Written by: Vickie Sullivan  |  August 06, 2020

Content Strategy to Make Your Predictions Stand Out

During the pandemic, there has been a lot of crystal ball gazing and looking around corners. Predictions abound about economic recovery, schools reopening, vaccines, and more. What’s gonna happen next? How do we deal with the new normal?

Ernst and Young offered their insights in a recent report, “Future Consumer Index: How COVID-19 is changing consumer behaviors,” focusing on people’s spending habits created before COVID-19  and looking forward to the new normal. Let’s move past the consumer-focused content and look at the format they use in the report: categories. Categories can be a great way to focus your predictions. They work because they:

• Create a gateway. The habits outlined in this report are enough to spark interest but not enough to do anything about what you just learned. And that’s the point. This format is great for short “teaser” content that can pave the way for the next step. This easy-to-skim structure for free reports drives interest towards a more in-depth presentation such as a webinar.

Listen: Two Things That Make the Best Categories Catch Fire

• Plant seeds of opportunity. My favorite thing about this report is the “what happens next” section. (Note the distinction between expectations and action.) When you show the possible changes, you plant ideas that folks need help implementing. It’s perfect for advisors such as coaches and consultants.

Our lives might be far from normal, but our content still has to be snack-size. Content marketing that breaks a bigger issue down into smaller pieces make us scan-worthy—and sharable.

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