As business evaporates for scores of people — including freelance writers, editors, and content strategists like myself — it can be easy to feel scared and paralyzed. Like many of you, I’m hearing from close friends with the coronavirus, scrambling to home-school without a roadmap, volunteering in the community, and navigating reduced working hours and lost work.
Right now, I realize that everyone and their brother is reaching out with sales messages, business contingency plans, and even their hand-washing protocols! This message is different.
I’m writing to ask, How can I be of service?
I don’t mean how can I land another marketing gig and generate buzz. I mean, how can I help you, your organization, your customers, and our community during this crisis?
In this all-hands-on-deck moment, with available staff stretched thin and quick-turnaround communications needed more than ever before, experienced writers and editors like me and my network at the Insight Content Lab — proudly one year old in April — are ready to pitch in and help with whatever needs to be done.
Beyond communicating the concrete steps they are taking to address the crisis, what should leaders be saying when business, marketing, and communications plans have been turned upside down? Personally, I am inspired by my current and former clients in the corporate, educational, philanthropic, and nonprofit worlds who are already finding opportunities to step up and lead through this crisis. These forward-thinking organizations are creating authentic, helpful, and relevant communications that can take many forms:
- Fact-based and empathetic internal and external communications. Common topics include dealing with uncertainty and change, taking personal leadership, and staying safe during this global public health crisis. Salesforce is hosting truly engaging virtual events and content about leading through change. A leading business school is crafting an increased cadence of thoughtful internal communications to help students, faculty, and staff navigate the many changes ahead.
- Quick-hit articles and infographics on blogs, LinkedIn, and Medium. Many clients are applying their specific expertise to urgent social issues, such as rising homelessness and food insecurity, strained health care systems, and disrupted educational institutions. California Health Care Foundation is publishing vital resources for policymakers and the health care community, such as a roundup of stories about how California is mobilizing for a health care surge. Open Impact put together a timely guide for philanthropies.
- Strategies for producing a pipeline of practical content in this new environment. Citrix presciently published an in-depth analysis of what employees want from workplace and remote-work technologies, as part of a series of content about the employee experience. Boston Consulting Group has published a stream of helpful business content about the coronavirus pandemic, such as the need to build new digital skills during the crisis.
As the storm grows stronger, I stand ready to be of service. If I can help you, your organization, and your audiences, please be in touch at moc.baltnetnocthgisninull@yekcim. Flexible rates are available for nonprofits and individuals who know that they need editorial help crafting what they urgently need to say, but who are also struggling to keep the lights on — like all of us.
To say we are “all in this together” is an understatement. Only together and in service to each other will we all get through this.