The current Covid-19 pandemic is transforming the world. As society changes with the world, we have now turned our attention towards creating a ‘new normal’. Society’s perspective has been changed due to the pandemic, and now the way that we interact with our customers and audiences must change with it, and this is where content marketing comes in.

Now, more than ever, content marketing is vital. During the pandemic, content marketing is one of the best ways to effectively reach your audience, maintain contact and brand awareness, and keep your business at the forefront of people’s minds.

Stay ahead of the curve

During this tough period, it is critical to keep your marketing rate up, although many businesses are reducing or slowing down their marketing efforts to recalibrate their internal operations. This decision is most likely down to a panicked urge to stop spending, which is understandable, but you need to consider that most other businesses are doing one of two options: doing the same thing out of fear or taking advantage of this opportunity to gain the trust of their audience.

Of course, you want to be part of the latter of the two categories, and content marketing gives you the tools you need to move forward in the market and take advantage of the situation to maintain a good relationship with your customers, and be their first choice when the world starts to develop a sense of normality once again.

Bolster your efforts when it comes to SEO

A selection of scrabble letters spelling the word SEO whilst getting higher.

Content marketing can help you reach your audience in many ways, one of which is search engine optimisation (SEO). Your audience will be using the internet more and more to search for things they need, now that they are practising social distancing rules. For example, in the past few weeks, think about how many times you may have searched phrases similar to these: ‘takeout restaurants near me’, ‘tips for working from home’, or ‘activities to do at home with children’. By identifying and targeting the keywords in your content, your customers will find you easier when searching for helpful information.

Google picks up quality content but also focuses on your activity elsewhere, including Google My Business and social media outlets. Content marketing produces collateral for you to post on these channels, providing you with a well-rounded SEO approach.

Position yourself as a thought leader

By addressing any questions or concerns from your customers, you position your organisation as a reliable ally. Your audience is looking for you to help out with any information in the areas that you can, and your reaction to the current crisis is going to be something that they remember, no matter if it’s good or bad.

Your audience will take note and appreciate it if you are going out of your way to provide useful information, leadership, and assistance. Providing your audience with content that helps them through the pandemic will show that you have integrity, which they will remember after the current situation, and think of you as one of the good guys.

A person working on his laptop with WordPress open as they are creating a blog post.

Inform your audience

During these tough times, think about your customer and what they need to know. For example, if you’re a mental health organisation, your customers may want to know some coping mechanisms for handling this pandemic, if you’re a real estate agent, your customers will want to know if this is a good time to purchase or sell a property. No matter your business or industry, this pandemic will have affected your audience in a way that you can relate to. You should be empathetic and provide them with information that they desperately need during this current time. Content marketing is a powerful vehicle that you can use to transport vital information to your customers.

Recreate your voice

One major advantage of content marketing is that you can speak on behalf of your organisation in its own voice. During this current pandemic, you may need to readjust this voice. For example, if your company has a typically comedic and light-hearted tone of voice, you can use your content to show the other side of your company by channelling a tone of sensitivity and relate to what your audience is feeling.

Here at Castle, we are experts when it comes to content marketing and can help you to develop an effective content marketing strategy. From SEO optimisation through blog writing and website content, to social media posts and imagery, we can help develop tailored content to help you reach your audience, increase brand awareness, and grow your business. To find out more about how Castle can help your organisation during the current pandemic, visit our website or contact us on 0330 107 5344 or info@castle.co.uk.