We don’t know what the post-COVID-19 world will look like, exactly. We do, however, know that the world is going to stay digital, and consumers are more careful than ever. As people adapt, they’ll become even more selective about the content they want to consume online. People want to grab answers quickly. So you need to engage them quickly and provide something of value that addresses where they are in their journey.
So what does post-COVID-19 marketing look like? How can you be sure you’re hitting the mark with your content? Here’s how to provide more relevant messaging as part of your content marketing strategy.
Marketing was competitive long before the internet. But now that digital marketing has taken over, consumers are flooded with advertisements and messages from brands across their channels: from social media to email and Google searches. They see an endless stream of information and requests on their phones and computers.
This is exactly why more relevant, high-quality content is crucial, especially at this moment when the future of the pandemic remains uncertain, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Relevant content generally has these components:
Content doesn’t have to be long to check off these boxes. It just has to be deliberate.
SEO best practices and Google’s algorithm continue to update. Over the years, Google has gotten more and more effective at delivering the best, most relevant content to users typing in the search bar. Google wants to pin down search or user intent – the reason or purpose behind a search.
If Google can think about your customer’s intentions and needs, you can too.
Relevant content has the right balance of authority and relevance. Authority is defined by stats like domain age and authority, social metrics, and functionality of your site. Relevance is built with keywords and SEO features like title tags, meta tags, and descriptions.
Combine these factors, and you’ll have more relevant content that Google will notice and prioritize.
Besides focusing on these SEO-friendly considerations specific to Google, it’s also just as important to focus on the quality of the content itself. High-quality content is valuable and is a must in a post-COVID landscape.
Here are a few ways to improve your post-COVID-19 marketing plan and ensure your content is high-quality and relevant.
People don’t just need to be convinced of something by a brand. They need to instantly recognize the value of what they’re reading. They need to know what’s in it for them and how it helps solve a problem.
If the content’s value isn’t immediately obvious, readers will move on to something that answers their question. The emphasis on providing value is becoming more and more important with the rise of social media as a news source and the effects of the pandemic on what a consumer trusts and doesn’t trust.
You’ll never know what your audience cares about if you don’t know who your audience is. Understanding their priorities and desires is the first step to personalization. Think about what drives them to type keywords in the search bar in the first place.
Only by having a better understanding of these details can you create content that is truly relevant to the people you’re trying to reach.
Another important tactic: write better headlines. Your posts aren’t solely about the body text. Think about what headline or subject line will really pull in your target audience.
In the world after COVID, people aren’t going to have time to even click on headlines that don’t interest them right away. In a Google search results page, the headline is often the only thing they’ll look at before deciding to click or move on. Some tips for headlines:
If you’re stuck, conduct your own Google search for your topic and see what comes up. A great way to know what keywords to use is to do searches to see what Google is ranking highly.
The new normal requires more honesty and empathy. People are more skeptical than ever and just won’t give the time of day to anything that appears sketchy. So while focusing on SEO requirements and Google rankings is important, it’s perhaps more important to show your readers that you’re a human trying to connect with another human.
Doing so is easier than you may think. Be honest in the content you put out there. Keep things simple yet authoritative. Incorporate relevant statistics to support any claims you make. And don’t talk down to the reader, or you’ll risk sounding too condescending.
High-quality, relevant content is clear, grammatically correct, and interesting. Avoid tactics like keyword stuffing or being overly salesy, which can turn off a reader fast.
We still don’t know what will happen over the next year as COVID-19 abates. But you can bet that customers will be more selective about the content they engage with. Always keep their needs and priorities in mind when generating more relevant, outstanding content.
ContentBacon’s team of marketers, editors, and writers wants to help you improve your content. We understand that it’s more important in a post-COVID world to provide customers engaging, relevant, and high-quality content.
Contact ContentBacon to learn more about how we can help with your COVID-19 marketing needs.