With almost all workplace activity has shifted online, and social media engagement way up, keeping your brand active on social is more vital than ever. With that said, brands need to ensure that their approach to social considers the impact of coronavirus on how we live and work – and is sensitive to that at all times.
Here’s what to do when building out your social media presence while under lockdown.
Stay Positive
As we try to juggle work, homeschooling, and the impact on daily life, we’re all dealing with skyrocketing levels of stress and anxiety. Try to position your social media presence as the antidote to that. Pictures of work-from-home life, short videos, motivational quotes, tips, and thought leadership posts are all great for humanizing your brand and resonating with stressed-out audiences.
Keep it Coming
44% of workers are spending more time on social media the moment, with the impact being a 16% increase in lead generations and brand awareness. That means every one of your posts is likely to reach more eyes and create more impact. Don’t sit idle. Even a quick vlog or a brief update opens lines of communications between you and your customers, reassuring them that you’re still here to help.
Tie Into Trends
While engagement with topics such as travel or sports has declined massively, some topics are driving huge spikes in engagement – posts about alcohol and financial services, for example. If these trending topics are a good fit for your brand, see if you can find a way to tie a post into them. But keep it human, not salesy.
Skip the Sales
The human impact of the coronavirus pandemic is very real and will hit very close to home for many people. Avoid posting sales, discounts, or anything that could be construed as an effort to profit off the situation. Similarly, be mindful of the fact that millions of people have lost their jobs – now is not the time to try to pitch $425 sneakers. Empathy and contextual awareness matter.
Give Shout-outs and Props
Small businesses, essential workers, and healthcare workers are doing it tough right now. Show your appreciation for workers, get behind local businesses, and tag any non-profits you’re supporting. For example, the design studio Device Collaborative is posting about the t-shirts it’s designing to benefit local small businesses. It’s a strategy that promotes both the studio and the businesses it’s supporting.
Offer Tips for At-Home Activities
If your business model lends itself to it, consider offering tips and ideas for things that people can do at home. At-home bodyweight workout sessions are a winner for fitness studios; easy recipes are great for restaurants, and free concert streams are gendering goodwill among bands. Even coloring sheets are great for keeping your clients’ kids busy.
Review Scheduled Campaigns
If you have campaigns pre-loaded from the “before” time, review them to make sure they won’t cause a backlash. ASOS’s automated ads for a chainmail face mask for concertgoers didn’t age well. Nor did Corona’s “coming ashore” campaign. Check your ads, tweets, and posts through the current COVID-19 lens to ensure that you’re not inadvertently misstepping. With things changing so rapidly, avoid scheduling posts more than a week or so in advance.
Leave the Advice to the Professionals
Finally, avoid commenting on quarantine policies and procedures, and reconsider offering advice around social distancing or the virus. Feel free to share any policies you’ve adopted in house as a way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but leave the advice-giving up to organizations such as the WHO.
Keeping your social media presence active and engaging is critical at the moment, but requires exceptional nimbleness and sensitivity. If you’re not sure about the value of a post, run it past a colleague or two to make sure that you’re getting it right. Or you can always chat with the team at StellaPop – we’re happy to help you create a coronavirus-era social presence that lands in all the right ways.
See Also:
Why Your Brand Should be on Social Media Right Now
10 Ways to Engage Your Target Audience on Social Media
Engaging Social Media: How to Create a Rabid Community
