To deliver outstanding experiences, you have to be connected with your audience.
As part of our commitment to helping businesses stay connected during the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Upland Software has launched a Connected Through Change webinar series aimed at empowering brands to meaningfully engage their audiences with rapid communication when it matters most.
The latest of these webinars, “Connected Through Change: Strengthening Audience Connections in Times of Uncertainty,” focused on media & publishing, providing brands with tips and best practices for building audience relationships in a changing industry.
Miss the webinar? We’ve provided a few takeaways here.
1) Use your website to grow and engage your audience.
For many publishers, site traffic is on the rise during this time. This is a great opportunity for audience development. Make sure you establish a link to these passing visitors by converting them into email subscribers, SMS subscribers, or app users. For instance, you may use email capture widgets that invite visitors to subscribe to your newsletter so they can receive the latest related content directly in their inbox.
2) Give your audience options.
In a rapidly-changing situation, audiences want to stay in-the-know, but not all audiences have the same interests. For instance, some users may want all of the latest COVID-19 news, while others may want more measured analysis of the situation. Many users may simply want a distraction from the news with some lighter fare. Use segmentation to ensure your audiences receive the most relevant content, and update your preference center to allow audience to opt into or out of COVID-19 news.
3) Make the most of limited resources with automation & optimization.
In a changing situation, your team is likely facing fewer resources and increased responsibilities. By automating your content delivery, you can free up resources while also ensuring your audiences receive breaking news as quickly as possible.
The current climate is also changing how audiences consume content – what time they open emails, what content they read, and perhaps even what channels they use. Look at your data to see where, when, and how audiences are engaging right now. By optimizing your content delivery accordingly, you can maximize engagement.
4) Don’t lose sight of your long-term strategy.
COVID-19 has likely upended your content, marketing, and events strategy, forcing you to make many decisions on the fly. However, it’s important to keep in mind not only how these changes will engage your audience right now, but also how your decisions fit into your future:
- How can you convert increased audience attention into a lasting relationship?
- Should you consider a paywall? If you already have a paywall, would reconfiguring your strategy help you increase subscriptions?
- Are you diversifying your revenue streams? Are these new streams sustainable?
Of course, those are just a few tips from the hour-long session. To get more expert advice on strengthening your audience connections, watch the full webinar here.
You can also view the complete list of Connected Through Change Webinars below:
Connected Through Change Series:
- Urgent Communications for Nonprofits, Government, and Health
- Strengthening Audience Communications for Media & Publishing
- Delivering Restaurant & Retail CX In Today’s World
Stay tuned for additional webinars in our Connected Through Change series.