COVID-19 has changed people’s lives and livelihoods around the globe in a short span of time and has forced brands to fully face its effect on their business.
While the marketing effects of consumer purchasing patterns are largely unknown, there are several factors that will affect short-term decision-making.
It is difficult to predict how the next few months will affect the global economy, so it is important to look at the entire spectrum and make informed decisions regarding marketing investment.
Before making decisions regarding new marketing campaigns, brands must consider how consumer behaviour has changed in the past few months.
To maintain and build relationships with consumers, many brands are ramping up their content marketing investments.
Content consumption has increased and is bigger than ever at the moment. Which means the demand is high. Therefore, content creators are making more content than they have ever done before.
Importance of Content Marketing During the Pandemic
In the coronavirus pandemic, content marketing has become an efficient way to keep in touch with the customers and increase output.
Engagement
Communicating and engaging with your audience can remain undisrupted with the ever-changing digital landscape, no matter what the situation is, as long as you have the right content marketing strategies in place.
In challenging times and a rapidly changing global landscape, it is even more important to communicate brand identity and values.
Coronavirus offers marketers a new challenge that illustrates the importance of reliance on digital strategies, rather than traditional channels.
Experiential Marketing
During the outbreak, the aim of experiential marketing is to engage in similar experiential and content marketing approaches delivered across online platforms.
In comparison to ads, content marketing is not directly commercial. Instead, the creation of content enables brands to become storytellers and provide valuable information especially in times of crisis.
Your consumers and prospects will be searching for content that will entertain, encourage, educate and inform. Content marketing campaigns will help you maintain a continuous relationship during, and even after the pandemic.
Long-term Relationships
Brands are using the Covid-19 crisis as an opportunity to improve their marketing content. Content marketing is how companies gear up for the long term.
Content marketing is one of the most effective ways for brands to connect with their customers. This connection is more useful now than ever to build long term relationships.
A Sense of Community
When the growing number of people are self-quarantined and practice social distancing, it is easy to feel disconnected from routines. For some people, there is a lack of any sense of community.
This is where businesses can step in and create a community around their product, which in turn, would foster brand loyalty.
How to Implement Marketing Strategy During COVID-19?
Be Consistent
Your primary audience now wants a sense of familiarity, more than ever before. One way you can meet the requirement is by being consistent with your content.
Give them something that they could look forward to, at least once a week. Of course, nobody expects you to work around the clock to produce more posts, but if you can come up with a routine, it will make your customers look forward to your content.
Share Positivity
You could spread some positive news from around the world using your website. This would be a strong indication that you’re looking forward to your target market and this could be a good way to remind them that there’s a silver lining.
Yes, it ‘s important that you shine a light on others, but don’t forget your business. Most people follow you to keep up-to-date with your brand.
Here are some brands who are playing an active and engaging part in promoting public messages, helping with the government’s alerts and guidance. Brands have a huge following and they are using this to spread these messages in a good way.
Image Source – https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com
Content is essential to spread the idea that certain things are still the same. Plug-in your brand into proving to your consumers that the universe still has some sense of normality.
Look at one of the biggest brand using content marketing as one of their major strategies – Apple
It goes without saying that all brands should look after their users and ensure that they are informed first-hand. And, the most effective way to alert them during this pandemic is by including a banner on your homepage.
Apple is one of those companies that regularly provide status updates on their business.
When you visit their website, you can find a banner that highlights details about their retail stores.
Despite the closing of the stores, their team still creates relevant content and answers any questions about their products.
Content Creation for the Coronavirus
It takes a lot of creative thinking and often a fast turnaround to arrive at new content. Yet it also gives companies an opportunity to engage in communication around COVID-19.
This may mean you have to interrupt your pending projects and concentrate on delivering new posts that will be more important to these times. It goes without saying that the quality of your content shouldn’t be affected.
Most brands undoubtedly understand that COVID-19-oriented content needs to be written, so expect a hefty competition!
Relevant Content Ideas
Google provides various tools focused on delivering analytics. And out of all these, the best option is “Google Trends”.
You can browse for any subject that comes to mind and take a look at the volume it receives. Google Trends also helps you to do country and sector-specific searches to narrow down the results.
Nike has temporarily closed its stores in major markets like the United States, Western Europe, Canada, and Australia. But the company used content marketing to ramp up interaction with the customers.
It made it free to subscribe to its Nike Training Club app, which provides live workouts, training programs and tips from experts.
It has started pushing out more content for Nike and Nike Running Club applications, Nike.com website, podcast and social media channels to support millions upon millions of lockdown customers and seek to keep their fitness indoors.
Nike created a marketing campaign, Play for the World, which uses its roster of athlete endorsers to support its content offerings, and reveals how they are maintaining great form throughout the pandemic.
Be There for Your Customers
To most companies, this is potentially the most challenging time to communicate with their audience. Creating a bond with new customers and retaining your existing customers is going to be more difficult now than in the past.
While people are unsure about what is going on and what to expect at this moment, being empathetic to their needs and concerns will help you to think more about what kind of messages would be appreciated.
Don’t stop yourself from an act of kindness you might do during this time. This will help create trust and prove you care for them.
You could reach the audience organically by creating empathetic content and providing the required support to your audience.
Your focus right now should be more on sharing and educating your audience about facts. It is an opportunity for you to show that you truly care for your customers.
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