As the second wave starts to slow down the speed and not completely though partially businesses are returning to the recovery stage from the survival stage, the big question is “What Next?”. Obviously, it will not be back to the way it used to be. In fact, the impact of the pandemic has hit the businesses so hard that every strategy has to be reshaped on the basis of preexisting trends during and post the pandemic.
Not just the living and working, but also the buying behaviour of the consumers have changed. And to continue holding the place in the market, every business has to rethink how and where they are approaching their potential prospects and existing clients.
Pandemic or no pandemic, Content has always been the KING and will continue to rule the online world. The only difference is, it is now time to restructure your content marketing strategies. Google Certified Market Researcher and Digital Marketing strategist, Prakash Mishra, talks about the future of content marketing post-Covid. The idea of surviving in a post-covid period seems scary and alien. The future, (with speculations of the third wave) is unpredictable. However, if the businesses want to go on and keep the grip tight, they will have to start planning and be prepared now for what’s coming next.
Fortunately, the solutions to our “What Next?” problem can be analysed with the help of, new industry analysis on what consumers want, need, and how their buyer journey is responding to this pandemic. Founder and CEO of Drive Digital and DigiHunts Academy share his thoughts on the strategies that will reshape the future of content marketing.
- Your Content Should Be Authentic And Vulnerable:
Your audience is emotionally shaken and is bearing the heavy weight of global economic toll and health risk. In times like this, you have to be very careful about how you approach and address the audience. Obviously, you need to be authentic, but at the same time, your content needs to be vulnerable as well. Do not make the mistake of hitting on the audience emotionally, instead, look for the root cause of this emotional turmoil and feed them with helping and practical content.
- Gather User Generated Content:
The lockdowns and home confinements have left the people lonely. Everyone is yearning for connection, even though virtually, they are looking for something to rely on. Therefore, focusing on UGC (User Generated Content) is the best way to reach out to the audience. You can use UGC to improve the social proof of your brand, improve user trust and create opportunities for connection. Survey your users and share the covid stories they want. Find out what information they want and not what you want to share. And lastly, provide users with a platform to share their feelings/response and be heard.
- Be A Good Listener:
Content marketing is not just about sharing your side of the story. Well, even if it was that way sometime back, nit anymore. If you are looking to create a content marketing strategy that will build your brand and increase ROI, you need to add the trait of being a good listener. The pandemic has given a lot of time to the consumers to reflect back and reevaluate their needs, buying behaviours, interaction with brands etc. Therefore, now it is more than ever important to keep an open ear to the problems of your consumers and provide solutions. For this, you will have to reframe your content in such a way that not says, but also listens.
“Whether we like it or not, the world has changed in unprecedented ways. Consumers are approaching the brands with a new mindset and new goals. Now and in the coming future, brands need to craft their content based on priority. It should be people centric, first, community centric second and lastly brand of product centric. Although the major goal of content marketing is brand recognition and brand building, for now, the focus should be on authenticity and rebuilding the trust and connections with the audience”, says Prakash Mishra.
To know more about the views and strategies of Prakash Mishra and stay connected with the social and digital world, you can visit:
Drive Digital – https://www.drivedigital.in/
DigiHunts Academy – https://www.digihunts.academy/
