This month we are sharing April ideas on how to work through the COVID-19 pandemic with useful content strategies designed to help your brand grow as it goes through this unprecedented moment in time.
To start, we are with you. We understand what you, your family or small business is going through.
In the midst of planning for our April content in mid-March, the world changed. The spread of the novel coronavirus was officially defined as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020 – this required people’s lives to drastically come to a staggering halt. In places like California, where we are located, the majority of employees including ours have been confined to working from home & restricted from traveling — unless the need to do so is essential. Since then, the sweeping changes we’re seeing in response to the coronavirus are having massive social and economic impacts.
Now in April, as stay-at-home orders are in place and some even extending past the month deadline, many businesses are at a standstill but hoping a bright light from this “new normal”. As small business owners ourselves, we have spent countless hours since mid-March strategizing how to help our clients through this difficult time. That’s why we’ve decided to share a list of topics that have worked for our clients and that we hope work for you.
Growing Stronger, Together.
Introducing April theme of “grow through what you go through”, an effort to help you share thoughtful, authentic content that the world desires right now. Here’s what you can do for your business online to confront situations & make light of this moment in time we are living in.
Five Ways To Support Your Audience During April, the Global Pandemic & Onward
Opt for Authenticity
Amongst the crowded local, state, and national news – people are still looking for companies they follow to keep them informed through open, honest & helpful information. They want to know the truth of where a business stands in terms of its employees, infrastructure, customers and day-to-day. Releasing timely blog, social media posts or press releases will help you get the word out so that people you need to reach can see your content in a timely manner amongst the crowded social feeds.
Ramp Up Reliability
Yale Medicine recently wrote, “The U.S., which declared a national emergency in mid-March, now has the most detected cases in the world. Americans are still adjusting to strict guidelines urging them to stay home, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay 6 feet away from other people.”People across the world and in our country are living daily with the fear of the unknown. Therefore, ramping up your efforts to ease their mind, stress or fear is key. If your business is open & fully operational, for example – Walmart (shown below), express the efforts you are taking to make safety, reliability & accountability top of mind. If you have a small business or service, we encourage you to educate your audience – good, humble advice is key. Recently, we saw a tax accountant offering his educational business accounting video series for just $99 versus his normal $1,000 rate. What’s great is that he chose to do this through Facebook Live by hosting a free webinar. Do you have a business that is shut down by the government or forced to have limited hours like a restaurant? Express the efforts you are staying open, discuss cleanliness and food safety and ensure to mention promotions or discounts, if you can provide any! Every little bit counts.
Local Love
There are a lot of local businesses that are especially hard-hit by the coronavirus. Forbes recently wrote, “As marketers, one of our jobs is uncovering opportunities in any situation. And while a global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, businesses can take steps to help see customers through these dark times.” We must work together in our communities to promote or endorse people, businesses, or brands who are doing the best they can at this time. Acknowledging the hard work of essential workers who are on the frontlines is above all, encouraging. Here’s an example of our local community organization, Encinitas 101 Main Street, creating a custom list of restaurants accepting curbside or takeout. The cost is minimal, but the message is impactful and far reaching!
Tok it Out
Travel, restaurants, entertainment, and events have all been postponed. This makes online content a glimmer of hope in a dark hour. Reveal your brand’s personality by testing out TikTok or even Instagram IGTV. According to Social Media Today, “While the global economy is taking a massive hit, which will have long-reaching implications, digital platforms are seeing higher engagement rates than ever, with more people looking to information and entertainment online, and focusing their attention on social platforms and other apps.” You can connect with your audience by creating funny, satirical or creative images or videos as a form of positive communication, like this video from Chipotle below. (Plus, it’s a way to find a common ground to connect with people near and far!)
Must protect @fritzbacon at all costs. #photoshoot #OpenForDelivery #chipotle
Coverage With Compassion
It is our innate human nature to connect with others. If you are able to lead the conversation, cover real, compassionate moments or even tell your own, we promise people will recognize this and the storytelling will go far. Right now more than ever people want empathy and passion in their feeds.
April Hashtag Holidays
April seems like years rather than days. Capitalize on April holidays & hashtags with lighthearted, fun or educational content where it matters most. Here’s a list of important hashtags
- Earth Month
- Stress Awareness Month
- National Garden Month
- National Humor Month
- Easter Sunday – 4/12
- 420 “Weed Day” – 4/20
- Administrative Professionals Day – 4/22
- Earth Day – 4/22
- National Picnic Day – 4/23
- National Arbor Day – 4/24
Need help crafting messaging or coming up with content for your social feed? We are offering a free 30-minute consultation with our team until May 31st, 2020. Click here to set up a call now.
