The global COVID-19 crisis has impacted every facet of our lives, marketing included. Regardless of your industry, you’re likely addressing the pandemic in your content and communications. However, finding the balance between staying relevant and maintaining appropriateness in these unprecedented times can be challenging. This guide is designed to assist you in navigating these complexities. It encompasses:

• Sensitivity guidelines
• Accuracy-ensuring resources
• Offer modification suggestions
• Organizational tips

COVID-19 hasn’t just reshaped business trends; it’s transformed consumer behaviors and the entire marketing landscape. This guide empowers you to align your messaging with these shifts, ensuring purposeful, high-quality communication that resonates with your audience and strengthens customer relationships. Let’s begin with the most crucial aspect.

Prioritizing Sensitivity

COVID-19 has had a profound personal impact worldwide, increasing the risk of unintentional insensitivity or even the appearance of exploitation in messaging. With social media engagement at an all-time high, even minor missteps can have significant and lasting consequences. Adhere to these guidelines to guarantee appropriate communication throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Err on the Side of Seriousness

While a conversational tone is usually encouraged and effective for brands, it’s advisable to refrain from humor or wit during these times. Even excessive casualness can be misconstrued. Although your content might temporarily deviate from your brand’s typical vibrant personality, it’s preferable to maintain a more serious tone than necessary, rather than facing regrets later. We advocate for a positive, inspirational, and helpful tone, while avoiding humor, wit, and excessive casualness.

Denny’s exemplifies a shift from their characteristically playful and pun-filled tone (see left) to a more serious one (right).

Navigating Humor Appropriately

A serious tone doesn’t equate to somberness. Highlighting the positive side is acceptable; however, it’s crucial to distinguish between positivity and humor, and between being uplifting and dismissive of the situation’s gravity.

An example of an uplifting email relevant to COVID-19.

Identifying Insensitive Language

While overt puns are easily avoided, remember that numerous words and phrases considered harmless before COVID-19 now carry different connotations. For instance:

• Killer (as in a “killer deal”)
• Contagious (“how to create contagious content”)
• Health or checkup-related terms (“give your budget a pulse check”)
• Spread
• Contagious
• Infectious
• Viral
• Gather
• Event

Adopting a Neutral or Supportive Stance

If your business remains operational and relevant, careful positioning is essential. For instance, amidst the Federal government’s COVID-19 measures is a significant interest rate reduction. For mortgage brokers, “Take advantage of the low interest rate now!” sends an inappropriately enthusiastic message. Conversely, “Let us help you navigate the unstable economy” projects security and acknowledges the situation’s seriousness. Similarly, marketing and advertising agencies engaging with businesses should emphasize support rather than encouraging them to “capitalize” on the current circumstances. Instead, the focus should be on enhancing visibility and accessibility for those in need.

• Recommended words: “contribute,” “connect,” “play a role,” “navigate,” “cope,” “respond”
• Words to avoid: “capitalize,” “advantage,” “offer,” “gain,” “profit”
• Words requiring caution: “opportunity,” “make the most”

Prioritizing Contribution over Conversion

Even for less essential businesses during COVID-19, opportunities to stay relevant exist. However, the focus should be on providing value to your audience rather than driving business growth. With individuals grappling with uncertainties, prioritize contribution over conversion. A recent email from CodeAcademy perfectly illustrates this approach. Here’s an excerpt:

This is not the time to convert customers but to contribute to the COVID-19 response. Questions for Kristen? Register here for a live Q&A!

Maintaining Accuracy

Ensuring accuracy is paramount, especially now, to preserve the trust you’ve meticulously built with your audience. It also enables you to stay abreast of evolving search trends and filter out unreliable COVID-19 resources. Here are guidelines and resources to maintain accuracy.

Navigate the evolving online advertising landscape with this free small business guide to COVID-19.

Relying on Credible COVID-19 Sources

Effective copywriting conveys information while simultaneously delivering a broader message. Your intended message might be “We’re here to support you,” but inaccurate information undermines this message. At best, it signals carelessness; at worst, it erodes trust. Misinformation about the coronavirus is rampant, necessitating meticulous fact-checking, particularly for shareable content like social media captions and ads. Rely on these credible sources for accurate information:

• Centers for Disease Control
• World Health Organization
• The Department of Public Health for your state
• Factcheck.org’s Coronavirus Coverage Guide To combat misinformation, Canva has created a range of free print and social media templates using information from the World Health Organization. You can access their Coronavirus Awareness Collection here. Their messaging surrounding these templates aligns with this guide’s recommendations:

Canva demonstrates sensitive messaging, contribution-focused positioning, and accuracy of information.

Maintaining Proper Grammar

While grammar is always crucial in copywriting, it’s even more critical when addressing COVID-19. Incorrect grammar can undermine credibility and even alter your intended message. For example, “the governor put a shelter in place for the city” implies a shelter was built and even suggests a gathering. Small details have significant implications. To clarify, in this instance:

• Shelter in place is a verb (action): “We advise you to shelter in place.”
• Shelter-in-place is an adjective (description): “We’ve instated a shelter-in-place policy.” For your coronavirus-related copywriting, these two tools are invaluable:
• Topical Guide on COVID-19: This concise yet comprehensive guide from the Associated Press aids in accurate coronavirus reporting.
• Grammarly: This contextual editor identifies critical errors often missed by standard spell checkers. It’s a free, downloadable plugin compatible with various applications. While scrutinizing these details takes time, and your audience might grasp your intended meaning, prioritizing accuracy is crucial. Additionally, COVID-19 isn’t a fleeting trend; its effects will linger, meaning your content’s relevance will likely endure. Ensure it meets the same standards as the rest of your copywriting.

Balancing Optimism with Realistic Expectations

While inspiring hope and forward-thinking through your writing is essential, remember that we’re navigating an unprecedented situation. Even expert predictions are subject to uncertainty. Your only guarantee to your audience is your commitment to navigating this situation and serving them effectively. Making promises beyond this, even to boost morale, could backfire.

Adapting Your Offers

Despite Google’s ban on travel-related advertising, numerous businesses can and should promote relevant services during COVID-19. However, ensure your copywriting includes appropriate calls to action. Additionally, given the rapidly evolving landscape, maintain messaging flexibility to minimize constant revisions. Here are guidelines and suggestions for CTAs in the context of COVID-19.

Moderating Urgency

While “Call now” or “Book now” buttons remain acceptable, urgency- or scarcity-driven copywriting, such as “Don’t miss out!” or “Grab your spot before it’s too late!” will likely miss the mark with consumers and businesses in the current climate. Nothing surpasses COVID-19 in urgency, and this tone might be perceived as insensitive or out of touch.

An excellent example of adjusting messaging to reduce “book now” urgency

Ensuring Relevance

Review your offerings and ensure your copy aligns with COVID-19 safety precautions, lifestyle adjustments, and evolving search trends. For example:

• Replace irrelevant value propositions like “more dog walks” or “more diners in your doors” with neutral alternatives like “more leads” or timelier options like “more online orders.”
• Reword inapplicable CTAs, such as “join now” for closed facilities. “Learn more” might be a suitable substitute.
• Incorporate language that emphasizes audience safety, like “contact-free,” “virtual,” “remote,” “in-home,” “downloadable,” “delivery,” “online.”

Sweetgreen has aptly modified #sghacks to #sghacks from home

• Explore these 6 Strategies for Facebook and Instagram advertising during the COVID-19 pandemic

Coolidge Yoga demonstrates appropriate COVID-19 adaptations with a virtual offering.

Reviewing Scheduled Content

Remember to review your automated emails and scheduled posts for relevance and appropriateness. This includes:

• April Fools humor
• Easter gathering-related content
• Birthday or anniversary offers
• Automated nurture campaigns

Maintaining Momentum

If the required copy adjustments feel overwhelming, remember that you’re not alone. Everyone is adapting and establishing new routines. Here are tips to navigate this process effectively:

• Prioritize. Don’t aim to modify all your copy immediately. Begin with high-traffic content and new content moving forward.
• Track your changes: Create a spreadsheet documenting the changes to facilitate reverting back when the situation stabilizes.
• Don’t delete anything: Preserve successful ideas and high-performing campaigns for future reinstatement when they regain relevance. Things will eventually return to a semblance of normalcy – a new normal, but normalcy nonetheless.

Upholding Copywriting Standards Amidst COVID-19

Adapting your ads and strategies in response to the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape is undoubtedly challenging. However, while messaging and offers may require adjustments, your copywriting standards should remain steadfast. Ultimately, your goal remains constant: providing information, adding value, and reassuring your audience that you understand and are attuned to their needs.