These are scary times in life and business, driven by a great deal of uncertainty in these unchartered waters of the COVID-19 pandemic. In uncertain times like these, many of us in marketing are inclined to pull back and go dark. I encourage all marketers and business leaders out there to fight this fear and instead be courageous in these times.
Here are seven ideas I have on how we can get creative with our content right now. Many of you may have other or better ideas. Often, it is when our backs are against the wall that some of the greatest ideas are born. Let all of us marketers come together to help each other by sharing innovative ideas that are working.
1. Now is a great time for webinars - they’re not only low-cost but inherently virtual. RIVE client Silex Technology just held one this week that had record attendance. There are tons of free resources out there to help you execute, such as these resources from GoToMeeting.
2. In episode 230 of their podcast, This Old Marketing, Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose share a very smart and timely reminder that now is an opportunity to focus on customer loyalty (discussed starting at minute 21:25). What percent of your content investment is focused on customers?
3. Rework your near-term content plan, taking into consideration “one circle out” topics. While most of your blog posts, ebooks and webinars are rightly focused on the unique value your products and services bring to your customers, think beyond this first ring of content and consider what added value you can share in this timeframe. At my previous agency, while our main content focus was related to our services, such as marketing planning or brand positioning best practices, we also would share expertise around HR topics such as organizational planning or even interviewing techniques to select the best marketing candidates.
4. Consider temporarily making your content, and even your team members, available for free. In terms of making content free, the New York Times used this opportunity to remind the public that they make many of their topical newsletters, such as one they’re currently producing on the Coronavirus, free to all. For service companies whose staff likely have extra time on their hands, consider creative ways to make them available to prospects, or even clients, at no charge. For example, I told my highest value clients to call me anytime, off the clock. I care about them, I want them to be successful through this tough time, and I don’t want near-term budget constraints to keep them from asking me for help. I trust the gesture will pay dividends to all, including the good feeling I get from helping others as well as their continued loyalty for the long-term when things turn around.
5. Related to #4, consider a valuable offer you can provide with a time element to inspire action from your prospects. For instance, Kevin Tuerff, an expert in public health consulting, is offering a “30-minute consultation to review your crisis plan, answer questions and explore simple and affordable ways to respond in a trust-building way.”
6. Consider how marketing can support sales and drive acceleration of opportunities through video. This could be through product demo videos, video interviews with current customers describing challenges and benefits of choosing your platform, or even interviews with your SMEs in R&D explaining common challenges customers face and how features in the product were designed to overcome them. This not only humanizes your brand but personalizes the experience in this time of virtual-only dialog, and you can post snippets of video to social media to draw prospects to your website and build your audience through engagement once they arrive.
7. What a great time to start a podcast! The technology requirements are low-cost, the distribution is free, and the potential to build value and trust with existing and expanded audiences is high with high quality, thoughtful execution and a narrow listener persona defined. In her upcoming book, Content Marketing Engineered, Wendy Covey has an entire section devoted to teaching marketers how to establish and execute a podcast (and modeling top-notch marketing behavior, she has a new one herself!).
A Final Thought
For business and marketing team leaders, this is also a time for courage and compassion as well as honesty and consistency. Business and marketing teams have an opportunity right now to set their brands apart with creative, high value content that can be delivered and amplified virtually. As my neighbor reminded me last night, President Lincoln commissioned the building the Transcontinental Railroad at the height of the Civil War, when the country was facing immense strain.
Stay well, marketers!
#marketersunite
