10 Smart Ways to Use Content Creation to Keep Your Business Going During a Crisis

Disruptions are unpredictable, but your response does not have to be. Whether it is economic instability, severe weather, supply chain issues, or geopolitical tension, your customers still need connection, clarity, and confidence. Communication and content creation play keys role in maintaining that connection. When used well, it helps you stay front of mind, demonstrate leadership, and keep your business running even when your physical doors are closed.

Here are 10 practical content strategies that help you keep communicating and operating when things get tough.

1. Acknowledge the Situation, Calmly and Clearly

The first step in meaningful communication is honesty. Let your audience know you are aware of the disruption and that you are adapting accordingly.

A message from the founder or CEO can be powerful, especially if it speaks to how your business is managing operations, supporting staff, or continuing service. Be clear, calm, and reassuring. And make sure you back your words with genuine action.

With this understanding, a communication to your customers that is compassionate and caring, shows who you really are and gives you a chance to reinforce your core values. Only do this though if you back what you say and are willing deliver with honest actions. Don't be fake. This is also a great time to revisit your buyer personas. What do your customers need from you right now? What are they worried about? Adjust your tone and message to meet them where they are.

Content matters

You will want to think about the best way to get your message across – should it be a personal email from your CEO describing how you can keep supporting your customers during this unplanned event?

Consider including a summary on how you are looking after your staff and customers, tasked with keeping the business flowing. Be specific and describe in a reassuring, calm and measured way the new hygiene, wellness protocols and work practices being implemented.

Know your target audience and consider what tone and type of content this might be – does this require a video posted on a social media platform for people to find for themselves or a direct email to everyone in your loyalty program with an embedded link to the video on a landing page?

Create or review buyer personas to help you visualise and understand your audience and their pain points in the current landscape. Defining your personas will help fine tune your value proposition and help you create relevant content for each of your communication channels.

2. Tell your customers what you’d like from them

Be bold and explain how you need them to keep supporting you even through difficult times. Make it easy for them to help you. You might not be used to this level of frankness, but it is important to be clear and give customers what they need to support you.

Transparency goes both ways. If you need customers to be patient, order online, shift delivery methods, or support new offerings, say so. Frame it positively. Here’s how you can help us help you.

Consider the key messages before you create any content.

The situation:

• We are the same reliable business we have always been ready to support you.
• The external environment has changed and so must we.
• We continue to put our customers first.

What we need from you:

• Keep supporting us; understand we need you.
• Be patient we are doing our best with your interests at the core of our focus.
• Be kind to each other and to our staff as well.
• Tell us what we are doing right.
• Tell us where we can improve.

3. Create a new offer

Adapt and Launch something new.

If you own a shopfront business and customers cannot visit in person, look for ways to pivot online. Innovate with flexible digital solutions that allow you to continue serving customers remotely. For example, a local butcher might take online orders and deliver them directly to customers using contactless pickup points.

Or, develop a simple app so that your customers can place online orders. Then install a safe pop-up collection space for order collections.

Use blog posts, landing pages, or pinned social content to update customers on operational changes, lead times, or service adjustments. Avoid overwhelming detail and aim for helpful, digestible, relevant information.

4. Stay relevant

Keep on providing your customers with the latest information on how the crisis may impact them. This isn’t about crystal ball gazing. More like keeping up to date with the news.

Facts can help minimise fear; and fear can help eliminate some of the anxiety and the societal issues that arise during a crisis. Relevance is also about resilience and commitment to maintaining a positive customer experience even when the going gets tough.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. For example, you are running a small gym and need to close your doors for a time. Use the time to create your own online personal training video or yoga class. This will keep your customers close and ensure when you get back up and running, they return to you.

5. Support community

During a crisis the vulnerable in our community can often be overlooked. Crises often reveal character. Use your content channels to show how your business is supporting others, whether that is vulnerable customers, staff wellbeing, or community causes.

Volunteer to have your delivery team drop off essential items to vulnerable people in your neighbourhood. Invite your customers to help you identify community members needing additional support.

Build this into your content strategy under ‘community support.’ Even small actions can have a big impact.

6. Show you care

Demonstrate your compassion by creating a social media campaign for your customers, staff or community to help improve mental health during the crisis. It is a distressing and confusing time, seeing our friends and family, business and colleagues suffering.

Consider an online virtual fundraiser for a group in need of support. Your business could also reach out to a community Facebook group with offers of support. There’s never been a more important time to be a good neighbour. You can lead the way.

7. Navigate the language of the crisis

You can create useful information guides or infographics to communicate current facts and information on the situation. 

People value content that makes life easier. Consider infographics, checklists, cheat sheets, or how-to videos that solve a timely problem. Visual and practical contents boost engagement and helps customers get more value from what you already offer.

8. Check the Pulse with a Customer Survey

The crisis may enable a pause to create an online survey to take the pulse of your customers on a variety of topics. You can then use the ‘data’ to create infographics and blog content.

The survey information can be used as a future resource for business development initiatives, validated by knowledge from the customer base that might include product site pages, thought leadership and newsletter topics.

9. Engagement contest

Competitions are engagement tools that during a crisis shouldn’t be discounted. Everyone loves the opportunity to win a prize. Just make sure the prize resonates with your target audience.

One of your premium products or services would make an ideal prize. A competition can boost your appeal and improve your SEO ranking, allowing you to reach a broader audience.

10. Nominate a Customer or Partner for Recognition

Goodwill builds loyalty. Use your platform to highlight customers doing amazing work or nominate them for relevant industry awards. Identify customers who are outstanding in their business community and nominate them for industry awards.

A provider of coffee beans to the local baristas could research an appropriate award like the annual International Coffee Awards and propose and develop a co-entry in an appropriate category.

Positive communication with all your stakeholders during this time is paramount. Keep playing until you get our mix right. Remember this crisis will end and there will be uptick on the other side.

Final Word: Keep Creating, Keep Connecting

Content is not just for selling. It is your strongest tool for staying visible, valuable, and trusted when uncertainty takes over. Keep your content human. Keep it relevant. And do not wait for perfect conditions. Your customers need your voice now.

Need Help? We Are Just a Call Away

The Fileroom team is offering free 30-minute introductory sessions to help you explore what kind of content might work best right now. No obligations, just support.