How to Manage Your Social Media in a Crisis

Staying connected with your consumers during the pandemic.

The ongoing coronavirus crisis has brands rethinking how they market themselves. People are scared, anxious, and stressed. With tensions high and misinformation going around, people may not be receptive to content that could be deemed irrelevant at best, frivolous and offensive at worst. Thus, you may think that now isn’t the right time for any kind of advertisement and marketing, especially on social media.

But there’s no need to disappear from social media during this crisis. You can continue publishing your regular and planned posts. You can even increase your social media presence because it’s possible that people are more active online now that they’re working from home. However, at a time like this, it’s always sensible to be mindful of what you post. 

What should your social media conversation be like during the coronavirus crisis? Some thoughts:

1. Determine how your brand can be useful during this crisis. Find out how your brand can positively contribute to the current situation. This could be anything from raising awareness and promoting the right attitude to organising projects that could help. 

2. Adjust your strategy based on current consumer behaviour. The coronavirus crisis has pushed people to stay at home, practice social distancing, and self-isolate. These will affect their behaviour, needs, and interaction with your business.

3. Use an empathetic tone. The virus may have hit some of your consumers close to home, so use tone and language that convey support, encouragement, and positivity.

4. Be mindful of the content you share. If you already have scheduled posts, check if they’re still appropriate for use. Avoid hard-sell content as many people are experiencing financial difficulties due to temporary business closures. You don’t want to appear insensitive to the crisis.

5. Be transparent. This crisis has given brands opportunities to be more open. Let your consumers know how your brand will act during this crisis or how you’re managing the effects of the coronavirus in your business. Also, address your customers’ concerns as best as you can to ease their worries and strengthen their trust in you.

Given the onslaught of content vying for attention, what works best now? 

• Video content: Videos have become a reliable content marketing strategy when it comes to bringing higher engagement and customer retention. As a result, popular social media platforms are continuously improving their video features. Depending on what will suit your brand, your videos can take a form of product demonstrations, vlogs, webinars/tutorials, interviews, or live events.

• Interactive content: Allow your consumers to connect with your brand. This way, it’ll be easy to educate them about your products and services. This type of content can also help in increasing brand awareness because of its shareability. You can do this through 360-degree videos, AR/VR, quizzes, and polls.

Remember that the ongoing coronavirus crisis isn’t a “marketing opportunity” rather it’s a way to maintain strong relationships and establish trust with your consumers. You can still sell your products and services but do it responsibly.