How businesses should approach social media marketing during COVID-19
Marketers across the globe right now are working hard to figure out how to best communicate during the COVID-19 crisis.
Since stay-at-home orders are in place, more eyes are on your social content. But are you sending the right message? Should you only be focusing on the pandemic, or is your messaging sensitive enough?
These are questions our team is asking internally, and we bet you are too. While there is no yellow-brick-road to the right answer, here are some tips on how to navigate this challenging time:
- Adjust your message and tone in your ads, and be mindful of which ads should be paused. During any crisis, it’s critical to take a step back and look at what ads you have running, what posts are scheduled, and reevaluate if they are sensitive to your current situation. While your goal to keep selling product remains the same, it’s important to take a more delicate approach. By being sympathetic, you will create brand loyalty sentiment with your customers.
- Make sure ALL of your content isn’t COVID-19 related. While it’s necessary to keep people informed and let them know you’re aware of what’s happening, keep in mind that users are being inundated with COVID-19 related news.
- Write helpful blogs that pertain to your business’s customers. The goal of social media is to provide informative and helpful content. Be sure to use this opportunity to let customers know how COVID-19 is affecting your industry, and how you can help them during this unprecedented time. For instance, if you’re an IT Solutions company, let clients know how your services can support and enhance their new remote workforce. If you’re a healthcare organization, let the public know what they can do to stay healthy throughout this time.
- Work on back burner marketing projects while work is slow. We see a lot of clients halting what once were time-sensitive projects right now, and daily procedures are changing. This has been a golden opportunity for you to shift gears and work on projects that may not have taken precedence before, but still are vital pieces in helping achieve business goals.
- Stay informed and be timely. News is changing by the hour, and copy that may have been relevant in the morning may no longer be. Stay on top of the latest developments in your industry, area, and overall. This way, the information you’re pumping out remains pertinent.
- Stay true to your brand. This tip is key. Keep your messaging strong and offer your unique perspective. And remember: It’s okay to be transparent about how your company is adapting to this temporary shift work culture.
While it’s challenging shifting gears from 100% promoting business, we marketers must let the world know what we’re doing during this trying time. But thankfully, we’re all navigating through this unbeaten road together.
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