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March 16, 2020 Content Chat Recap: Content Marketing During Times of Crisis

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In times of crisis, business as usual is no longer an option. Whether it’s a contained internal incident, a local emergency, or even a global pandemic like we see with COVID-19, any crisis scenario means that brands must reassess their strategy and place heightened importance on their customer needs.

In this #ContentChat, we discuss ways to manage content marketing during times of crisis, including when to shift your editorial calendar, how to handle paid social advertising, best practices for caring for your audience during trying times, and how marketers can support their local communities.

Check out the recap below, and if you have further questions or are looking for support during this time, please comment below or message Erika and we will do whatever we can to help.

Q1: Where are you tuning in to #ContentChat from this week?

A majority of our members joined #ContentChat from home, and we can expect more people to work from home soon.

Q2: Since my pal @CAZJAMES brought it up, let’s start with talking about your editorial calendar. Have you tossed it out the window to focus on crisis comms? Or are you sharing content to get our minds off it?

At a minimum, all communications and marketing professionals should review their editorial calendars or campaign timelines to see if the activities are still appropriate and necessary.

Generally, it is best to scale back on content during a crisis, but there is no “right” way to handle things. Your top priority should be protecting your audiences and caring for their needs. If postponing an activation would cause more harm for your company (such as significant financial loss) than good, it could be appropriate to move forward as usual. Just know that anything posted during a crisis could have less traction than normal, and sensitivities are heightened.

Your team should focus on providing value for your audience and addressing their concerns. This can include creating new content that relates to the crisis, or simply aggregating your relevant information in a new, easily accessible webpage.

If relevant to your brand, consider using your channels to share feel-good content to help your audience briefly escape their current reality.

Q3: During times of crisis, people can be especially sensitive around language that wouldn’t usually be cause for concern or be tagged as offensive. What are some words and topics you are looking out for right now?

Some brands try to profit in times of crisis. Don’t be like these brands. It is offensive and insensitive to use words or phrases related to a crisis to drive sales (such as using “COVID-19” as a promo code), promote fear, or spread misinformation.

Q4: How are you keeping the sense of collaboration and community going with your dispersed colleagues with folks working outside the office?

Shifting to remote work from an office setting is a significant change that requires a culture reset. Start with the basics and ask your teammates how they prefer to communicate.

Video chat and messaging applications are common ways to stay in touch and maintain a sense of community. Check out these favorites:

Integrate general “office culture” type topics into your communication channels where appropriate. This can include sharing playlists with your coworkers, discussing the latest movies, or simply sharing photos of your fur friends/new coworkers at home.

Teams should also leverage workflow management, document storage, and other tools to stay productive.

Once the team has decided its preferred tools for communication and work, document these channels and their purpose so that the team continues to use them (instead of creating their own avenues to create content or collaborate).

Q5: When it comes to paid social and digital advertising, are you keeping things running, or are you putting campaigns on hold?

As mentioned in Q1, all communicators should review any pending content, including paid social and digital advertising. Pay particular attention to word use, imagery, and any symbols that may be offensive during the crisis.

Based on the type of crisis—such as one that prohibits in-person activities—review your calls to action and revise where necessary, and do not advertise or host activities that local health officials recommend against (like in-person meetups).

Not all companies will be impacted by a crisis, but all should exercise additional caution during these times. Listen to your audience and monitor your content marketing KPIs to see where your team may need to adjust course.

Q6: As professional communicators, what are some ways that content marketers can reach out in their local communities and help businesses who are struggling?

Businesses should assess how the crisis impacts their customers and address new hurdles in the buying journey.

Marketers should come together during this time. If you cannot provide additional services, simply sharing someone else’s post asking for help can get them the support they need.

Be proactive in supporting your local businesses. Reach out to brands and see if they need help, or share useful resources for them to leverage. If possible, consider doing pro bono work in select instances during a crisis.

Q7: What do you need help with or want to learn more about over the next month from the #ContentChat community? I’m tossing out my planned conversations calendar to focus on what’s top of mind for folks right now. So… what exactly is that?? 🙂

If you have an upcoming topic suggestion, comment below or reach out to Erika (@SFerika).

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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