Marketing in Times of Crisis: 10 Tips for Conscious Copywriting

With a pandemic in our midst, many businesses have been scrambling to update their digital marketing strategy, trying to manage the uncertainty of this global crisis. Many employees are unable to work unless their jobs are deemed essential and business owners are learning to adapt their marketing plan to fill gaps in revenue.

If you’re trying to figure out how to manage your digital marketing strategy while keeping the surges of panicked energy from disrupting your flow, you’ll be relieved to read through the 10 conscious copywriting tips below. With a little guidance, you can shift your marketing efforts, ride the waves of this unprecedented set of events, and continue to increase your bottom line. Businesses of the past that thrived during the worst economic times had one thing in common: they made themselves indispensable.

1. Acknowledge the situation.

Conscious copy requires you carefully read the room. If you’re not altering your digital marketing strategy right now, your messaging is more than likely getting ignored. Address the situation head-on in your copy. When there is one thing on everyone’s minds, it becomes the elephant in our collective virtual living room. Plus, when you’re forthright and show that you’re conscious about the state of the world, you gain your audience’s trust and attention. Acknowledge the crisis clearly, explain how you’ve adjusted your product or service offerings, and then move into explaining the benefits of your product or service.

2. Empathize.

People are scared. They’re feeling lost, insecure, and many are grieving. Write copy that empathizes with your clientele and prospects — infuse compassion into your digital marketing strategy. So often, copy is written with a self-centered perspective. Reassess your website copy, email marketing sequences, and newsletters. Your audience wants to know you care about them. They want to see you be human right now. When you write copy that empathizes with your audience, you lower their defenses and become an ally when what they’re seeking is community. Be the refreshing sense of humanity your target audience needs.

3. Soften your pitch.

Of course you want to persuade! Your marketing efforts are nil without sales. However, instead of hitting your audience with a hard pitch, choose a softer approach. People are on edge; anxiety levels are high, and most of your clientele is probably feeling extremely vulnerable. Nobody plans for a pandemic and COVID-19 has not been merciful. Dial down your tone and meet your audience where they are — anything too strongly worded is off-putting when you’re feeling down and out so instead, weave kindness into your pitch and make it clear why you are the go-to for your product or service. Adjust your digital marketing strategy and offer your prospects and clients a reminder you’re a friend during this time of need.

4. Offer even more value. 

If your usual in-person service offering has pivoted to the web, think of ways to garner an even larger audience while people spend more of their time online. Did you switch your yoga or fitness class to an online platform? Awesome — you’ve just expanded your business. When you’re so focused on a brick and mortar location, it can be tough thinking outside four walls.

Yet, here you are.

So, create a freebie, perhaps by offering one full week of recorded classes. Next, create a landing page where your audience can claim your freebie. Use your landing page to collect email addresses and build your email list. Once you have those emails, get started on blogs and newsletters to nurture your relationship with your new subscribers. When you have their attention, direct them toward your paid service offerings while you continue to deliver value directly into their inbox.

5. Don’t forget SEO.

If the words are on your business website, you should be using SEO. Use your head keyword, or main keyword, in the first couple of sentences in your copy. Do the research for long-tail keywords and sprinkle them throughout your copy. Remember, don’t stuff words in — your content should read naturally.

Make sure you’re optimizing headlines — lists, power words, and emotional words fit perfectly into headlines. Your goal is to incite curiosity but don’t make the mistake of writing a click-bait headline (you know the ones!).

Dive in a little further by optimizing title tags and meta descriptions for each page you share content on. The title tag displays at the top of a browser and offers a concise explanation for the content of the page. The meta description shows up on search engine results, providing a quick overview of what your page contains. Be succinct, keep it relevant, and don’t forget to use your main keywords here!

6. Calm fears.

This pandemic threatens health and livelihood. People need to know they have something to look forward to. Uncertainty can destabilize even the most centered person. Your copy should come through as a breeze of fresh air, helping your target audience release some tension. Offer your wisdom and don’t be afraid to detour into a topic that is resonant for you. For example, if you regularly send out fitness tips but have been finding solace in the pages of a good mindfulness book, snap a photo of your favorite excerpt and share the insights you’ve gleaned. Or, share that recipe your family is finding comfort in. When you can offer something intangible yet meaningful — like reassurance and comfort — you’ll naturally trigger the law of reciprocity.

Don’t forget to include your call-to-action (CTA)! Even when you’re calming fears, tell your audience what you’d like them to do next. Want them to read your new blog? Email you? Watch a new video you posted? Let them know!

7. Address doubts and inject confidence.

No matter how secure months leading into current events have been, people are restructuring budgets and updating revenue forecasts. Money, as the medium through which necessities are attained, is on everyone’s minds. Address doubts and propose solutions, positioning your product or service offering as the ideal counterpart for getting through all this in one piece. Position yourself to stand in solidarity throughout these challenging months. Stay connected to your audience — be a source of reprieve. Remember, value is the name of a good copy game.

8. Tell a story.

Storytelling is powerful in copywriting. Stories are foundational elements vital to our development — it’s a method by which we relay important concepts while clothing them within an easy-to-remember structure. Follow the formula below for creating a captivating story:

·       Use your target client to define your main character. Relatability is everything.

·       Next, identify the problem that needs solving.

·       Present a consequence for failing to solve the problem.

·       Finally, identify your business as the ultimate helping hand for getting on the other side of the problem.

To check out a swipe file filled with tons of excellent storytelling examples, just follow this link: Swiped.co.

9. Make the impossible possible.

Limiting beliefs are taking over many people’s minds. A lot of people are coming from a place of scarcity, adjusting budgets to prioritize survival. Their vision tunnels so much they forget to check top shelves at the grocery store. Meaning — they’re missing opportunities.

Write copy that lights their path. They may not be able to see the opportunity you’re presenting clearly, so guide them through to understanding. Put yourself in their shoes and list their probable objections. Then, craft copy that gently addresses each of these points. Show them how they can afford your product or service, why it’s important for their overall health and well-being (especially during these times), and present them with an offer so good they feel compelled to capitalize on it.   

Don’t hesitate to revive an old offer. Bundle services for an unbeatable deal. Offer alluring introductory pricing for new clients.

And remember: you’re in the digital realm. If you’ve only been offering your services locally, consider how you may be able to expand offerings worldwide. Expand your own thought process to effectively guide others to do the same.

10. Ask for help.

Balancing work with family and downtime has never been more essential. If you’ve been doing it all yourself, you’ve already been doing too much. Now is the time to partner with a good copywriter who helps you tackle projects more efficiently and effectively.

Have questions? Comments? Or, if you need help developing compelling copy to execute your digital marketing strategy, email me at angie@backdropcopy.com. I’m here for you — even if you just need a little copywriting advice to keep it moving.

This pandemic is not leaving anyone’s memory soon — how your business navigates this period will be remembered too. The upswing is coming. Make sure you’re remembered as one of the good guys.