operate, creating content for clients is likely to be a significantly different process. That does not mean digital marketing professionals need to stop work, but it will mean making significant changes to the way you approach your content strategy. With no access to studios, professional quality lighting equipment or other key elements, video content will need to be refined so it is sustainable to make from a home setting. Similarly, the style and tone of your graphic design work or written content will need to be changed to suit the way the world has become in 2020. Here are a few tips on how to create a content contingency plan to get you through the coronavirus crisis.
Address the Situation Honestly
For many businesses, content was a way of promoting products, services, or ideas from a specific ideological or social standpoint. As the current situation is so significant, anything you put out will need to address what’s happening around the world. Though “keep calm and carry on” may have worked well for the United Kingdom during the war, this approach is not especially helpful now. Though it’s important to remain upbeat and to avoid negativity for its own sake, make sure that any content you share is relevant to the way the modern world really is at the moment. Encouraging people to go out and meet others should be avoided at all costs and any other suggestions of flouting lockdown rules are definitely not recommended. Instead, try to explain how your business is coping with the challenges that the pandemic presents. If you are struggling, but honest, but try to find a few positives for your clients to hold on to if you can.
Reuse, repurposes and reshare
Great content doesn’t have to be brand new; it just needs to be relevant. Now is the perfect time to go through the archives and identify your most relevant pieces. Especially those with higher production values or those that enjoyed particularly high levels of engagement. Remember that you can always adapt pieces of existing to content to fit with the current situation, too. Content such as the top ten-night club venues in your city or the best 10 restaurants for couples can all be reused in a retrospective way by changing the tone slightly. Though industries like this have taken a severe hit, one of the best things marketing professionals can do right now is helping to build up a sense of excitement and anticipation while looking towards re openings after the lockdown finally ends. Cherry pick content that will resonate with people who are either stuck at home or who have been forced to live a dramatically curtailed lifestyle. Things like the best make up products to use at home will likely do very well, whereas the top travel locations probably will not.
Capitalise on the tools you already have
Most laptops come with a built-in webcam, basic word processing software and even rudimentary photo and video editing tools. Though you may need to spend a little extra to make sure you can add professional finishing touches, try to make the best of the equipment you already have, rather than spending a great deal of money on brand new gear. This is such a challenging time and there are not really any right or wrong ways to deal with the situation, but generally speaking, maintaining a steady flow of engaging, interesting, and ideally, targeted content is always a good approach.
Drive Engagement by Actively Encouraging Sharing
People are using social media in record numbers at the moment and even those who were ultimately sceptical of the whole phenomena are starting to engage. This is something that digital marketing professionals can capitalise on. Content sharing among users, rather than creators, is one of the best ways to generate engagement. People respect their peers’ opinions far more than those of large corporations or businesses, so encouraging this kind of activity is a great strategy. Offer incentives like free subscriptions, gifts, and prizes to help drive this from the moment you share anything. Though you can rely on people’s own sense of wanting to share something they find interesting to a certain extent, it’s often a good strategy to give them a tangible incentive to make sure you’re spreading your best content as widely as you can. A particularly useful strategy is to encourage users to share content that involves them in some way. This could be homemade videos, photos, or other simple content that anybody with a smart phone or laptop can produce.
Comedy, personal stories, and relatable content
The time for edgy, challenging, or difficult content will come again, but at the moment, it is likely to alienate an insecure and fragile audience. Individualism is already starting to wane, with consumers voicing their concern for others, more than their desire to own the latest pair of sneakers or limited-edition snapback. Though sales will continue wherever possible, digital marketing professionals will need to significantly change their approach if they want to stay relevant. Self-deprecating, honest, and humorous stories of lockdown escapades can do well, as can heartfelt diary style pieces. Whether you are writing, filming, or creating design-based content, try to connect with people in a way that genuinely resonates with them. When families are experiencing times of unprecedented poverty due to job losses, content that is created from the perspective of a purely aspirational ideology will seem irrelevant and the products or services you are promoting will seem unattainable.
Timing for maximum exposure
Analytics tools are still absolutely key during this time and understanding when your users are engaging with your content is an important part of the process. Make sure that you share your content when it’s likely to be seen by as many people as possible, but also consider what you’re asking your audience to do. There’s a big difference between sleepily scrolling through a blog post and making an active choice to become a subscriber. What you post and when are two of the most important factors in content creation, regardless of your industry.
