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When the pandemic lockdown began, the organic content team scrapped most of our planned social and blog posts. I spent the following months inhaling everything from news and social media to trend reports and late-night talk show monologues to understand our consumers’ emotional needs as events unfolded. As content strategist, I recommended brand-appropriate ways to serve those needs.
My jobs:
— Led social and blog content strategy (excerpts below)
— Worked with leaders and stakeholders on brand POV, tone, and messaging about COVID-19, racial injustice, and inclusivity
— Collaborated with our Insights & Analytics team and Content Marketing Strategist to understand the stories behind the data
— Provided quick-turn cultural and consumer research
— Assigned and edited Facebook and Instagram copy
— Assigned and wrote and/or edited blog copy
Early covid-19 content strategy: consumer needs and brand pov
In the first week after we started working from home, the Brand Content Studio, Creative Marketing Studio, and our marketing partners collaborated on an action plan. These are notes from our original COVID-19 content strategy.
HALLMARK’S CORE AUDIENCE, THE “CARING CONNECTOR”
The Caring Connector has a deep belief that life is inherently good,
and people who care for the world help hold it together and make it a better place.
In a time of turbulence, the world needs the Caring Connector now more than ever. How can we be her go-to source during this tough time?
Audience mindset/needs
- Coming to terms with the new normal: rapidly changing news, mandates, and advice and new rules every day
- Dealing with pause/loss of job and financial concerns
- Adjusting plans for the whole family to stay home—indefinitely
- Figuring out new routines and frustrated with constant changes
- Feeling helpless/out of control
- Feeling isolated from their circles and wanting to connect
- Wanting to support family, friends, neighbors and even strangers at a distance
- Thinking about how to practice self-care (physical, mental, emotional) in new ways (gyms closed, hard to focus)
- Building networks to stay connected with and help family, neighbors and friends
HALLMARK BRAND COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK
Brand strengths
- Staying connected even when isolated
- Creating meaningful moments from home
Brand jobs
- Demonstrate that we share her worldview
- Inspire and inform her efforts to connect with and care for others
- Make it easy for connect in meaningful ways
- Empathize with her needs and affirm her feelings and efforts
- Refuel her energy and help her practice self-care
CONTENT AND COPY GUIDELINES
Early COVID-19 content samples: social media and blog posts based on emotional needs
— My jobs, social media: I created the strategy, identified user needs, conducted research, assigned the writing, reviewed submissions and provided feedback, and approved the recommended copy
— My jobs, long-form blog/website copy: In addition to the above, I recommended search terms (in partnership with digital marketing), and often collaborated with writers on copy development
MINDSET: I feel far away from people I care about
How to celebrate birthdays, holidays and special occasions when you can’t be together
We’ve all had to get a little more creative when it’s time to celebrate our loved ones and we’re not in the same city, state or even country. How do you make a birthday feel like a big deal—especially when it’s a milestone? How do you celebrate a faraway mom on Mother’s Day? And how do you make a special occasion feel really special?
READ FULL POST HERE
MINDSET: I’m feeling like everything’s out of control
Self-care for my sisters: Letting the “strong Black woman” rest
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It’s self-preservation…”
—Poet Audre Lorde
As a Black woman thinking about what’s been happening to others in our community, especially since the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, I’ve been walking around with a broken heart. I’ve been in what feels like continual face-to-face conversations with grief, confusion, weariness, wariness, anger and even despair.
I thought I was better prepared to cope.
READ FULL POST HERE
MINDSET: I’m worried about people on the front lines
Expressing gratitude for health care professionals
Are you feeling like expressing some appreciation for the health care professionals in your world?
,,,
We asked hardworking health care professionals about the expressions of appreciation that have meant the most to them. And we’ve rounded up the tips and ideas that came up over and over again.
READ FULL POST HERE
INCLUSIVE MESSAGING
Between COVID-19, protests because of racial injustice, and a fraught political climate some social media posts had more internal visibility than others.
My job: Based on our DEI content strategy, work closely with employee resource groups, marketing and creative leadership, and writers in appropriate communities to deliver posts and captions that reflected the brand point of view in our brand voice
Support for million card giveaway
Hallmark responded to the pandemic by giving away millions of cards to thank health care professionals, teachers, and frontline workers and just keep in touch. In the first week of the campaign, social media posts earned 100 million impressions, 597K+ engagements, and drove 22% of site traffic.
My jobs: Wrote (or assigned and edited) social media posts and blog posts to align with marketing campaign style guide
CAMPAIGN ANTHEM BY HALLMARK’S INTERNAL CREATIVE MARKETING STUDIO
MY JOB: WRITER, IN COLLABORATION WITH SOCIAL MEDIA DESIGNER
MY JOB: I wrote the following blog post to serve as a destination for people seeking help with what to write in their free cards.
LINK TO FULL POST.
TRISH BERRONG 