Should You Put Your B2B Tech Marketing on Hold During the Pandemic?

With everything changing so rapidly, you may wonder if the marketing campaigns you’ve created recently are still valid. You might have questions such as:

• Should we put our campaigns on hold until things settle down?
• Is our messaging still valid?
• Do our customers even care?

If you’re in B2B tech marketing, you have an enormous opportunity to help customers. Companies are moving their operations online, and the demand for remote work and communications tools is higher than ever.

Global News reported that Canadian remote work services companies have phones that are “ringing constantly” with sales leads and new customers.

The demand for other B2B technology—including IT managed services, cloud and SaaS solutions, and telecommunications—are also on the rise.  

So, how can you get the word out—in an ethical way—that you’re here and ready to support your customers?

What Types of Content Do You Have Planned?

Content typically falls into one of the following categories:

1. Evergreen content. If you’re in tech marketing, you likely need to update your messaging as your products or services evolve. So, I’ll define “evergreen” as content or website copy that you want to use for at least a year.
2. Topical content. This content is tied to a specific campaign, event, or news item and may not be relevant in a few weeks.  

Here’s how you can approach both types of content in today’s rapidly changing world:

Make Evergreen Content Relevant: 3 Questions You Need to Ask

You’ve likely invested a lot of time and resources into your evergreen ebooks, white papers, case studies, and other content. Here are three questions to ask to determine if they are still relevant:

1. Does your content discuss the topics that matter most to your customers?  

If you sell a tech product or service, it likely provides several benefits. However, the benefits that your audience cared about last month may not be the ones that convince them to buy today.

Last month, your customers’ top goal might have been saving time or cutting costs. Now, they may be interested in the business continuity or remote work aspect of your solution. You have an opportunity to create evergreen content around these topics, as they will be a top business concern for the foreseeable future.

2. Can you tweak your existing content for some quick wins?

You don’t need to throw out your recent content. If your product or service hasn’t changed, it’s likely still relevant.

However, you can make it more topical when you promote it.

For example, your emails, landing pages, and social posts can address what’s happening in the world. Then, they can mention how your content relates to these issues and what your audience will learn when they read it.

Using this technique allows you to drive more value from the content that you’ve already invested in—while still showing customers that you care about what’s happening in their lives and businesses today.

 3. Is it time to refresh your old content?  

Now is a good time to review your older content, especially the pieces that get the most traffic and downloads.

Do you need to update anything to make it more relevant? Ask the following questions when you analyze your older content:  

• Is the information about your products or services up to date?
• Has your overall messaging changed since you’ve published the piece of content?
• Has your brand voice or tone changed?
• Are you still targeting the same audience?
• Do you need to address a new audience?
• Do you want to update your keywords?

Topical Content: What Should You Talk About Now?

Topical content allows you to discuss current news and assist customers with their most pressing challenges. Here are three examples of helpful, topical content that have landed in my inbox this week:

• MobileIron held webinars on how to keep your remote workforce secure.
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise talked about the challenges that IT teams face when supporting remote workers.
• Marketo hosted a webinar on how to make your in-person events digital.

Right now, I see an increase in webinars, as people crave face-to-face connections. However, your topical content can include everything from emails to ebooks.  

Are you changing your campaigns in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? Share your comments below.