In this series, Croud’s content team will share a fortnightly round-up of notable and #iconic content from around the web, and provide insight as to why these pieces are worth sharing.
For this round-up, Croud Australia’s Content Manager, Rae Sturm, and Content Account Manager, Lana Hodgkinson, focused on content that wowed them in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. The examples you’ll see below are a testament to strategy adaptation and prove that relevant, reactive and creative content will set you apart!
How The Virus Got Out by The New York Times
With the initial and rapid spread of COVID-19, facts were often varied and delayed. The indefinite information and unpredictability ensued states of panic, leaving toilet paper shelves empty and meal delivery services in overdrive.
In late March, The New York Times set out to dispel deception and provide clarity with their interactive online documentary titled, ‘How the Virus Got Out’. This content prompts the user to scroll through milestone events leading to the inevitable spread of the Coronavirus – much like scrolling through an ordinary landing page.
With bite-sized pieces of copy accompanied by consumable motion-graphics, this tool was clearly created with clarity and efficiency at the forefront of its design.
Key takeaways: An informative and creative hero piece can be the gift that keeps on giving! Along with additional traffic from social and email campaigns, these pieces are what backlink dreams are made of. Up 👏🏽 that 👏🏽 domain 👏🏽 authority!
Play for the World by Nike
Everything about Nike’s branding screams, ‘get outside & go for a run’ or ‘get outside & play a game of basketball’ and sometimes even as far as, ‘get outside & foster a community of like-minded active go-getters!’ So, when it came to advertising during COVID-19, they had to think outside the box.
This tear-jerker of an advertisement is a reminder that low-budget, user-generated content can still evoke emotion and convey an effective message. That message being: stay inside and do it for the good of the world. The submissions from Nike’s cult-like following showcase everyday people exercising in bedrooms, hallways and backyards – sending the message that we’re all in this together. Not sure if you can tell, but this one pulled on our heartstrings a bit. View this advertisement here.
Key takeaways: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel (or have an extensive budget) to create meaningful pieces of content – even if that content is video content. Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the ones that resonate the best with your audience. Better yet, be relatable and make people feel something and your brand will reap the benefits!
Michael Page case study
In the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, our client Michael Page came to us requesting content that would not only target the high volume keywords we were tracking, but also be relevant to those seeking information in the increasingly unstable recruitment industry.
We did a bit of research into how employer/employee relations would change during this new remote way of living and this is just one example of a written piece we did.
Ensuring we were covering all bases with keyword integration and relevancy, this piece performed well and stuck out above the steadily increasing flow of COVID-19 related content in the recruitment industry at the time.
That’s a wrap!
Before you go, remember our key takeaways from this wrap-up to help you boost your traffic, improve brand awareness, engage with your audience, increase your conversions or meet any other business objectives you’ve set.
- Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
- Sometimes pooling your budget into one showstopping piece of content is the way to go.
- Keeping it simple and relatable is often the key to reaching the widest audience.
If you have a piece of content you’d like to share with us, send it through and we’d love to take a look. Alternatively, if you need assistance creating aspirational content like seen in the examples above, we’d love to help! Get in touch here.
