As government and health officials talk about the coronavirus pandemic lasting the rest of 2020 and beyond, I am trying to imagine what our “new normal” will actually look like.

I guess only time will tell. But in the meantime, there’s one thing I know for certain. Corporate events and business travel will be suspended for the foreseeable future.

So, how should firms reallocate this spending?

In this sense, content becomes a system for engagement.

Just because firm staff is not traveling and speaking at bellwether events does not mean you can’t develop content and repurpose it as if you were.

Since there is no opportunity to get noticed at in-person events, you need to create new ways to network. (I’ve touched on this a little bit before.) Creating content and using it as an excuse to reach out is one of those ways. Develop content that your clients will find useful and share it with them directly with a custom note. It’s these personal touches, right now in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, that are the most meaningful and the ones that will ultimately make an impression, attract new connections, and generate work.

In this sense, content becomes a system for engagement.

So, to answer my initial question, after taking care of your employees and doing something special for them, reallocate what’s left of your travel and events budget for creative, unique content. Our suggestion is designed to go beyond simply building general name awareness about the firm and its professionals. Instead, by seeking highly targeted and more substantial placements, this approach is designed to facilitate a targeted selling strategy that takes a firm and their professionals from being noticed generally to being discovered specifically for key industry expertise.