Mindful Social Media
Strategies
During COVID-19 by Michelle Hummel
The COVID-19 outbreak is impacting consumer behavior in a big way. A recent study conducted by Numerator reported a staggering 59 percent of consumers have altered their purchasing behavior as travel restrictions, school closures and the need for physical distancing have affected communities across the country.
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Adjust your messaging and consistently post It’s tough to know what’s coming, so you need to keep a close eye on your posts. The messages that worked yesterday might not work today. Be sensitive in your posts, and don’t be afraid to inject a little humor into your followers’ lives. At Web Strategy Plus, our proven mantra is especially poignant right now: teach me, inspire me, make me laugh and I’ll remember you when it’s time to buy. Make sure to keep your audiences informed of the latest news about your business and emphasize how they can assist you throughout
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As a result, it’s more important than ever for small business owners to locate opportunities that will help them establish personalized and enduring relationships with their audiences from a safe range.
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Here are three bullet-proof strategies for managing effective social media communications during the pandemic:
these times with business activities, such as shopping online with a promotional sale, curbside delivery and any extra precautions you’re taking to keep your customers and staff safe. One tactic we’ve had great success with is to increase messaging about buying gift cards, especially if you’ve had to lay off workers. Not only can this income help keep your business afloat right now, but donating 20 percent of sales to your employees helps garner goodwill. If your business has shut down, now is the time to reassure your customers that you’ll be here for them during the crisis and ready to welcome them back when you reopen.
Develop brand awareness with your online audience With more consumers at home, we’re seeing a large spike in online browsing. The impact of this is already being felt by many companies, including Verizon, who just announced a 20 percent weekover-week boost in web traffic. For your social advertising, with additional impressions and changes in competition, your CPM will by all appearances diminish—which provides an ideal opportunity to seize more reach from your budget on Facebook and Instagram, specifically.
