Navigate Social Media During COVID-19
News, news and more news. Canadians are consuming digital content at a record pace. We’re staying ultra-connected with our family and friends through social media – even more so than before. How can you navigate social media during COVID-19?
Check out the % increase in email, messaging and networking app usage below!
Graphic via Comscore.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve spoken with some small-medium business owners who are struggling to answer these questions:
How should I be positioning my offer now that my customer’s needs have changed?
How do I cut through the noise and stay connected with my audience?
Are my emails even important anymore?
Is it even appropriate to be selling my product during a time like this?
There’s so much to think about – but figuring out your message doesn’t have to be complicated. If you’re asking yourself how to navigate social media during COVID-19, read on to learn about the 3 things you can do right now.
1. Pivot your message.
This pandemic is uncharted waters for most businesses. Companies are being challenged not only on how to sell during this time, but also on how they treat their employees, their core values, and what they’re doing to help.
The modern day social media consumer is savvy, and doesn’t want to be sold to. They can see through any and all BS, and demand transparency. While this pandemic offers a whole range of scary outcomes (like bankruptcy), it also offers an opportunity for brands to rise to the challenge and make an impact.
Some brands, such as Purell, Clorox, and Lysol, have stopped all social media advertising during this time… and rightfully so. Giving the impression that they’re trying to capitalize on other people’s anxiety and fears is less than ideal.
However, unless the nature of your product puts your brand at risk of coming across in this way, I say full steam ahead (respectfully).
Don’t go dark – instead, steer clear of hard-sell content, dig deep into your core values, and see what you can share that can help people during this time. Staying active, open and honest is a great way to navigate social media during COVID-19!
2. Listen First
Put a process in place to listen first, and then respond. Educate your team on what to look out for, and then how to reply. Consider updating your website’s FAQs to ensure consistency and sensitivity across the board. Conduct daily social listening – here’s how you can do it.
- Create Google Alerts for any keywords you find important and valuable in your industry during this time.
- Try to spend up to 30 minutes per day just… scrolling. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, whatever. Try to find out what people are talking about and how they react to daily COVID-19 updates.
- Bookmark the websites of news sources that you trust so that you can see COVID-19 updates every day.
- Create a list of 5-10 hashtags that you want to keep an eye on over the next few weeks. Keywords to consider are: #covid19 #coronavirus #coronavirusoutbreak #quarantineandchill #coronapocalypse #socialdistancing #isolation #workfromhome
3. Adapt your strategy
This might be a good time to make sure all of your social platforms are up to date. Does your Google My Business Page reflect your updated hours? Is there any insensitive content on your Instagram or Facebook? Have you done a general search of your company to see how and where it’s being talked about online?
After that, consider checking in with your audience and asking what kind of content they want to see from you. This shows that you are sensitive about the issue, and are aware of what your customers are going through.
- Will this content contribute to a sense of panic?
- Am I making assumptions about my audience’s current situation or availability of resources?
- Does this content make light of a serious situation?
- Is there a risk that by posting this, my brand will come off as insensitive or opportunistic?
- Will this content provide value to my customers?
If you feel any sense of hesitation, it is probably best to hold off on posting. Need more help? Check out this handy list of blog posts to get your marketing journey rolling.
