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The rapid spread of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an unprecedented package of measures by the German government, the restrictions of which we are all currently feeling in our everyday lives. The strict regulations on social contact minimization mean that the corona crisis poses a serious threat to numerous companies across all industries. The results of a DIHK&nbsp;<a href="https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1102886/umfrage/umfrage-zu-den-folgen-des-coronavirus-auf-die-geschaefte-deutscher-unternehmen/" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;reveal that 92.4% of companies are already experiencing the effects of the corona virus on their business, and that these are mainly reflected in declining sales.

The degree of digitisation is decisive

It has been shown that companies that have already digitalized their business processes - or are by nature operating a digital business model - are particularly well positioned in the crisis. They are in a position to continue offering their products and services or to adapt quickly and flexibly to the new circumstances.

It is now said that Germany is generally comparatively slow when it comes to establishing digital processes. The conservatively polarized middle class in particular has long resisted initiating digitization processes within companies. Due to the increasing market pressure, they would have thought about it in most cases at least once. The necessity for implementation is then often missing. Instead, the attitude of continuing the tried and tested was predominant. Why bring a rolling wheel to a halt? The fear of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faz.net/asv/zukunft-mittelstand/gewinner-sind-diejenigen-die-den-nutzen-erkennen-15028232.html" target="_blank">bad investments</a>&nbsp;is also a regular barrier to implementing a planned digitisation strategy.

In many companies, the wheel, which has been rolled for a long time, is now threatening to come to a halt - completely unexpectedly. Quick rethinking is required. If previous revenue sources are blocked by the crisis, there is no time to think long and hard - solutions are needed. A speedy repositioning can be decisive for the continued existence of the company.

A large part of life is taking place online these days and digital media channels are experiencing strong growth. An up-to-date website and a strong social media presence are a reliable way to stay in touch with your customers under these special circumstances. What's more, you rarely have the chance to reach as many people with your content as you do now. But how do you prepare the content in an appealing way? Here it is important to make the content equally experienceable and interactive for your customers. Through the integration of videos or picture galleries, emotions can be transported in an optimal way, so that your own products or services are digitally inspiring.

5 Opportunities for companies to emerge stronger from the crisis

The Corona crisis is putting people and companies to the test. It is important to learn from the experiences generated now and to make the right decisions for the future. Stay on the ball to make the advantages of digitalisation available to your company from now on.

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Higher, faster, further - this is the motto in German professional and career life. But the topic "simpler" is increasingly causing problems in the digital sector. The degree of digitization is increasing and the older generations are increasingly discovering the digital topics for themselves. According to the Digital Index 2018/2019 of Initiative D21, 84% of the German population is currently online. Most of the growth was generated by the over-60s.

Many chances of mobile working remain unused. Nevertheless, the professional world is becoming increasingly digital and just under 50 percent of the working population assume that the job they are exercising will change noticeably. Of course, digitization does not just have its advantages. like spatially flexible working, but also disadvantages. These include the constant pressure for learning and adaptation and the resulting lack of interest in development.

How does the offline become an onliner?

Of course, there are still Germans who still live offline. This raises the question of where the aversion to the digitization trend comes from and how they might become online.

The most important and decisive reason, for 82 percent of the off-leasers, is the lack of interest. This is revealed by the complexity and the lack of benefits. Furthermore, 28 percent deviate from classical media such as print and radio as a source of information.

We want not only the off-line to become an online person, but also to make better use of the opportunities of mobile work and to create more incentives so that digitization does not bypass people with little interest or little time.

With Novamag out of the digital offside

We create incentives from Novamag with an innovative all-in-one solution. The classic already learned "newsletter" will be interesting again and, above all, easier. Easier compared to a regular PDF newsletter. Thus, we offer not only the opponents of digitization, but also career-oriented an interesting and individual newsletter solution. Complicated handling was yesterday, with Novamag we not only reach potential customers but also our own digital circle of friends.

Even if the temporally and spatially flexible work is still an exception and currently only 16 percent of Germans work mobile, the digitization trend is unstoppable. Novamag provides companies with a solution to the preconditions necessary to avoid being left alone.

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Whether social media, influencers or newsletters and online magazines: The world and the unofficial rules of content marketing are constantly changing. There is no 'big player' who sets the course here and says, "This is now a trend!". Rather, it is about the fact that the great attention to the topic of online marketing generally provides for many participants in the market. A large number of participants means first and foremost: many different tests, many different approaches and, above all, many different results. And that's exactly what it's all about: the consensus of these many results are ever-changing trends about the user's behavior or acceptance of certain advertising content and formats. And it is precisely the consensus of this lively market participation that matters today. The following article will provide you with useful content marketing "rules" that you will not be able to avoid in 2019.

1) Content is king? Video is king!

"We should do videos? Yes, sounds good ... let's see ... "- That should be over, but why? Videos or even small 'spots' bring great advantages. Roughly, of course, this is because a video has a much higher 'traction' than a photo or, above all, a text. This means that a user is watching my 30 second video rather than lingering in front of a still image for 30 seconds. An interesting fact: If you turn on an ad on Social Media, which consists of a video, recognizes the algorithm of the corresponding social channel that this is a video and thus rather users on the platform retains, than that one they - for example, with a boring text or image ad - scared off. The platform benefits from the video so that the user usually stays longer on the page and rewards this with favorable terms for the advertiser. Correspondingly the other way round it looks, if I build an ad, which consists only of a text and a link - here the advertisement costs me correspondingly much money.

Furthermore, a person's perception of a video is a lot higher. While videos on more complex topics - such as SaaS or B2B - are very well suited to explaining complicated issues, you can benefit from the fact that the user understands the gestures and facial expressions of a person speaking in a video, especially on very personal topics. much easier to memorize and then recognize, as if he would look at only one picture of this person. In concrete terms, this means: YouTube, but most of all, IGTV Instagram stories are coming to the fore when it comes to content marketing. However, not only the social media channels should be considered here. Much more interesting are the places where videos can be placed where you really stand out: For example, in the individually designed Novamag magazine, which approved in comparison to the classic PDF newsletter, the inclusion of active content.

A nice anecdote: Imagine, as a user, you are currently reading an ad: you read it yourself in the head with a fictitious voice - a large part of the character of the advertising company is lost. This whole variable ("How does the person sound?", "How does it affect me in the video?") Is completely eliminated by publishing a video.

2) Authenticity &gt; Professionalism

Online marketing is progressing. We are no longer in the time of "Come on, we'll try this out on the side!", And we also do not currently experience a Goldgräberstimmung. Corporations, but also many SMEs and small businesses have recognized the relevance of online marketing for several years and turn diligent advertising, invest in training or shift their budgets more and more in the Internet. However, many forget one of the most important principles, which at the same time is the title of this section.

And many forget that it is more important to be "real" than to be truly professional. This can also be observed very well, if you yourself occasionally on various public forums or on social media is traveling: advertising on advertising. The bad part is not that advertising is switched. The bad thing is that you immediately realize that it is advertising. Storytelling and native advertising serve as keywords. Nobody should be incited to make surreptitious advertising. That's not necessary. It is important to stand behind what you do and also act as a real person or with real promises, real stories and genuine sympathy. Specifically, this means, for example, that the time is up when you work on LinkedIn with chatbots to generate loads of leads for your own webinar. Rather, the following applies here: class instead of mass, concretely: no spam, but an authentic and as individual as possible approach.

"The favor of the customer wins the one who is closest to him!" - And it is precisely this proximity is mass news and lack of individuality in a kilometer-long route. This section is somewhat related to the previous and following. Authenticity should become the absolute maxim of each campaign by 2019 at the latest.

3) Interaction with the user as content source

To be honest, when do we as consumers really feel integrated and addressed by a brand? Almost certainly, one of the factors that favors this is 'interacting with your own customer'. At this point, let's start with the buzzword of 'UGC' (User Generated Content), which is crucial for this topic.

Basically, 'mouth propaganda' should always be an effect of a good product. The logic behind it is quite simple: My customers are satisfied, so they tell their friends about my products. But now let's ask ourselves why they should only tell their friends and not just my entire community. Why should not my clients themselves have the opportunity to present themselves to my contacts and followers if they have had good experiences with my products? Right! There is no good reason to speak against it. Specifically, 'UGC' means that I allow the user to participate in my content marketing.

This could be expressed concretely in the following examples:

The 'Social Proof' is also relevant here. This term has been around for quite some time, but was only really influenced by the first advertisements on various fitness programs. It is about the fact that we see in the ad (at that time actually still on television ...) a person, which has the same age and sex in the optimal case, like me. This person proudly reports that she has lost more than 10 pounds in the last two weeks. At that moment you look at yourself in the mirror and think, "Wow! The person from the advertising could be me. I want to do that too! "- So you create the scope for identification.

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But why is it that many online marketers just frown on the term 'email marketing'? Quite simply: you think of outdated, (unfortunately) classic newsletters. These usually consist of a title and an accompanying introduction, which should build up as much tension. Build tension? What for? Exactly! To then disappoint with a PDF as 'newsletter' in the appendix directly.

In the following article, we provide you with 5 reasons that speak in favor of abandoning the classic PDF newsletter and using an innovative solution such as Novamag.

We have already teased our first argument in the introduction: The classic version of a newsletter is now used by almost everyone. The mere fact that this marketing measure has established itself in companies that otherwise rely more on traditional marketing methods shows that there has to be a change. The classic PDF newsletter simply 'does not flash anymore'. This is not only because of the numerous disadvantages, but much more because PDFs in the mailbox are nothing special for a long time. Whether it's your employer, the restaurant you last visited, your car repair shop or the hotel you last spent your holiday in, you'll find: Every week you'll find classic newsletters that have different content, but somehow are all the same - just boring. In order to really go with the spirit of the times, it requires a different integration of your own online magazine. For example, with an innovative all-in-one solution, as Novamag offers. Boring newsletters thus become individual experiences for the customer.

Say goodbye to bad user experience!

Above all, with the progress of our technology, the degree of pampering of the average user has also increased. While it was close to a miracle five years ago, when an application automatically adjusted itself to the size of a display, this is now considered a perfect standard ... which is no wonder, if you take a look at the many different Display sizes for smartphones, tablets, notebooks, laptops and monitors. All this sounds like another argument, not to stick to an outdated technique such as the PDF newsletter, which basically does not adapt to a display. Is there a reason why you would even less like to use a newsletter subscriber than from the aspect that the PDF was downloaded but could not be read? It's time to say goodbye to the old technology and the worse user experience and clear the way for better solutions.

"Well, that sounds quite plausible so far. But if the content of my PDF newsletter convinces you, it fits, does not it? ", One or the other may think, but here we can confidently say: No, not really. To support this thesis, let's just play through the scenario that happens when we have a PDF newsletter with top content and send it to our audience. The mail is opened, the introduction read and the customers, who then download the PDF, find the content then also good? "Great, what more do I want?" - One moment, we are not quite there yet.

As a rule, a convinced customer also has other potential customers among his circle of friends. This customer is convinced not only by your company, but also by the high-quality content of your newsletter. As a good friend, the customer wants to tell his colleagues what great value he has gained from your newsletter, but how? Send a PDF via WhatsApp? Send a screenshot in the Instagram story? The E-Mail including PDF to forward easily? It makes you feel a little strange. This is another disadvantage of a PDF newsletter: If you have convinced a user, this hardly has a way to forward this. It works differently with Novamag, where you simply send a link, as you would with a YouTube video or an Instagram post.

Once we are honest with ourselves: Each of us has already incorporated a completely avoidable, orthographic or linguistic error in a mail or a text. Not only are we talking about that, or you have been / since, but also about simple typing mistakes. And these happen, that's absolutely human and normal. Despite the free availability of all translation tools, so is even once the one or the other faulty mail to the outside. And if it is quite suboptimal running, just to the public. In social media, such an error would not be bad. Just delete or edit the post. But for a PDF newsletter, I have a big problem if I sent it to a seven-digit audience, but forgot to add a design or chose the wrong font size. But instead of bury your face in your hands, you'd better look for a solution that allows for later changes. Thus one is always prepared for the emergency.

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The range is not only increased but they promote your sales, also achieve a positive external effect. These advantages have an online magazine for you:

1. You achieve customer and brand loyalty

According to a study *, 84 percent of the surveyed companies see the biggest challenge for their company in increasing customer and brand loyalty. Through journalistic processed and advisory information, a brand is positioned more credibly and creates a real added value for the customer.

2. Gain more attention with content

Over half of German companies rely on content, rather than promotional messages. In the UK as many as 80 percent pursue this communication approach**.

3. Quality is better than quantity

Many consumers are no longer receptive to classic (normal) advertising messages. Therefore, it seems only logical that the content-driven communication approach stands for a higher contact quality.

4. An online magazine sheds new light on their company

Whether an employee, a new product or a well-researched article is published - a customer magazine creates trust, transparency and identification with the company. You can show your customers the people and the ideas behind the brand and give your company a face.

5. Reach your employees even better

In addition to the customer-side effect, you can also reach your employees through exciting and useful topics. Editorial content is also suitable for employer branding and shows you as an attractive employer.

6. They sharpen the focus on your target group

The online magazine can be a useful supplement to your already used communication channels. They reach a clearly defined target group with almost no wastage with a high-quality content.

7. Online magazines promote customer exchange

Create a new level of communication that works both ways. Deliver the editorial content, information and tips to your target audience, and your customers can use contact forms to contact you or quickly contact editors.

8. Tapping new potential and keeping customers

You would like to address the internet-savvy generation with a digital magazine? With Novamag it's quite simple, we offer the right software and you can create your online magazine.

*A PAC study commissioned by Materna Munich / Berlin, 25.08.2017** ICMF_Barometer_Dossier_2015

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For content enrichment and ongoing expansion of the website, a company can integrate a "knowledge area" as well as a "news area". In-depth information on products or company news can then be published there. But information as well as news always have a very close company reference and have to follow very strictly the communication concept of the company. And this is where the additional function of online magazines comes into play. If such a supplement is added to the company website, it is suddenly possible to communicate outside the predefined guidelines. Probably the greatest advantage here is the possible expansion of topics. The company is no longer limited to its product range and services, but can also delve into related topics. What would be extremely problematic on a company website is the salt in the soup in online magazines:

Thematic expansion offers starting points for presenting the company's offering in a broader context. Useful information in the articles created brings streams of visitors who can subsequently be directed to the company website, where the company's actual advertising messages are then placed. The company websites then benefit from this. An online magazine can therefore be used to channel streams of visitors to the company website, whose accesses are already thematically very precisely tailored to the company's offering.

Difference between corporate blog and online magazine

The authorship of a corporate blog can be clearly assigned to the company from the outside. This is also communicated accordingly. Consequently, no claim to independence and "objectivity" is made. The clearly advertising character of the content is obvious and can be perceived by everyone. Online magazines and online newspapers, on the other hand, are published as company-independent thematic publications. Within the framework of the specified page line, the content has to fulfill a "journalistic" information mission. The company appears as the head sponsor and is given sufficient space in the reporting so that the desired promotional effects can be achieved. Online magazines also allow paid display advertising from partner companies to be placed on the start page, for example. This increases the independence character and additionally the real costs for the operation of the online magazine can be reduced.

As a rule, the online magazine is integrated into the company website either as a directory (www.firma.de/magazin) or as a subdomain (magazin.firma.de). In the former case, the advantage is that the published content and also accesses are directly attributed to the website. This results in advantages in the evaluation by search engines. In the latter case, there are no advantages from the point of view of search engine optimization, since search engines equate subdomains with completely independent domains. Due to the massive advance of mobile devices, it is inevitable to make the design platform-independent and responsive. Thus, the presentation of the magazine is always optimally adapted to the size of the display - regardless of whether it is a "small" smartphone or a "large" PC screen.

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Create interactive and contemporary publications

Corona crisis: 5 chances for your company to go digital

Get out of the digital offside

Content Marketing - These trends must be on the screen

5 reasons why a simple PDF newsletter is no longer sufficient

8 Reasons for an online magazine

Online magazine to complement website

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