These days, items and foodstuffs that were taken for granted just a month ago are becoming symbols of security. But in addition to pasta, flour, and toilet paper, it is above all strong brands that are giving people stability and maintaining familiar everyday patterns.
Strong brands that have one thing in common: they are all trusted.
Trust that can be built up in uncertain times of coronavirus through content marketing and will also have a noticeable long-term impact on sales.
A bold thesis?
Not at all, as numerous marketing experts from all over Germany have confirmed.
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10 good reasons – Why you should focus on content marketing now
For the following collection of statements, we asked ten of Germany's most renowned marketing experts the same question:
"Why is investing in content marketing particularly sensible and important right now?"
The result is 10 good reasons for investing in content marketing in the near future:
"In uncertain times, strong brands provide security."
Content marketing is the best way to introduce potential customers to a brand or offering early on in the customer journey, as well as to reinforce existing customers' decision to choose us. This allows us to gain loyal customers through touchpoints with an outstanding user experience throughout the customer journey.
In addition to the user experience with the offering itself, content is one of the most important touchpoints. Especially in uncertain times such as the current coronavirus crisis, strong brands are a familiar anchor point that provides security. This trust can be achieved through authentic and useful content marketing throughout the customer journey and is an investment for the post-crisis period.
Olaf Kopp, Chief Business Development Officer, SEM Germany (Aufgesang)
"The digitization of marketing and sales is becoming a focus for everyone."
Because the digitization of marketing and sales is now becoming a focus for all market participants. This means fundamentally rethinking communication so that it is consistently and sustainably geared toward customer benefits. There is no way around content marketing.
Dr. Stephan Tiersch, Managing Partner, Kresse & Discher Content Marketing
"Those who inform people now will gain visibility and trust."
I wouldn't agree with that statement across the board. There are many different and, in some cases, universal reasons why investing in content is worthwhile—even outside of the marketing context, by the way.
For example, because people, especially in times of crisis like these, are looking for information and find it not least via Google & Co. Companies that satisfy this need for information (and perhaps also offer additional entertainment in view of the current rather gloomy mood) gain visibility, sympathy, and trust among consumers.
This strengthens their position in the market in the long term, but it takes time (and consistency). So "now" may already be too late in this regard...
In times like these, focusing exclusively on marketing is not effective, in my opinion. It's not about "exploiting" the situation, but rather seizing the opportunity to invest in growth potential (cost restructuring instead of cost reduction) – even outside of marketing.
This is because the starting point of a company at the beginning of a crisis varies, and the response to such a crisis requires a holistic, strategic, and financial assessment. Management consulting firm Bain & Company has been able to draw valuable conclusions from recent crises—not least that no marketing is not a solution either:
For companies, this means that they should critically examine their processes and internal workflows, review their tech stack, and evaluate the effectiveness (i.e., financial impact) of their entire marketing activities and prioritize them accordingly.
Content can then serve as a basis for understanding consumers:
- What are the requirements?
- Which topics are of interest?
- Where and how does interaction occur?
This allows new business ideas to be generated and communicated to the target group.
Robert Weller, Content Experience Consultant, toushenne
"Content marketing can highlight the relevance of products and increase sales."
Content marketing addresses people's needs and focuses strongly on utility value in communication. This corporate journalism conveys messages that have a long-term impact.
Content marketing can generate positive momentum along the entire value chain: supporting awareness and brand building, promoting a positive image, highlighting the relevance of products and services, and increasing sales.
Content marketing is currently one of the most important marketing tools for companies.
Michael Dunker, Managing Partner, Content Fleet GmbH
"Those who invest now will greatly increase their visibility."
Timo Abid, CEO, seo2b
In times of crisis, marketing budgets are often "capped." Budgets are frozen or shifted due to de-averaging. In this context, it is often observed that the lower funnel is weighted disproportionately. However, this has a direct negative impact on channels such as contentmarketing, and SEO (see graphic: Scenario 1).
However, every crisis also presents opportunities and will eventually pass. Companies that continue or even intensify their content marketing and SEO efforts now () can emerge from the crisis as clear "industry winners" (see scenarios 2 and 3 in the chart).
In our article "SEO opportunities during the coronavirus crisis," .
"In times of crisis, we should all communicate directly and authentically."
You can't not do content marketing – this statement may sound presumptuous (especially given its similarity to Watzlawick), but content marketing is not a channel, it's a philosophy. In times of crisis, we should communicate directly and authentically with our target audience, and social media enables us to do this by providing content that aims to bring people together ("Together we can get through this").
This communication, which is addressed to the market, is an essential investment in "content marketing," even if you are not currently able to sell any products.
Sepita Ansari, Managing Partner, SYZYGY Performance GmbH
"Content is important. Period."
The question can be viewed in two ways:
- Are we talking about people who haven't invested in content marketing before and are now starting to do so during the crisis?
- Or is it about people who have been involved for a long time and should not interrupt their investment now?
Let's start with the second approach: Those who are already doing content marketing have hopefully achieved good results with it in the past. However, especially in times of crisis, it does not make sense to stop investing in marketing. Instead, it is now important to go full throttle and, for example, use the crisis itself as a topic for content marketing.
Many companies and individuals need help right now in overcoming their problems, and this is where you can score points with the right content. After all, content marketing always means focusing on topics that resonate with people and not just doing your job by the book.
Let's start with the first point: you're late to the party. Content is important. Period. So the question is, what has been stopping you from investing in content marketing until now?
Otherwise, everything in the previous paragraph applies: in times of high uncertainty, companies can score points by not just advertising irrelevant products, but by winning hearts with valuable content.
And that's exactly why now is the time for content marketing.
Markus Hövener, Head of SEO, Bloofusion
"Medium- and long-term measures continue to be justified."
The coronavirus is hitting many companies hard and having an extremely rapid impact on marketing budgets. I am convinced that marketing investments, whether in long-term content marketing or short-term paid ads, should not be suspended across the board in times of crisis such as the current one.
On the other hand, depending on the industry and the measure, it is still necessary to examine how sensible current actions are and how they need to be adapted or, if necessary, paused. In some industries, it obviously makes sense to pause measures with short-term goals (such as sales in the travel industry), while medium to long-term measures (SEO, brand, content marketing) continue to be justified, depending on the available budget.
Punchline: Companies want to continue working with a strong brand after the crisis and will have to invest in order to do so.
Those who pause their activities across the board run the risk of having to start again after the coronavirus crisis with reduced brand awareness in a highly active and competitive environment.
Damir Dzelalagic, Founder & CEO, House Of Yas
"With direct messages and video calls, you're always there for your customers."
Now that our public life has been virtually shut down, online marketing, and content marketing in particular, is more important than ever. For many, now is the time to focus fully on online content. Communication and constant contact with customers and users is essential.
For companies that have not yet set up a magazine or blog section on their website, now is the time to seriously consider doing so. These sections make it easy to inform your target audience and customers and keep them up to date. This is particularly important in the current situation, but it also makes a lot of sense after the "corona era" to actively engage with your own community.
With the help of your own website, it is possible to give your content a special platform. Here, you have virtually unlimited freedom, which is why you can get creative and think outside the box. Give your customers and users add-on content that offers them added value and captures their attention.
This not only increases brand awareness, but also has a lasting positive effect on your image.
Combined with social media channels, you have all the tools you need to keep direct contact running smoothly. Updates and cool content will keep your customers loyal in the long term. Offer special services here too, such as consultations via direct messages or video calls, to be there for your customers, especially in the current situation.
Daniel Unger, Co-Founder and Managing Director, eology GmbH
"Content is and will increasingly become the digital customer advisor."
Content marketing can support every step of the customer journey (visibility, trust building, conversion, and retention) and can successfully digitize the often highly effective consultation process for many companies.
A company that combines professional expertise at the point of sale with sales, customer service, etc., can also achieve this very effectively in the digital age by establishing a thematic/expert thematic world.
Let's think progressively: content is and will increasingly become the digital customer advisor.
The valuable aspect of this "competence digitization" from within the company is, in turn, sustainability: while individual consultations cannot be stored, high-quality content has a lasting effect online and can inspire a large number of potential customers.
It is important to remember that content marketing is not a project and does not immediately increase sales overnight; strategies must be developed, processes set up, and initial steps taken now in order to achieve results in three to six months. Now is the perfect opportunity to do so.
This brings me full circle, because in times like these (working from home, no personal contact, trade fair cancellations, etc.), it is even more important to consider where the marketing budget is spent or—better yet—invested: in the next short-term campaign or in content that has a lasting effect and contributes to digitalization?
The question is also answered by the 2020 Content Marketing Trend Study, in which around 70% of B2B/B2C marketers state that good content is cheaper than advertising in the long run.
Nicolai Kuban, CEO, contentbird GmbH
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