Over the last few weeks, the world around us has changed quite drastically. We’re experiencing an unprecedented situation – something that the last few generations have never seen before. So it’s only natural that right now we find ourselves in a state of uncertainty, full of worry, fear, anxiety, and doubt. Our habits, attitudes, and behaviours have already had to adjust. And there’s more to come! But there’s something we can do to pull together and help each other while we figure all this out. How? We can share content to help your audience during social distancing.

And you may think it’s frivolous. You may think that creating content for your business should be the last of your priorities right now. But it’s not. Because as a business owner, you’re an expert in what you do. Through the products and services you sell, you solve problems. And right now your business may need to adjust or pivot. Your priority should be to serve your existing clients – to let them know what’s changing and how.

But once you’ve done that, I urge you to start creating content. Because we have questions this week that we didn’t have last week. And we’re desperately looking for the answers. And you have information, expertise, and experience that others will be looking for. While none of us have all the answers, you have the answers to some of the questions that others are asking right now. So whether it’s your personal or professional knowledge, can you help us out?

If you’re stuck for ideas, here are some of the topics that people around you will be looking for and will be interested in.

• Physical health.
• Mental health and mindset.
• Children and education.
• Elderly parents and vulnerable people.
• Business and marketing.
• Finances and savings.
• Lifestyle and entertainment.

Physical health

The first topic that’s high on people’s agenda is our health. Of course, we all want to protect ourselves and our loved ones from getting ill. But we also have a duty of care to the people around us. The good news is that by keeping ourselves safe, we can keep other people safe, and especially the most vulnerable members of our society and those at risk.

The UK government and the NHS are sharing plenty of advice on this, but do you have anything to add? Can you share any information that might help us protect ourselves and the people around us?

Boosting our immune system

They say prevention is better than the cure. Apparently, at the time of writing in March 2020, the UK hasn’t seen the worst of the situation yet. By taking the necessary precautions and following the given advice, we’re reducing our chances of getting ill.

But something we can all do right now is to get ourselves stronger by boosting our immune system. Do you know anything about that?

• What should we eat or drink? Any recommendations for particular spices or superfoods?
• Should we start taking vitamins and supplements? If so, which ones?
• Can you recommend any lifestyle changes? Like meditation, specific types of exercise, etc.
• Could we use essential oils? If so, which ones and how?
• Are there any alternative practices that can be carried out safely right now that might be able to help us?
• We’re washing our hands a million times a day, and we’re using alcohol-based hand gels that dry our skin and trigger eczema and psoriasis in people with pre-existing conditions. How can we work around that?

If you know about any of these topics, now it’s time to shout it from the rooftops! We all need this information, so please share!

Recovering from a viral infection

The sad and scary truth is that some people will get ill. However, data shows that the vast majority of people becoming ill will also experience a full recovery. Although the Coronavirus isn’t something the human race has experienced before, it causes a viral infection. And every single one of us has experience in getting (and recovering from) those.

So do you have some advice and information that can help people recover from a viral infection?

• What can we do if we get ill?
• Are there any natural ways to ease symptoms or help our bodies fight an infection?
• What will help and what could, potentially, delay our recovery or cause unnecessary complications?

If you know anything about that, please do share. And yes, old wife tales and grandma’s remedies are welcome too.

Exercise

With social distancing kicking in (and a potential lockdown following soon after), people won’t be able to attend their local gym, take their weekly classes, or attend their usual sports clubs. This is a huge change in people’s lifestyles and one that can have serious consequences on someone’s physical and mental health.

If you’re a coach, a personal trainer, or someone who runs regular classes, can you help people online? Do you have any advice to share? For example:

• What can people who regularly exercise do from home?
• What would you recommend people do to either boost their immune system or to destress and re-energise while forced to spend more time indoors?
• If you’re not running an online class yourself, do you know of any programmes you’d like to recommend?
• We’re being advised to exercise outdoors and not in large groups. Is there anything we can do aside from walking, running, or cycling?
• Are there any lifestyle changes or adjustments you’d recommend while we practise social distancing?
• More people will want to buy gym equipment for the home. Do you have any recommendations on the best pieces of equipment to get? Can you share any reviews?

Nutrition

Eating healthier and better has never been more important. Right now, eating the right foods can help us get stronger and recover faster in case we do get ill. But if we’re moving and exercising less, it’s also important that we eat healthy food so that we don’t come out of social distancing a few weeks or months down the line with a lot of additional, unwanted weight! The last thing we want to do is to become at risk of developing more serious and life-threatening conditions!

So, if you work in nutrition or if you know how to cook healthy food from scratch, can you help?

• What foods should we be eating to boost our physical and mental health?
• What should we avoid eating or drinking at a time when we’re moving or going outside less?
• Can you recommend any changes to our diet? Any particular dishes?
• Stock permitting, what foods should we avoid buying?

There’s a lot we can learn from you right now, so if you have any information on this, please share it with the rest of us.

Mental health and mindset

Right now, just watching the news feels stressful. And there’s no hiding from what’s going on. Even if you make a point of staying away from the TV or the newspapers, you’re bound to get at least snippets of (worrying) information. And for people with elderly or vulnerable relatives or who are at higher risk, the situation – right now – is terrifying. Anyone’s anxiety and stress levels are likely to be through to the roof.

So can you help? Do you have any expertise in this field?

• What can people do to manage their stress or anxiety right now? Are there apps we can use? Is there anyone we can talk to? Are there any services we should know about?
• But it’s also about mindset – while the situation is admittedly dire, how can we stay positive and focus on the good?
• How can we keep things into perspective and avoid our mental health spiraling?

Social distancing and self-isolation mean spending more time at home – either alone or with close family members. For anyone struggling with mental health already, these changes may feel hard to adjust to and could have a negative impact.

• So what can we all do to support our mental health while spending more time alone?
• What can we do if we’re struggling?
• Who can support us and how? Do you know of any resources?

Children and education

As schools close, parents of young children are faced with concerns and practical questions around the children’s education and their physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. How can we help our children in this situation? We don’t want them to fall behind with their learning and education, but we also want them to continue to move, get out in the fresh air and interact with their friends.

Do you have any advice or expertise on this?

• Perhaps you’ve been homeschooling your children and know about the resources available. Can you help other parents who are encountering home learning for the first time?
• Or maybe you can tell us how to ensure our children keep moving, even if they don’t have access to a garden.
• With no school or birthday parties for a while, do you have any ideas for virtual ‘play dates’ for children?
• Do you have any tips for parents who work from home or are starting now to help them work while the children are home learning?
• Or do you have any advice on how to create structure and predictability as we navigate our new lifestyles?

I for one would very much welcome any advice in this space!

Elderly parents and vulnerable people

We’re being told in clear terms that the elderly and anyone with a compromised immune system or underlying health condition are at greater risk right of getting ill right now. So how can we support people around us whilst keeping them safe? If we can’t be there to support our elderly parents and provide any of the practical and emotional help they might need during these difficult times, what can we do?

Do you have any expertise in this area?

• Do you know of any local resources or new initiatives to help the elderly or the most vulnerable members of our community with food deliveries or meal preparation services, for example?
• Can you help us understand how we can best support our loved ones – practically, mentally and emotionally?
• And if we’re not in a position to visit them, in what ways can we help?
• But also, some of the elderly who are now being asked to self-isolate have lived through WW2 and rationing. Maybe there’s something we can learn from them?

Business and marketing

If you offer business- or market-related services, right now, people need your help. With face-to-face meetings and events no longer being an option, a lot of business owners are in a position where they need to either make changes to their offering or pivot their business. Now more than ever, we need to know how to act and how to move forward.

Here are some of the issues you may be able to help with:

• Do you have any advice or resources on how to turn your offline business into an online one?
• Most micro-businesses or solopreneurs don’t have contingency or continuity plans and are now officially in panic mode. They probably don’t need to, but they don’t have the knowledge or expertise to get out of this. Can you help?
• Can you help fellow business owners to go through the business relief packages and help them understand what they mean for them?
• Do you have any advice on what we can do to future-proof our businesses and get ready for when things get back to some sort of ‘normal’ again?
• Or maybe you can help people with their mindset? It’s easy to tell ourselves that with so many people losing their jobs, no one will want to spend any money and buy from us. But that’s not necessarily true! So what can business owners do to keep things in perspective and adopt a mindset that will work for them rather than against them?

While some of these questions could be answered through content, in order to offer tailored help, you may need to offer one-to-one sessions or specific courses or classes. And that’s fine too! There’s no doubt that the situation we’re in calls for new needs. If you can offer the right solution, why not? The needs of your audience have changed, and adapting in response to that makes you responsive and proactive.

Not to mention that now might be the time for many of us to work on our businesses rather than in them. We could be doing things like:

• Updating our website (or getting round to creating one in the first place). If you’re in the market for that, check out Jammy Digital.
• Creating resources – lead magnets, challenges, infographics, memes, etc.
• Following up on leads – does anyone else have a stash of business cards on their desks to go through? No? Just me? Fine, then.

We might need information and support with all of the above, so if you offer free or paid resources in this space, we might need you!

Finances and savings

There’s definitely a lot of fear at the moment. Stock markets all over the world are falling, and with local businesses forced to close down, scaremongering is afoot. You can already tell that a strong scarcity mindset is starting to take over amongst various communities. People are starting to worry about money and have questions on mortgages, savings, pensions, etc.

So can you help?

• Can you provide advice and information on savings, pensions, mortgages, etc.? Here’s a helpful example of this type of content from Dan – the Vegan Mortgage Adviser – regarding the small print on suspending your mortgage payments.
• For those who are likely to need financial help at the moment, what resources or schemes are available?
• Is there anything we can do to keep money circulating or safeguard ourselves financially?
• What help is available from the government?

If you’re an expert in this field, there might be an opportunity for you to introduce new services, and that’s great. If your audience needs help, and you have the solution, use your content to let them know!

Lifestyle and entertainment 

This is a big one. Cinemas, pubs and clubs, restaurants and other businesses up and down the country are closing. The Euros are cancelled, regular TV programmes have stopped filming, Glastonbury and the other music festivals have been cancelled, we’re not allowed at concerts or gatherings, and we can forget any holiday and travelling plans for the foreseeable future. What can we do, exactly?

It looks like we’ll be spending a lot more time at home. And at first, it may mean a lot of bingeing on Netflix series (and recommendations, anyone?). But when we’ve had enough of that, how can we use the time in a positive, constructive way that will help (rather than hinder) our physical and mental health?

Here are some things people may want to do or find out more about:

• Learning a new skill – from learning to play an instrument to learning a new language (all things we can do online, by the way).
• Decluttering and organising – no excuse to go through that wardrobe or sort out the garage!
• Arranging family photos into albums (good luck with that one).
• Starting an online exercise class.
• Writing a book (why not?).

You get the gist. And once again, these aren’t just opportunities for you to share helpful resources and content. If this gives you an idea to expand your offering or pivot your business, go for it! It’s all about listening and responding to what people need right now.

Would you like some ideas for content to help your audience during social distancing? 

Hopefully, this blog post has given you some ideas for content to help your audience during social distancing. The main thing is that you keep sharing what you know. And while you do something good – something helpful – for the people around you who need solutions, remember that you’re building trust and authority with your audience. And when the time is right, you’ll be front of mind for referrals, recommendations, and sales.

If you feel your business wasn’t covered in this post, get in touch with me on LinkedIn, and I’ll put my thinking cap on and come up with some ideas for you. And if you need my support in learning how to create the right type of content for your business, email me at hello@sarabussandri.com or fill in the form on my website.