As the reality of #StayHome and #Lockdown loomed large, brands had to think fast to ensure they remained relevant to the coronavirus’ impact on social media. The regular messaging would not work. Anyone who tried to sellor promote—or sounded like an opportunist—received a backlash. Strategies changed overnight, and now, we are living in a new era of social. Here are the big strategies in social media crisis management that have been appreciated by users: 1. ‘We are there for you’ One of the key stances that brands had to put out on social media during the corona crisis is that they would stick by their customers to resolve issues. Travel continues to be one of the most affected sectors because of COVID-19. As reality dawned that summer (and probably, winter) travel plans would take a hit, customers started cancelling trips. Some travel brands were prompt to share updates, others took a bit more time. But most eventually stated that they were accepting all cancellations, and that refunds would be processed as per regulations. This interval was seen as a time to gain trust and loyalty. To show that in times of crisis, customers still came first, and that brands were ready to push their own issues aside to ensure that customer problems had standard procedures to be dealt with. We also saw many CEOs share hopeful messages via their companies’ social channels (and also on e-mail) about business continuity plans, and what their company strategies would be for the next few months. 2. ‘We are doing our bit to get the word out’ In the initial days of the virus, there was a lot of confusion on what steps to follow and precautions to take. People turned to their social feeds for news, and many brands stepped up to meet this demand and educate their audiences on maintaining hygiene and the best practices to emulate. Once #SocialDistancing and #StayHome became a reality, brands started doing their bit to ensure these ideas were adequately promoted. A spark of innovationcoursed through several brands, as they recreated social distancing with their logos. McDonald’s, Zomato and Swiggy all sent out messages that they could offer ‘contactless’ delivery. As a stroke of mischievous inspiration, students from the Miami Ad School created a fake Netflix campaign using outdoor advertising. They innovatively put out spoilers of their favourite shows on signs and billboards,declaring that avoiding them should be a great reason to #StayHome. 3. ‘We can still connect with you innovatively’ Customers and prospects were staying home and working from home. Lots of extra work, some free time, some boredom and kids to handle. Brands decided to chip in with help. From online quizzes and puzzles,to new recipes and things-to-do lists, to 101 ideas to keep children engaged, to how to spend all this quality time with family—brands have devised ongoing ways to engage with their customers. Several publishing houses and universities even released books and comics across genres to revive the love for reading. Brands not only shared ideas, but also asked customers to share what they were doing. The inflow of user-generated content (UGC) became an inspiration for many to share their photos and express solidarity. 4. ‘You can learn’ Online learning suddenly emerged as a top activity. Whether it is upskilling courses or hobby classes, education brands are vying for your attention. You can learn to draw, paint, dance, sing, pick up an instrument, or join a fitness program. You can pick up digital courses and have a completion certificate when you get back to your job. Several of these courses are first being promoted on social channels. The UGC from the courses (completed paintings or fitness videos) then provided additional content to create a viral effect. 5. ‘We can go free/freemium’ When the opportunity comes calling, brands decide to make do with their best offerings. The #StayHome period is being used as a great time to offer free trials and get people hooked to a service. If you download the Cure.Fit app, you can get free access to several workout videos. Sunday Bricks is offering free daily LEGO lessons under their ‘Stuck at Home’ initiative, pushing children to build racing cars, Humpty Dumpty, and even the Himalayas using LEGO bricks. Many brands are going the freemium way too, by offering a few lessons or demo sessions free of cost. This demonstrates their value before customers are asked for a paid upgrade. Also Read: Best Tips For Writing Great Social Media Post 6. ‘Here’s what our brand is doing’ Brands are using LinkedIn to keep their fraternity informed about their efforts to fight the Corona crisis, and to laud their front-line personnel who are risking their own safety to ensure things keep moving. Conglomerates have opened their coffers and hearts to join the fight. Some are on a war footing to make ventilators economical, others have opened meal kitchens or are donating funds and protective equipment to relief efforts. LinkedIn has become the medium of choice to share this information. Careful to avoid chest-thumping,brands are using an empathetic tone to spread news of their efforts and win over viewers. What’s next? Depending on where you are in the world and how the situation fares for you, social media communication will evolve to encompass what your customers, and the world in general, is going through.Until you have a plan, here’s some food for thought: a) How can you re-use your old content in the current context? b) How can you connect with influencers to create content for you? c) How do you connect with other brands to explore synergies? d) What’s your go-to-market plan after the crisis gets over? Need help charting your roadmap? Connect with us for a free consultation on social media marketing services today.
Author: Payel Mukherjee
How to Write More than 10,000 Words a Week?
I love writing. That’s what I do almost the whole day, every working day of the week and month and year. Well, you guessed it – I am a writer and I love being one. I usually write about 3000-4000 words a day, depending on what I am writing. If it’s heavy stuff like writing a blog that needs loads of research, I write about 2000-2500 a day. When it’s less heavy stuff, I can crank out more. So the point of this blog is to answer a question – how to write more than 10,000 words in a 5-day week? From my experience of working with a content agency, I have seen interns starting with 500-1000 words a day. Some writers even struggle to reach 2000 in a day. The point is you don’t have to write 4000 words a day, but if you are trying to reach a goal of more than 10,000 words in a week, there has to be a plan. It does not always mean you need to be a fast writer. It means you need to organise yourself better, and stick to a process. Writing isn’t the same as any other task. It requires considerable planning, research and writing. There is no magic pill or quick mantra that can make you churn out 5000 words a day or help you finish writing that book that you’ve been putting off for weeks. However, there are certain tips and techniques which can help you write more. Let’s explore more of that. Be S.M.A.R.T About Setting Writing Goals If you want to maximise your output as a writer, you have to be realistic about it. There are no benchmarks. The effort, the thinking and planning that goes into each piece is different. For instance writing 4 blogs posts of 500 word each is different from writing a long article of 3000 words. Keep this mind when you set targets for yourself. S – Specific Be specific about your goal. Do you mean to write 4 blog posts of 500 words each or a 2000-word-long product guide. The word count is the same but goals are different and will require a different approach. M – Measurable Create goals that you can measure. Don’t give yourself vague goals like “ Learning to write brilliantly” etc. Set goals that you can measure your performance against and check off as you progress each day. Say for instance, getting done with two chapters of the book each day or writing 2 blogs of 700 words each. You can then measure your performance at the end of the day or track your performance at the end of the week. And before you know it you’ll have completed a manuscript by the end of the month. A – Achievable Set goals that are attainable. Don’t set out to complete a book in one day because that isn’t possible. R – Realistic You should set realistic and relevant goals for yourself as a writer. This will help boost your productivity and mould you into a better writer with time. T – Time bound Set a time-frame for achieving your daily goal. Are you planning to get the tasks done in a day, two days or a week? This will help you stay inspired and motivated. Take Notes Keep a pen and paper handy at all times because great ideas or thoughts often strike at the most unexpected times- while driving, while taking a shower, while watching TV etc. Note it down. Not because it’s ready to read or it will complete your piece but simply because writing it down is the only way to give your ideas a tangible shape. Take down notes as and when they strike. Come back to it when you’re actually ready to write. Believe it or not, it will make your writings go a lot faster. These random scribbling go a long way into giving your ideas a concrete shape. It’s a lot easier than starting with a blank paper. You can’t build a house without the necessary materials. That’s what these writings are-materials to help you write building of a piece. Focus on One Type of Writing Ever been in the situation when you’re writing a comprehensive blog and suddenly you’re asked by your boss to come up with some tweets for a client’s Twitter handle? Annoying but real. Being a copywriter simply means everything writing-related falls in your plate. Writing long-form content requires concentration and unbroken rhythm. You can’t accelerate when there is heavy traffic. If you want to know your speed limit, you need to drive on a clear lane. Similarly, in writing you need to focus on one style of writing at least initially until you have had some experience. Once you have picked up speed in a particular type of writing, you can accommodate other tasks as well. Outline This is the key to writing long-form content that makes sense to the reader. Give your blog, article or e-book a structure. Make this a part of the research process. Outline is what gives your thought a direction when you’re writing; else it becomes easy to lose track of the subject as you move along. Deciding on the outline takes time but saves a lot of time eventually when you actually sit down to write. Writing without an outline is like going grocery shopping without a list, you end up buying a lot of things you don’t need. Read Other Good Writers Finally, if you want to produce great work while at the same achieve your writing goals; you have to read some of the great works produced by other great writers. Reading will give you ideas and enhance your thought process. Spend time reading and your writing will gradually get better. Love Writing Lastly, there is simply no other way to get better and faster at writing than by loving what you do.
How You Can Make Up For Lost Clients With Content Marketing?
I would like to not talk about the negativity surrounding us right now. I strongly believe that the best thing about the human race is how fast we learn to adapt to new conditions. And it’s this survival instinct that will help us come out of the other end of this pandemic. In the world of business, it’s a time for do or die. And when you come to that situation, you are more open to trying out things which you probably would have never thought of doing otherwise. As the coronavirus rages across the world, businesses and brands across the world are scrambling to find new ways to find their audiences. And in search of that audience, which is now held up in confined territories, brands are finding alternative ways to fill their pipeline. And that is where content marketing and the digital space comes into the picture. With the virus blowing up all large-scale events and trade shows, marketers are now looking at content marketing more than ever. In the past 10 days, I have talked to atleast 5 business owners who have had to shut down their operations (mostly because of the industry they work in) and were now starting to build new streams of business that reach out to the audience digitally. They mostly wanted to know how they could improve their reach through their website? This trend has also been confirmed by the leads on our website. There have been businesses owners calling me to know how they could build a better website and attract more customers online, marketing heads looking for more content and brands looking for a stronger digital presence through content marketing. So, what is content marketing? According to Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” Simply said, content marketing is a part of digital marketing where content plays the lead role in building connections with the audience. Content marketing relies on an ongoing relationship with the customer by creating trust and loyalty and imparting value at every stage. Over the years, content marketing has moved beyond just writing blogs and content pieces to encompassing SEO, social media, email and content distribution. See this infographic on exactly why content marketing works. Why does this make sense now? The graph below gives a bird’s eye view on how conversion rates have been declining across industries since COVID-19. Image Source As you can see, apart from industries like Food, Pharma, Media, and Healthcare, everything else has seen a massive dip. But there’s a silver lining through this whole situation. According to eMarketer, consumers spent 6.1 hours a day online on average in early January. This number has spiked to 7.3 hours in February and March since many parts of the world went into isolation and lockdown. Which means that online marketers have a more captive audience than ever before. And this could hold the key to recovering some lost business and powering through the crisis. At Justwords, we’ve been observing this very closely as we help our clients navigate this very challenging time. In the last month or so, we’ve devised our own playbook. This playbook is all about using digital marketing, particularly content marketing service, as an anchor to tide through these times. Here are some of the most important steps: 1. Use online marketing tools to retain existing customers Needless to say, you will lose some customers as people lose their jobs and businesses start scaling back. Having said that, this is the time to make sure you’re communicating the value you’re delivering to existing customers so that yours is the last product/service that gets hacked. Here are some simple tools you can use: Marketing automation If you’ve always planned to set up personalized, targeted ways of reaching out to existing customers, this is the time to do it. Use a strong marketing automation platform (WebEngage, MoEngage etc) to find the perfect way to communicate with your customers — through a combination of emails, push notifications, app/web content, chat, and so on. Make sure that you’re staying with them through the user journey, communicating about the extraordinary situation, how you’re adapting to it, extra services, etc. Delivering a superlative customer experience at this point will go a long way to retain customers. It’s also a great long-term strategy because your staff will now have free time to focus on content creation services and ROI-generating activities. Generating success-based content It’s really important to share stories about your success and effectiveness at this time. If you’re a B2B company, creating compelling case studies and whitepapers is a great idea, as are video testimonials. Of course, it’s important to be mindful in your messaging — make sure your content reflects the fact that we are in the midst of an extraordinary crisis that we need to come together to beat. Don’t allow your content to ignore the ground reality. Stay on top of social This is the time to really up your social media game when it comes to existing customers. Create a low-cost plan to reach out to customers at every stage of the social media funnel. Use monitoring tools like Hootsuite and Brandwatch to keep a firm eye on what customers are talking about — whether it’s your brand in particular or the industry in general. Also, make sure you add to the conversation — in a way that’s respectful and appropriate, but also adds real value. 2. Leverage dirt-cheap advertising You may be tempted to pull out all your money from online advertising. But think twice before you take this step. Online engagement is at an all-time high as people are spending more time indoors and on their devices. At the same time, many businesses are withdrawing ad spends which means that the auctioning system is
11 Reasons Why Nimble Content Trumps Everything Else
There are about 4.5 billion internet users around the world. According to CMI, half of today’s 18 to 49-year-olds read news and information online and 61% of American consumers made e-purchase decisions after reading recommendations on a blog. What does this data mean for marketers? Online consumers today are smarter and more informed. They don’t rely on companies or brands for answers. They choose and review a wide net of resources to extract the information they need. As marketers, it’s up to you to create this valuable info-pool, and make it available across all channels. That’s content marketing in a nutshell. Creating value-added nimble content that educates and informs readers rather than explicitly promoting a brand is the key to increasing the value of your brand. If you haven’t incorporated content marketing in your digital strategy yet, here are compelling reasons for you to do so: Great content builds brand trust People should see you or your brand as an authority in your field. For instance, what’s the first name that comes to mind for sports shoes and accessories? Most would say Adidas or Nike. That’s because these brands have established themselves as unshakeable experts in the domain. Or at least, created such messaging. Both companies spend time and effort to create snappy, share-worthy, and value-added content. People love that they anticipate questions and provide fun answers, which boosts brand perception. Gradually, consumers begin to see you as a reliable authority. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it does, over time. Smart campaigns grab eyeballs You’re new in the game, and nobody’s heard of you. But a clever marketer can generate the right kind of noise to create awareness and pull in leads. For instance, a software development firm that sells e-learning tools can publish how-to videos about their products and its benefits, which are then boosted on YouTube, your website and social media. Create blogs about their unmatched benefits for users, send e-mailers, and reveal how corporations can weave in e-learning in everyday operations. Slowly and steadily, online readership will rise. Your blog organic traffic will increase, and so will your search rankings. Instill brand credibility in the eyes of Google The search engine’s algorithm remains a mystery, and nobody knows the exact formula (or its extent) that Google uses to rank search results. But what we do know, is that the algorithm is centred around providing the most useful, vetted results for users. As long as you create high-value content (preferably, multimedia) that readers love to read and share, you’re good. If your ranking doesn’t match your best SEO efforts, it’s time for something different. Today, digital > traditional In 2014, the Aberdeen Group showed how online marketing is six times more powerful than traditional media when it comes to converting leads into paying customers. While TV, print, radio and newspapers hold considerable sway in developing countries, digital marketing methods like social media, e-mailers and blogging have made a powerful climb to the top. Build relationships If your website has unique, informative content that provides value, visitors will keep coming back to your website. For instance we all know Neil Patel as an SEO expert. Every blog he writes is focussed around offering valuable tips and strategies to help brands and digital marketers solve problems faced by them in today’s ever competitive scenario. Similarly Backlink’s Brian Dean is known for providing valuable tips in the form of case studies which gives the impression that it’s tried and tested and therefore trustworthy. People have come to regard them as experts in the field and look to him for any information around the subject. That’s the kind of relationship you should be looking to build with your visitors. Earn precious backlinks Backlinking is when an external or third party website hyperlinks to your SEO content, citing it as a useful reference. If that site is a credible, high-quality source, your audience will multiply exponentially, boosting referral traffic and leading to a higher presence on the seach engine result page (SERP). Google takes the high quality backlink as a sign of trust, and pushes you up on the radar. Targeted content influences purchase decisions Most people look up product recommendations, study user complaints and compare prices before making an online purchase. Blogs, aggregator websites, news portals and best social media channels present a crucible of varied opinion, and brands must strike while hot. Turn buying behaviour your way by providing answers to the questions the user might have. It can be about a common problem that the product aims to solve or a how-to guide that tells or shows the user how useful and easy-to-use the product is. For instance how-to videos, podcasts, social media posts etc are a good idea. Funnel your inbound marketing Gone are the days when you could push marketing material into people’s faces—think direct methods like flyers, brochures and TV commercials. Audience these days hate pushy advertising and being told what to do. They’d rather exercise their own sense of judgement, compare brands, and see if you work for them. Content marketing does just that. Help them decide what is best for them. If somebody wants the best sunscreen in the market, create indirect content that also lists peripheral information. Why are sun-screens essential during summer? What are its scientific benefits? Do effects differ with age and location? Track the common questions a potential customer might have, provide all answers, and voila—you’ve built credibility. Here are some tools that help identify you identify such opportuinities. BuzzSumo – Simplifies content research by bringing up popular posts using keywords. UberSuggest – Primarily a keyword research tool. Can help content research by bringing up search queries that users generally type in. Google Alerts – Helps you stay ahead of the curve by notifying of whenever new content is published around your keyword. SentiOne – A social media listening tool, it tracks brand mentions and conversations around a given keyword.
How Should Brands Communicate Now: 4 Companies That Are Getting It Right
As the Corona crisis took over the world, several brands pulled back their advertising and marketing efforts. While some feared that marketing campaigns could earn backlash against the brand, some just didn’t know to say. So, should brands communicate? Should they communicate at all? A 12-market study (12,000 people were interviewed across countries by PR company Edelman) on what role customers expected brands to play reveals some interesting points. Customers want brands to act responsibly, take care of their employees, and not aim to reap benefit from the crisis. Respondents wanted brands only to speak about their products after knowing how people’s lives are getting impacted by the crisis. Several said they wanted brands to make a difference during the hour of crisis by helping the community and bringing everyone together. Brands, they felt, should use their power to educate and inform. Everyone wanted to hear from the brands they associate with, but was expecting messaging that had empathy for the struggles that were being faced. Having said that, this crisis is a great opportunity for brands to talk to their customers. It’s a moment for them to prove that humanity comes before profits. While many brands did end up losing this golden opportunity by putting the proverbial foot in the mouth, others have really been able to build an amazing crisis communication strategy. Here are some brands that have really aced their messaging and communication at this time of crisis: Pidilite Pidilite’s Fevicol has been acing its social media game for a while. This simple but powerful creative said it all. It kept the seriousness of the situation and the messaging about social distancing at the forefront, but the brand imagery and their core brand messaging is also integrated beautifully. Social distancing made simple #corona #FevicolKaJod #MazbootJod This, by the way, isn’t the first time that Pidilite has created such creatives on topical issues. From the Mumbai rains to Brexit to Game of Thrones, Fevicol social media channels have been buzzing with fun, quirky takes that sometimes incorporate important messages. Lifebuoy In times of crisis, innovative messaging is great but it’s even better if it’s backed by some on-ground action. And that’s exactly what Lifebuoy has done so well. For many years now, Lifebuoy’s brand messaging has centred around the importance of washing your hands, so their Corona campaign was simple yet effective. However, it’s not just the messaging that Lifebuoy did so effectively. They have actually partnered with PayTM on a crowdfunding campaign to get people to donate sanitizers and soaps to domestic workers, migrant labour, and other disadvantaged sections of society. During the Corona Crisis, it’s not just about innovative messaging, brands have to be ready to back their words with action. Zomato Zomato is another brand that has really got its crisis communications plan in place. The brand has set up an initiative to provide free meals to migrant workers and daily wage labourers as India goes through its 21-day lockdown. What’s more, it also has an option on the app where (if you’re practising social distancing), you can request your delivery rider to leave your food outside the door instead of handing it to you. Now that’s what we call some next level crisis communication strategy! Once again, this has worked so well because Zomato has been unafraid to put its money where its mouth is. With the recent COVID-19 lockdowns the daily wager community has seen their only source of income come to a screeching halt, leaving them struggling to arrange for food for their family. Please help.by donating to ‘Feed the daily wager’ to help ensure they don’t sleep hungry during this period of lockdowns. Click the link in our bio to contribute. #BeaHungerHero #Bethechange #Covid19 TravelBlue Travel Blue is a travel accessories brand that provided over 2000 N90 face masks to travel retail partner Flemingo. This helped Flemingo protect airport staff against the COVID-19 across airports in India Mumbai Duty-Free, Go Duty-Free, and the Duty-Free Galleria stores in Delhi and Bangalore all received these masks. Once again, measures like these go a long way in building brand goodwill at a time when the world is grappling with so much panic and uncertainty. Amul When it comes to topical content, few can nail it like Amul. This time too the brand’s simple yet effective copy brought home the strong and powerful message of hygiene and social distancing. #Amul Topical: Precautions against the Coronavirus! Read also: Content Marketing During the Times of Crisis What can we learn from these brands? There’s a lot that marketers can learn from brands at this time of Corona crisis — both in terms of what to do as well as what not to do. Here are some of our key takeaways: Be mindful of the situation People are grappling with an unprecedented situation — and it’s likely to constantly play at the back of their mind. This doesn’t mean that you only need to create content and messaging around COVID-19, but it does mean that you have to address the crazy reality of the moment. Even if you’re putting out a regular story, it’s a good idea to mention the pandemic and the current situation first. Back words with actions This is something that every brand that’s nailing their communication strategy at this point is doing. Any number of brands are sending emails to their customers saying “We are with you during this tough time”, but that isn’t enough. Not by far. You can either make a donation to a worthy cause, organize a cause yourself or even provide some extra value to customers during this period. People will always remember how brands valued and supported them at this juncture so it’s very crucial to get this right. Avoid fear-mongering This one is an absolute must. You have to realize that people are suffering from all kinds of stress and anxiety at the moment — whether it’s about their job,
Working from Home: 11 Tips to Help You Stay Super Focussed and Avoid Distractions
Kids running around, television channels screaming out news, your spouse wanting something done urgently, meals waiting to be cooked and household chores waiting to be finished. That is the home situation that most of us are dealing with nowadays. Add to that the constant stream of notifications that pop up on different messaging channels, and inboxes, and temptations to scroll through our social media newsfeeds and, perhaps even, roll on the bed; and you have a pretty difficult task of staying focussed while working from home. Our responsibility towards our family and society kept us home and our responsibility towards our clients kept us working. The Justwordians are committed to their deliverables. #StayAtHome #WorkFromHome #CoronaVirus #Covid19 #AgencyLife 12 Likes, 0 Comments – Justwords Consultants (@justwordsconsultants) on Instagram: “Our responsibility towards our family and society kept us home and our responsibility towards our…” Studies have shown that a knowledge worker on an average checks his email every 8 minutes and his Skype or other IM messages every 6 minutes in an 8-hour workday. This essentially means that he spends just few minutes before going back to checking/answering emails or messages. Basically, you are constantly battling distractions, procrastination and lack of focus. If you are one among countless others stuck in such a situation, you’re at the right place. Check out these 11 really helpful ways to build your focus and get your work done. 11 Fantastic tips on how to stay laser-focused on your work 1. Prioritize Prioritizing your tasks for the day is very important so as not to get distracted or embroiled in unimportant tasks. Identify your priorities before you get started for the day. Once you have important tasks chalked out, you will be more focussed and find it easier to say no to other tasks that divert your attention. 2. Start Early Whether you’re a morning person or not, if you have to work from home, you’d better get started with it as soon as possible. Start as soon as you get up. All other household chores can wait. Starting early helps you stay focussed as you wake up with a fresh mind. Several productivity experts have maintained that people are most productive in the morning hours. Also count in the factor (as per the British Journal of Psychology) that people are mostly loaded with energy and happier when they wake in the morning. 3. Stop Multitasking Multitasking doesn’t work in tasks which require a lot of thinking. Try to concentrate on one task and finish it before you move on to something else. If you switch in between, you’ll break the flow and it will take some time before your mind can focus on the first task again. Before you know it, you will have already lost 20-25 minutes in the process. 4. Set a Schedule for the day Plan your day and try to have some semblance with your original workday at the office. Plan your usual 8-hour workday including start time, short breaks, lunch breaks and the log out time. Try to get as much done during that time. It’s okay to not get everything done as per plan. Some pending tasks don’t hurt. 5. Be Organized The organization is the key to improving your productivity. Keep your work desk at home tidy and every essential stationery in a place like notepad, pens, markers, earphones if you listen to music while working etc. Keeping everything neat and organized will prevent you from wasting your time looking for them. 6. Use the Pomodoro Technique Image Source This is a time management method that breaks down work into fixed intervals followed by a short break. This means you work for 25 minutes straight without any distraction and then take a 5-minute break. Every 25-minute interval is referred to as Pomodoro. Once four Promodoros have passed which means 100 minutes, you can take a 15-20 minute break. This keeps your mind fresh and focussed. A study by Airtasker also revealed that 37% of employees felt that breaks helped their productivity. It takes time to master the Promodoro technique. It takes time to master the technique but once you do you will see your productivity levels rise. 7. No Social Media You need your phone while working to communicate with colleagues, we get that. But try to resist picking up your phone every few minutes to check social media, Whatsapp etc. You have to be firm about it and discipline yourself if you want to work productively from home. 8. Promise Yourself a Reward Promise yourself a small treat like a cup of coffee, treating yourself to a snack or catching up on a movie once you’re done with a particular task. This will inspire and motivate you to get it done. Who said bribes are just for kids? 9. Have some People Time It’s easy to lock yourself up in a room while working from home to avoid distraction but it can also get lonely at times. Build-in networking with your colleagues into your weekly schedule. Schedule a time slot once or twice a week for a video call with your co-workers. This will not just help to stay connected but also fight bouts of boredom that are bound to settle in when you are working from home. 10. Get the Right Tools Just like a hi-speed wi-fi helps you work smoothly, so do the right tools. Whether you are a writer, designer, software engineer or provide online marketing services, right tools are important in getting the work done quickly and more efficiently. There are a number of tools for time tracking, file sharing, communication and project management tools making easier to get the work flowing smoothly without wasting too much time on unnecessary things like sending emails, messaging colleagues for clarification etc. 11. Know when to end When you’re working from home it is easy to lose track of time
Content Marketing During the Times of Crisis
If you are a business owner who relies on online marketing to help your customers discover your product, engage, and nurture, now is the time to think differently. Unnatural times require big course correction. And that is what needs to happen with your marketing plans. You need to take into account that most business and communities are planning and preparing for turmoil and uncertain times, and hence your content marketing should talk to that change. Also, we need to remember that agility and flexibility are not enough if not supported by sensitivity, creativity and more innovative thinking. Here are few marketing tips. Share your business continuity plan As a business, you have already been making plans for the best and worst-case scenario. It is important to let your existing customers know how you are dealing with the situation and that you have a long-term plan and coping mechanism. This isn’t black and white for any business and what you say may possibly have grey areas that will evolve with the situation. Share an update about this via your official blog, social channels and also on email. Let your customers know about your actions Many businesses are helping out the society, the government and their customers in different ways. You could be contributing efforts, finances or offering a helping hand to people who are fighting this battle in the front line. Keep your customers posted about such actions, but do so in a careful way so as not to get a PR backlash. Do not sell. Do not promote drop your home-cooked favourites in the comments ?? 15.8k Likes, 606 Comments – Zomato India (@zomatoin) on Instagram: “drop your home-cooked favourites in the comments ??” Many content marketing company is talking about salary cuts and furlougs and several sectors are staring at job losses. In this situation, no one wants to risk investing their savings when they don’t know what they are going to need in the next few days. Be sensitive around your context of communication. Definitely don’t cold call! Understand what your audience wants to hear You customers and prospects are mostly in a state of anxiety with the evolving Covid-19 situation. They may be hungry on the breakdown of information shared by the governing bodies in the country. They will want analysis and research on the topic and need tips and ideas on what to do next. Content creation that can help them – blogs and infographics that could probably be circulated via email. If you are not sure of what to communicate, get your team together and brainstorm on these possible ideas – What do your customers like? What do customers wish to hear about from your industry? What are your competitors doing right? If a marketing channel is being dropped, what could be other ways to achieve the same marketing effect? You might even want to talk to some of your customers to understand what they are thinking. By the end of this exercise, you will know if any changes are needed in tone, style, and execution and whether any new channel should be adopted for outreach. Use your social channels effectively View this post on Instagram कोरोना वायरस दुनिया के विभिन्न देशों में पहुँच चुका है तथा 118,000 से ज़्यादा लोग इस वायरस से संक्रमित हुए हैं। आइए जानते हैं कि तेज़ी से फैलने वाले इस वायरस से बचाव कैसे करें | #Coronavirus #Covid19 #CoronavirusPandemic A post shared by Genus (@genusindia) on Mar 12, 2020 at 6:29am PDT The current ride on social channels is all about helping people cope with staying at home. Whether it is about helping them keep children engaged, learn to cook, learn to save, or simply cope, you can deviate to create social media content that shows you in a positive light. Use this time to fine-tune your business’s online presence This is a great time to work on things that you normally don’t get time to work on. Since how long have you been planning to redo your website content and create that explainer video. Use this time to build great website content – content that will explain to your customers what you do and sell, boost your SEO with the right keywords and get in the traffic. Have your team work on research papers and e-books that were in the backburner. Where possible, speak to an industry expert (in your customer’s industry) to share their insights on what they are doing within their organization. Take this opportunity to polish and revamp your company’s online visibility and marketing strategy. Don’t forget your SEO While you go on to create content, make sure your SEO is still on track with the changing search trends due to Covid-19. Many brands are noticing a downturn in brand searches. Instead, a lateral approach to write about topics with high relevance as per the times and optimizing it can be a source of incremental organic traffic. ‘How to prepare for recession’ has 8,48,00,000 search results. Search trends for recession have peaked. We are, indeed, living in difficult times – both you and your customers. This too shall pass but it’s important to plan We don’t know how the world will change at the end of this crisis, or worse still, when will the crisis end. But your business will be better prepared to weather this storm if you have a proper marketing plan and clarity of what the action plan is going to be if the crisis worsens and if you are ready to embrace the change and innovate accordingly. In difficult times, your brand will be remembered for how sensitive it is to its employees and customers. As a business, the content you create now will go a long way in being the light at the end of the tunnel. Choose to be that business who will be remembered for good.
8 Things You Can Do Today to Protect Your Business from Coronavirus
For those of us who run businesses, these are really tough times. There is worry about how will business continue, how will teams operate during work-from-from times, how will we survive clients dropping out, how will employees and other expenses get paid. In short, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a scenario which is simply daunting on many accounts. While the situation is far from ideal, let us figure out what we can do to protect your business from the worst effects of the virus and also come out on top. Build a remote work policy As a small business, you may never have had to exercise this option before. But having a remote work policy in place now could very well save your business without compromising the health and well-being of your employees. There are a number of tools that you can use to implement a work from home policy. From email to Slack to Zoom — each of these tools makes communication between remote workers much simpler. Apart from getting the right tools in place, you also need to get a proper plan for deliverables in place. This means making sure that every employee knows what they have to deliver — whether it’s on a daily basis or on a weekly and even monthly basis. If implementing a remote work policy seems intimidating to you, it’s important to remember that there’s no better time to do it. Your clients, vendors, and partners are all trying to do the same thing now, so there’ll be an unprecedented level of cooperation. Who knows, you may even be able to implement a policy that could serve you well even after the Corona scare goes away. Give flexibility to your employees It’s not enough to just establish a remote work option — you also need to be mindful that there are many demands on your employees’ time at the moment. Schools and colleges are closing down, and many parents are struggling with childcare. Even grocery shops are starting to limit how many hours in the day they will stay open for it. In such a situation, you will have to make room for contingencies in case your employees aren’t available at all hours. Also remember that in a global crisis like this, compassion counts above everything else. Your employees will really appreciate the consideration and flexibility you show them at this juncture, and you may even be able to build employee loyalty in a big way. Communication with clients is critical Be transparent with your customers about what your business is going through. The one big advantage of this crisis is that everyone is going through it together— so your customers will be able to empathize. Chances are if they’re bigger companies with deep pockets, they will even cut you some slack till the situation gets better. But it’s very important that you communicate transparently with your clients. If they feel like they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, they will tend to resent you— especially since they are going through a stressful time themselves. Complete transparency and honesty is the need of the hour. Reduce meetings and travel Travel is simply not an option at the moment— you need to figure out innovative substitutes. Completely cut out all non-essential meetings and conferences from your and your employees’ schedules. If it’s an important meeting, try to figure out if it can be done virtually. If your employees get sick because of travel or meetings, you will end up dealing with a major situation in the long run. Establish clear guidelines around cleanliness The basic guidelines from the Health Ministry are loud and clear — just make sure your office policy supports them to the maximum extent possible. Avoid handshakes and other kinds of contact Encourage employees to wash hands with soap as frequently as possible Remind employees that they shouldn’t be touching their faces to avoid spreading of the virus Keep disinfecting surfaces like doorknobs, handrails, tables, desks, etc. All these guidelines should be followed in the office if you’re still keeping it open. If your staff is working from home, keep reminding them about it through communication channels like email, Slack, and Whatsapp. Think from a long term perspective It’s true that there are many unknown variables when it comes to COVID-19. Hopefully, these unknowns will work out in India’s favour and we won’t suffer from the widespread devastation that has happened in other countries. However, there’s a chance that we might get hit for a long time. While economies like China are slowly starting to recover, one never knows how things will change once the strict restrictions around self-isolation are lifted. So it’s better to be mentally prepared for the long haul. As per SmallBizTrends, 27% of business expect the coronavirus to have a moderate to high impact on their revenue. Take your sales strategy online As offline sales become harder and harder, smart business owners across the world are shifting to an online sales strategy. People are setting up simple, easy-to-use websites that allow their customers to transact online — they’ve also been setting up a solid digital marketing strategy to support this initiative. You need to realize that customers (whether it’s end consumers or business buyers) are also isolated in their homes now. This means that they are spending more time than ever before on their devices— using the internet to take care of most of their needs. Which is why a shift to online sales is the best way going forward. For example, in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, cosmetics company Lin Qingzuan had to close 40% of its stores. However, the brand engaged 100+ beauty advisors who went on digital platforms like WeChat to increase online sales. In fact, the company’s sales in Wuhan increased by 200% as a result of this. If you feel overwhelmed when it comes
Grammar Cheat Sheet: Rules to Help You Write Well
As a writer, MS Word has made me lax over the years. I type out the thoughts quickly and expect the autocorrect to take care of the mistakes. The good part is I also recognize the mistakes that the software misses. For example, if I wrote ‘The girl was pail’ and not pale, I can still run my over-the-years honed spell checker to catch it. Let’s get one thing straight. English may be a language I really like but it isn’t the easiest when you are learning the rules of spelling and grammar. Their and there, effect and affect… it can get you running to Google for answers. While we don’t have to by heart Wren and Martin, let me share a quick reference sheet that you can bookmark to avoid the most common mistake. I, Me, Myself Use I when you are referring to yourself in subject of the sentence i.e. you are the one taking action Example: I am reading Ikigai and I like it Me Use me when someone else is performing the action for / to you Dana gifted me the book Myself Use Myself when you are performing the action on yourself I taught myself the rules of Ikigai Also Read: A tried-and-tested guide to becoming a better content writer Different to / than / from Different from is considered a safe bet in the usage of Different with a preposition Different than and Different to are also used, but more often in British English Seven Square is no different to / than any major CBSE school or This house is very different to your last one. In American English, it is more common to use Different Than. For example: This coffee tastes very different than the one I usually drink. Because some rules are meant to be broken I’ve always been one of those errant children who think rules can sometimes be broken. Feels good to know that can happen with grammar too. Here are some set rules and why it is ok to break them Don’t begin a sentence with a conjunction However, this is a great example on how to break that rule 🙂 And then, don’t we all have exceptions. Don’t end your sentences with prepositions Then what do you end it with? Without a preposition, that would be ‘Then what do you end it’ which is just not right! Avoid sentence fragments She heard that. It broke her heart. She choose to walk out. Creative and narrative writing can bend the rules just enough to convey the meaning. Confusing words A lot v/s Alot v/s Allot ‘A lot’ represents a number that is uncountable. There are a lot of bees Alot isn’t a word… at least not yet Allot is to assign to a person. For example, ‘The land is alloted Also Read: The 10 mistakes your clients don’t want you to make as a freelance writer Should’ve, Could’ve, Would’ve There is something you should’ve done in order to explore what possibilities could’ve manifested and how we would’ve utilized them Common misspellings Here are the top 10 ones where spell checker comes to our rescue Seperate | Separate Definately | Definitely Occassion | Occasion Refered | Referred Entreprenur | Entrepreneurs Recieve | Receive Untill | Until Exceptable | Acceptable Embarass | Embarrass Paralel | Parallel Z or S As an Indian writer, this conundrum is more pronounced as we practice British English which uses Z. If you are writing for a global audience, ‘Specialize’ would be better but if you are writing for an Indian audience, ‘personalise’ would be appropriate. Dangling modifiers After a long day at work, the dog welcomed Shawn with slobbery kisses Wait a minute, did the dog go to work? After a long day at work, Shawn was welcomed by the dog with slobbery kisses. The right usage of Comma When a , can put a fullstop to your writer dreams A comma in the wrong place can change the meaning of the sentence. Comma with quotes In the series “The Walking Dead,” the lead character is played by Andrew Lincoln. Though this is a strange rule, the comma always goes inside the quotes. So does a fullstop. Comma in dates He was born on July 4, 1990 He was born on 4th July 1990 If you have 2 number units side by side, separate them with a comma. Comma and suffixes The most famous of them all is Kunal Mehta, Jr. Here it is fine to write Kunal Mehta Jr. Without the comma The essential comma Many men want to be the actor, Shah Rukh Khan. Here you aren’t talking about men wanting to be actors but wanting to be a specific actor (by using the). In this case the comma is non-essential as the meaning of the sentence remains the same without it. The correct usage is ‘Many men want to be the actor Shah Rukh Khan.’ The overused comma Some flowers, such as, sunflowers and lilies, brighten up the room. The extra comma after a transitional phrase such as (or including) should not be used. The correct usage is Some flowers, such as sunflowers and lilies, brighten up the room. Comma with compound elements She liked to read, and danced a lot too. When you are using a conjunction like ‘and,’ ‘but.’ or ‘or,’ don’t use a comma unless the subject (she) is used twice. The correct usage here is ‘She liked to read and danced a lot too.’ Alternatively, ‘She like to read and, she danced a lot too.’ Comma Splice I want to eat, I want t drink. The sentences, as such, are independent of each other and without conjunction. The best way to write it would be ‘I want to eat. I want to drink.’ or ‘I want to eat; I want to drink.’ Also Read: The content writer’s easy grammar cheat sheet Title Case In marketing we often capitalise what best pleases the
Clutch Features Justwords as One of India’s Top Content Marketing Agencies
At Justwords, we have been working on leveraging content to build brands for over a decade now. From our expertise in content creation, we have organically branched out into various aspects of digital marketing to now operate as a full-service content marketing company. In the last 10 years, we’ve watched content marketing come into its own in India, and are grateful to have been part of the transformation. While we’ve never really sought after reward or recognition, believing that the work we do for our brands speaks volumes, it feels great to have been ranked as one of the Top Content Marketing Agencies in India by Clutch. What is Clutch and why does this matter? Clutch is a Washington DC-based ratings and reviews research firm, focussing on digital marketing companies. They conduct in-depth reviews for clients of the companies they feature — which means that a Clutch list is based on real, comprehensive feedback from clients. Over the years, Clutch has emerged as one of the world’s most reputed websites when it comes to rating digital marketing companies across the globe. What does the rating mean and why it matters Clutch operates on the principle of in-depth client reviews. This means that it’s the feedback from our clients that has helped us feature in one of the most prestigious rankings for content marketing companies in India. We’ve serviced a wide variety of clients in the past decade – from a small neighbourhood bakery to some of the biggest multinational brands. The impact that we create for their business is what drives us, which is why this rating becomes so meaningful. What our clients have said Clutch is known for its in-depth client interviews, which go a long way in building the rating for any digital marketing agency on the platform. Unlike Google reviews which are more passive and open-ended, Clutch really goes deep into understanding We’ve been truly overwhelmed by what some of our clients have had to say. Here are some glimpses : “Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success? There has been ten-fold growth and success in the monthly visitors to our website since we engaged with Just Words How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? They are very responsive and supportive. Even with the many changes we request. What did you find most impressive about this company? They are very responsive and the quality of the blogs they deliver is of a high standard. ” “What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? When we started this project, we were expecting to see a 40% improvement in our traffic, and Justwords delivered that in less than three months. For the next three months, we set a target for 80%, and it proved to be a challenge. I wouldn’t just blame Justwords; it also had to do with us as a customer. When starting from zero, getting to a 40% level is an easy jump, but, when we’ve achieved something, to exceed that figure is challenging. Both of us are still struggling to find the right strategy to improve traffic. My feedback to them is that we should have more weekly and monthly reviews, to plan the strategies and align ourselves right.” Where do we go from here We started our journey over 10 years ago. Back then, in a landscape that was just emerging, we understood that content would soon become a game-changer for brands of all shapes and sizes. So we started by creating text-based content- differentiating ourselves by the quality of what we delivered and the outcomes that it gave our clients. Through our journey, as we expanded from text to other content formats to become a full-suite digital marketing agency, this differentiator never changed. We still believe that it’s quality content that makes all the difference. As we expand our company to greater heights, creating campaigns that push the boundaries in content marketing, our commitment to quality content and yo client outcomes will never change. And milestones like the Clutch feature are just a reminder that this approach will always win out in the long run.