In the midst of COVID-19, many businesses and brands have had to find new ways to communicate with their customers. The global pandemic has caused many disruptions like office closures, changes in customer behavior and where to find your customers...
most of who are home btw. lol
As everyone tries to adjust, businesses need to as well. But how?
Keep reading for best practices, tips on appropriate content and how to make your social media marketing successful during COVID-19.
Stay connected to your customers
Your customers need to know that you are there for them even in a crisis. They will remember the brands who helped to either keep them sane, informed or entertained. This is your opportunity to build brand affinity and stay top of mind.
Listen and respond to your customers. For real, we want you to respond to every single one of them. It's not like you don't have the time.
If you are busy coming up with strategies to pivot your business or focused on other aspects of your business, then you should hire an experienced social media marketer to help with this.
Secure future business
With the uncertainty of all thats happening, your customers will have many questions and maybe even refund requests. If you have to refund customers, give them a good reason to return to your business. Discounts or coupons are a good way to show how much you value their business.
Acknowledging the outstanding contributions of all front line workers such as doctors, nurses and police officers with specials will not only secure future business, but will humanize your brand.
If you are in the restaurant business, free delivery to all front line workers is a good way to support our cape-less heroes but think about the impact and reach you would get if you added a social sharing element. Any small gesture can be elevated by out of the box communication. If done properly, a campaign like this would:
promote social distancing
feed the workers who are away from their homes as they work to keep us safe
create organic and shareable social media content
all while,
creating a loyal customer base
appealing to future customers
Get even more social
Social media makes it easier for people to stay connected. In fact, Techcrunch noted that Facebook and Instagram saw a 40% increase in usage due to COVID-19. The number of persons hosting live videos also multiplied significantly. Join your customers and increase your social media efforts. Share engaging content which will provide value during the pandemic. Encourage social distancing, give tips to reduce the spread and anything that will be useful to your fans.
Facebook and Instagram Live video content can elevate your platform and put your customers directly in front of you. One brand that has proven to use Live videos effectively is Verzuz TV. The Instagram Live Music Battle series broke the internet! The Beenie Man vs Bounty Killer music clash really brought people together in a time when we are all apart and stuck inside (due to quarantine). The exceptional dancehall music and magnetic vibe of Jamaican people were on display to over 500K viewers on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. Proud Jamaicans chimed in on the hits from both artistes and commented with flag emojis. Other celebrities were present including Usain Bolt, Rihanna and Diddy.
If you missed one of the most epic dancehall showcase in social media history, here you go: (watch after reading to the end. lol)
The Instagram Live of the Beenie vs Bounty Verzuz battle also led to more social media content like memes.
Reposting content can lighten the mood. Even content that was created long ago can be repurposed and made relevant to our current situation. Captions are generally the easiest way to do this. Look at how Yendi Phillipps, Miss Jamaica World and Miss Jamaica Universe, uses her throwbacks. Businesses can use these same tactics to show off their services and past work.
Influencer marketing is another way to maximize social media presence and brand awareness. With more people online, your content will have guaranteed success once the chosen influencers match your target demography. Before diving into publishing content from influencers, you must assess the brand, category and leverage data to find out who are creating the most creative and engaging content.
If you have existing relationships with influencers, stay in touch. If you are used to working through an influencer agency, find out how they can assist with collaborations or partnerships even if you do not have a big budget. Influencers will remember all those brands that stuck by them. Use this time to build brand loyalty.
Businesses can take this time to try new platforms like TikTok. Usage of TikTok has seen an exponential increase since March 2020. The app that once served mostly Gen Z is now serving all generations and businesses. Jump in on trends and see just how you can create content in-app or even share content from other platforms to TikTok. Don't be discouraged if you don't get 10,000 likes at once. As with all things, it takes time. The key is to create meaningful content that is relevant to your brand.
Watch what you say
The topic of Covid-19 is a very sensitive one. To avoid mistakes, harsh wording or backlash, put protocols in place for approving content prior to posting on social media channels. Sprout Social's Message Approval Workflow is ideal or you can just add a second set of eyes for reviewing and editing. We need our audience more than ever, so this will ensure we do not lose any to inappropriate content.
Learn more about how we can help your business in social media marketing, influencer marketing and other services we offer at EFFIT! Contact us today!