How to be relevant and attract customers in times of crisis
Reading time: 5 minutes.
You may have heard that “crises are opportunities to grow”, but what the authors do not say is that growth does not happen by itself, much less when what used to be said, done and promoted is not compatible with the moment that is lived. The coronavirus pandemic has meant that each industry must reinvent itself in every aspect to continue attracting customers.
La llegThe arrival of COVID-19 has forced companies to pause and wonder how to move forward, both internally and in their external communications. And if we talk about content strategy, it is prudent to reflect on how to stay active without appearing insensitive to this global reality. We summarize some points to maintain a relevant voice and attract clients even during times of crisis.
>> 3 key actions to accelerate sales in times of coronavirus
Silence or modify our voice?
When a circumstance hits the reality of your audience in a surprising way, it is advisable to temporarily silence while the event unfolds. For example, if a coup occurs in your country, it would not be an opportune time to invite people to make purchases.
According to Edelman, 71% of consumers agreed that they would lose confidence in a brand that, in a crisis, prioritizes profits over people.
But when that situation lasts longer, as is the case with the coronavirus, prolonged silence can be fatal. To avoid being forgotten among your audience and digitally devastated by your competition, it is necessary to keep it loyal, and this can be achieved through consistent content that takes advantage of the time that users are dedicating to technology platforms during the quarantine.
Plan before changing your brand’s tone of voice
Gartner analyst Augie Ray says that one of the biggest marketing challenges is anticipating what customers need, want and expect; therefore it is important to study the scenarios before acting.
Be careful, this evaluation should not take more than a couple of days, since the context you live in today may suffer drastic variations the next day. Gather your team, come up with ideas compatible with the vision of the company and the current reality, and put the plans into action.
Due to the volatility of events, it is advisable to closely monitor how the events unfold and, if necessary, adjust the communicational tone again. If you notice that a post does not match the current tone, it is better to do without it and rethink it.
Create content that provides value in the face of the crisis
Depending on the nature of your brand, it is possible that before the arrival of COVID-19 your sales increase (food, hygiene products) or decrease (air flights, tourist packages), but even if your brand is located in this second line, It is important that you prepare the sales ground for the new normality, without being opportunistic. Edelman also states that 85% of users expect companies to use their voice to educate about this pandemic.
And this education can be widely represented in your content. For example, if you have a drug brand, you can create a webinar in which medical professionals debunk the most common myths about COVID-19.
>> Webinars were important, now they are a necessary sales tool
If you are a technology company, you can create a free app that reminds users to wash their hands several times a day. The relevance of this information will allow you to stay present in your community and make yourself known to new potential clients.
Be strategic with your channels and moments of diffusion
Users want valuable information that doesn’t border on ‘infoxication’ (information overload) during this time when informational noise can be stifling. According to Hubspot, it is a good time to concentrate only the important content about the crisis in the most “intimate” channels, such as personalized emails, push notifications (in case you have an app), as well as distribute content dosed to through other avenues, such as blog articles or social media posts.
The idea is that you provide all the information necessary for your audience to be able to process it during these moments of uncertainty. For example, if you used to send 6 push notifications and 10 posts a week on social media, you can lower this number to 5 posts and reserve push notifications for exceptional cases. As the crisis evolves or decreases, it will also be necessary to evaluate the type of content, its distribution channels and the frequency of publication.
Constantly monitor your metrics
Uncertainty is a characteristic feature of crises, and what is relevant content for your company today may no longer be so tomorrow. For example, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization recommended using masks only for medical personnel and stressed that cloth masks did not have a desired effect. A few weeks later, he advised everyone to wear masks, even those made from fabrics.
Crises usually bring with them moments of study and evaluation of the situation, as well as the modification of strategies. The situation that occurred with the WHO is a particular example, in the same way the content strategies that obey what is happening at this moment and what is relevant to keep our audience attracted. For this, it is important to determine what are the metrics that will allow you to evaluate when and how to modify your methods, according to what your community needs and wants.
A good content strategy should be able to:
· Be consistent with the reality that is lived at every moment.
· Maintain engagement with your audience.
· Provide data on what your community wants to know, read, listen to
· Increase your chances of conversion (leads, sales, subscriptions).
For your company to have a strategy directed towards your target audience that provides a result that can be transformed into sales, brand awareness and customer attraction; it will be necessary to be advised by experts who evaluate the panorama at all times.
The time to adapt is now! At Innova Marketing Solutions we can be your allied hand so that your strategies are aligned with your sales and growth goals, especially during times of uncertainty. So it is possible to transform crisis into opportunities, and you can start doing it today.