3 Tips for Adjusting Your Content Strategy for 2020

The year started out strong. We went into it, excited about the prospect of a new year. A new decade.

That’s when disaster struck. The Coronavirus pandemic all but swallowed up the dreams, hopes, and plans of content marketers all over the world (okay yes, I’m being a bit dramatic, but you know what I’m going for here).

COVID-19 has led to all sorts of confusion and madness when it comes to tackling content strategy and businesses are left wondering how to even begin to think about content marketing in a time like this.

If that sounds familiar, here are a few things to keep in mind as you work to rebuild your editorial plan for the rest of the year.

1. Flexibility is Key

As the virus wiped out our immune systems, it also likely wiped your editorial plans for at least the first half of the year. After all, is it really pertinent to talk about the top 10 happy hour cocktails when half your clients are closing down?

Even outside of a pandemic, flexibility is key for any content strategy. This is only especially more true as being able to pivot when things happen to disrupt your world.

So when it comes time to plan content for next month, don’t just stick to the ideas you planned out 5 months ago — instead, take a look around you and determine what topics will best solve your clients’ needs as they are today.

2. Empathize With Your Audience

This is another one of those tips that should apply all the time — and is especially crucial today.

For example, let’s say you are an agency who has managed to do pretty well financially this year so far, even with everything else going on. That’s wonderful!

But what if half of your clients are struggling financially — lost in uncertainty and not sure what their future looks like? Well, you might want to save your public celebrations for how well you're doing for later.

Take the time to understand where your customers are at right now — mentally and physically. Don’t just assume it’s business as usual. Instead, actually talk to your customers and get them to open up. Then, make sure your content fits accordingly.

3. Be Open and Maintain Authenticity

One of the craziest things about this pandemic is that it affects nearly every single person in the world. At the end of the day, we’re all humans who are struggling in some way with what is going on in the world.

So yes, it’s okay to be open and vulnerable. It’s okay to admit you don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s okay to admit that you’re afraid of the unknown as well.

Beyond that, now more than ever it’s key to stay true to your organization’s (and your own) values. So even as you might need to lay off some of your team (like Airbnb recently did) or even just put out a new ad, make sure it’s true to who you are — both as a brand and an individual.

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Have any other tips for managing your content strategy in 2020? Leave them in the comments below. Or if you need help with your own content marketing, let’s talk.