3 tips for keeping your tech marketing content relevant and appropriate during COVID-19
COVID-19 calls tech content marketing into question: what’s appropriate and what’s not?
It’s been over one month since the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic, and it seems we’re approaching the beginning of what some are referring to as “the new normal.” We’re all hunkered down and the initial wave of panic seems to have subsided – though we have a long way to go, and we’re certainly still facing a crisis.
In the thick of COVID-19, B2B IT and security companies must continue to run business — and that includes content marketing. As you’re settling into what business as usual looks like for your tech marketing department, it’s important to establish a set of guidelines to ensure you’re sharing the right message that truly reflects your business. We put together a quick list of best practices for minding your language and staying relevant throughout the course of COVID-19.
3 tips for keeping your tech content relevant and appropriate during COVID-19
1. Do not take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic or misuse your platform for business gains.
There’s no disputing that business dynamics have been upended across all industries – not just technology. As a result, technology needs have changed quickly. Initially, the scramble to power remote workforces and ship out laptops was a crisis of its own in our industry. So, of course your business is going to need to shift your messaging to appropriately reflect the current state of information technology and security.
Here’s what you should do in your content marketing:
- Convey that your company cares about your customers and how this crisis is impacting them, completely independent of technology. You should show you care about them whether they change their purchasing behavior, buy from you, or not.
- Put together special offers that lower the barrier to entry for your products and services that are especially needed during this time.
- Publish content that communicates your empathy and desire to solve the technology problems that have surfaced as a result of COVID-19.
Here’s what you should not do in your content marketing:
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Create a sense of fear for failing to make the right technology purchasing decisions among your customer base.
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Overemphasize your offering(s) as a need-to-have in response to COVID-19.
You’re here to solve their problems because you care and want them to be safe – not because you want their money.
2. Create and share a sense of community.
Nearly all of us are working from home (shout-out to every single person out there who isn’t—thank you!). That means that your customers are working from home, too. Building and sharing a sense of community has never been more important. Although publishing content showcasing your remote work culture is more about your business than helping your customers, it forges a sense of connection throughout the IT and security communities. When we see each other joining happy hours, doing team building exercises and finding ways to socialize despite the isolation, we remember we’re in it together. Your customers need that now more than ever.
3. Don’t make everything about coronavirus.
The vast majority of content being published has been about COVID-19: impacts, predictions, how to cope, etc. – and for good reason, to be sure. But now that we’re more than a month into the crisis, it’s important to remember that we’re still facing many of the technology challenges we were before COVID-19 struck, and they still need to be solved. It’s not possible to forego commentary on coronavirus entirely, but it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the plans and projects we already had in motion, even if they have to change course. Further, people will benefit from having new content to consume. We all need a reminder that we’ll move forward eventually and starting the process of sharing information on other topics is a helpful first step.
So that’s that. Be thoughtful of your content strategy as we navigate our way through this time. The most important consideration is that we’re all in this together – anything you can do to make sure your customers know you have their best interest at heart is good. Although times are challenging for us all, there’s still an opportunity to answer your customers’ questions and provide helpful content, perhaps now more than ever.
