Or, more simply, content-based marketing for business – why it still works, even during a crisis
From self-isolation to social distancing to wearing masks to a mounting death toll worldwide, the Coronavirus crisis has brought devastating change to our lives. As the world economy slows, budgets tighten and we face more and more layoffs, marketers everywhere are scrambling to find new ways to keep commerce flowing.
On the plus side, web traffic is up and there are fewer advertisers vying for the same ad space. This means cheaper digital ads that produce a much higher return on investment (ROI). On the down side, conversion rates are down – and in some industries plummeting rapidly – which makes throwing more money in this direction a risky proposition.
As a business owner, your place of business (whether it’s a yoga studio, restaurant or retail store) might be closed right now and maybe you’re thinking it’s time to pull back on digital advertising, wait out the storm quietly and pick up where you left off when it’s all over. But the truth is, if you don’t market now, reduced brand awareness and weakened customer relationships will be your store’s future.
Building and maintaining your digital strategy through a crisis positions you as a trusted, reliable and reassuring presence. As other local businesses slash their marketing efforts, they create a gap that will afford you a competitive advantage. And that advantage can be leveraged through storytelling.
Let’s talk about storytelling, also known as content marketing
You might think content marketing is a digital concept aimed at people who read blogs and spend their time scrolling social media. And you’d be right – partially. There’s a lot of content marketing taking place in those areas but content marketing, at it’s core, is simply storytelling.
We all know the best storytellers get the biggest audience. Think about the last time you attended a conference or networking event. Look across the room and you’ll see the storytellers holding court in smaller groups. Telling their stories to a rapt audience. But how do you tell your story – respectfully, honestly and with compassion – during a global epidemic? Before we begin, ensure your Crisis Communication Plan is in place and being executed. This first, very important step will help guide your content marketing plan through the COVID-19 crisis.
As a retail store, you aren’t responsible for delivering breaking news or important COVID-19 updates. Depending on your local market and the products you sell, finding ways you can weave joy, gratitude, hope and inspiration into your content strategy will be your strongest differentiator during this crisis.
Ready to get started? There are three main tenets of content marketing that you’ll need to understand
1. Understand the importance of good writing
Cheap writing is everywhere – Upwork, Express Writers, WriterAccess, to name a few. And when times are tough, it’s understandable that finding the most economical source of content for your budget is a priority. But, speaking from experience, if it takes longer to edit content than it would have taken you to write, it’s not worth it. Cheap content that needs to be reworked will create a backlog and slow your ability to publish regularly.
If you’re using freelance writers or a content agency, take some time to find a good partner. Review their current and past projects with a critical eye – and ask for references that you can talk to on the phone. It may take a little more time in the short term but in the long run, you’ll have a content partner you can rely on to deliver what you’re trying to accomplish.
If sourcing a writer is outside of your budget, look to your vendors for support. The brands you carry on your floor and website should have content available for your use – during a crisis and beyond. At Restonic, we supply retailers with a steady stream of fully written blog posts, social media images and memes and tools to help organize it all.
Full disclosure, I’m the vice president of brand and digital marketing at Restonic, so I have the inside track.
2. Build outreach into your process
We’ve established that content marketing is storytelling but we can’t forget that, at it’s core, it’s also SEO. Everything you publish on your site should be part of a larger digital strategy that involves keywords to drive more traffic to your site. Which involves doing things the way the almighty Google demands. And to do that, you need to write content that’s relevant from a consumer AND Google perspective – a thoughtful, useful linking strategy.
Before you panic that we’re getting too technical here, understand that there are 3 basic principles to this part of your content marketing strategy.
- Create good content that’s relevant to your customers
- Use keywords relative to your products, industry and consumers
- Link keywords to pages on your site and to credible sources on the web to create strong pathways for your customers and Google
3. Understand that content marketing is a numbers game
One benefit to creating and publishing content on a regular basis is that you can begin to see what works and what doesn’t work. For example, your audience may enjoy blog posts that help them through this crisis. At Restonic, we’ve published a number of Coronavirus-related blog posts that provide advice on self-care, fun tours to take on web and how to ensure their sleep space is clean. But one of our most popular posts of all time remains “Can Lavender Help You Sleep Better.” Clearly some normalcy of content is as important to our audience as well the how-to information packed posts.
Take time to experiment – cautiously and respectfully – and get to know your online audience. If you don’t have Google Analytics installed on your site, correct that issue now. This tool will help you see which posts are clicked on most and which ones have the longest (and shortest) time on page – as well as more granular data like age, sex, income levels and geographic locations of your audience. Watch what the brands are doing nationally and what other retailers are doing in your local area and find your place in that mix. Your audience might love kittens and puppies paired with inspirational quotes or maybe they’ll respond to silly memes that show how some people are (hilariously) surviving self-isolation.
Launching a content marketing strategy isn’t easy and it takes time and energy to make it effective. But the good news is that there’s no magic formula or silver bullet – and thanks to the crisis, you have time to get it right. Staying focused on your business goals, producing good quality content and continuing to try new things are the keys to success as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. And make no mistake that what you do now – or don’t do now – will directly impact your store’s success on the other side.
As we weather the next few weeks and months of this crisis together, I’ll be writing about the importance of a content calendar, fine-tuning your social media voice and much, much more. If you’re struggling with your digital strategy, I’d love to hear your questions and how I can help. Drop a comment below or shoot me an email and let’s start talking.
In the meantime, these posts might help you begin your content marketing journey:
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