The world we are living in today is different in some ways and uncannily similar in others. Take, for example, retail businesses — In a post-COVID 19 world, they are increasingly precautious of following hygiene measures, ensuring temperature monitoring and sanitation facilities at every nook and corner. Yet they are uncannily similar in their services in a post-COVID 19 world — ensuring deliveries reach each customer on time and engaging existing customers with interesting, informative, entertaining content. While the destination may not be clear, the present crisis provides an opportunity to revamp traditional marketing tactics.
Choosing the right information to share and regularly reassuring your customer requires careful planning, given the current situation in mind. Businesses need to stay updated and relevant now more than ever, and social media marketing is the most cost-sensitive and effective way to do it.
In this article, we look at the many benefits of social media marketing in times of crisis and why you must adopt social media marketing too.
People are turning to social media for regular information and updates
In recent years, people have turned to social media not only for entertainment and watching dog videos but also for staying notified and updated with all news from all over the world. Amidst, the pandemic social media platforms have an added responsibility as people are spending almost 2x time on such platforms. Facebook, Instagram, Reddit are some platforms that have created groups and communities to provide real-time updates and news. People have repeatedly stated that Facebook Group experiences are as beneficial and meaningful to them in times of crisis as it addresses the long-term effects by supporting industries in need and making it easier for those facing this dire situation with community-oriented help.
This means that for businesses, community engagement is more important than ever. Social media marketers are using this powerful tool in building and maintaining reliable connections. In times of crisis, people must join hands in online communities to debunk misinformation, whether it is about your business or related to products and services.
The pandemic has brought almost everything we care for and do to the palm of our hands. Even today, customers are looking for holiday destinations as soon as the pandemic subsides – the only difference being that – there is a surge in requests related to hygiene, social distancing, sanitisation, etc. It’s a positive outlook towards life and the resumption of business activities. Whether it be searching for holiday destinations, or deciding the most hygienic places to eat, taking a social media marketing approach for promoting your business is an opportunity in disguise. Running social media campaigns relevant to your target audience and addressing the market need will ensure your brand stays in the consumer’s mind once this situation subsides.
Embrace the change and keep creating value
The pandemic has made people feel lost, anxious, and uncertain about the future. It has thrown all plans out of the window, and people are struggling to embrace the change. As a social media marketer, encourage sharing positive stories and content that is certain to increase your brand value. The best way to give what your audience wants is to understand what they’re searching for. Instead of extensively glorifying your social media brand posts, address issues related to the pandemic. Your social media posts should contain informative content, and you can use leverage videos to generate more engagement. There are plenty of online video maker tools available that make it easy to cut video snippets, add texts and music in a matter of minutes.
This time, more than ever, social media content should be audience-centric and not product-centric. Marketers who can deliver content, informative messages, and engage in value-generating conversations are the ones who will come out of the crisis with stronger brand perception.
Social media is your new business store
The stress of contracting the virus added with the rising number of cases has driven people away from physical stores into their houses. From groceries to apparel – more and more people are choosing to buy online. In a recent survey, Amazon and many other e-commerce businesses have reported a 70% jump in online sales. The situation we are facing today is unprecedented, and one size fits all approach won’t work for any physical store business. Considering that, many retail stores, supermarkets, and garment shops are choosing to go the social media way. They are listing their inventory on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest where customers can pick and place an order for the one they want to purchase.
Retail businesses, fitness centers, and teaching hubs are finding digital ways to offer their products and services to customers by using social media. Some are listing their products on Facebook, others are live streaming, and many are using virtual technology to get customers a feel of the physical store. As a social media marketer, you must know each platform offering unique features and catering to different demographics, age,s and interests. You should choose the right social media platform based on business and remain active using paid or organic campaigns.
Taking your business to social media offers you the opportunity to segment your target audience based on their interest, engagement levels, and activity on each of your platforms, helping you then push out relevant tailored content. Many physical businesses are diversifying, and a social media campaign to resonate with your marketing message would be during this time. This is the time to leverage the power of the digital medium and make your business visible, especially for future generations of customers.
Be persistent and adopt strategies for the future
After you have chosen the platform that fits your business and has run social media campaigns, you need to adapt and grow progressively. In fact, in today’s uncertain times, what works today for your social media marketing might not work next week. The way to tackle such uncertainty is always to keep track of your performance and analytics. Deriving insights from such data will help you adjust your marketing goals and strategies that will eventually benefit your business in the long run.
A time of crisis demands a business to be transparent with their customers. That involves sharing relevant information on how your business is helping others in tough times or how you are coping with the crisis as a business. The times have changed, and customers are looking for businesses that are staying relevant, persistent, and socially responsible. From sharing image to video to posts that indicate you are still in business, your efforts will ultimately reward itself when the world settles to the new normal. Until then, transparent, authentic, and responsible communication will lead to more customers and fulfilling the needs of existing ones. We cannot stress the benefits of social media marketing during the pandemic enough. The methods you adopt today will build trust for tomorrow and portray flexibility, and the customers will highly appreciate smart measures for the future of your business.
Conclusion
The outbreaks, increasing numbers, constant changes, extra information is enough to make any business feel the heat. The time is to rethink your social media marketing and in doing so, communicate better with your customers. Utilising this information, tune your social media marketing strategy towards creating relevant and engaging content, coupled with the right customer targeting you can hope to recover from the crisis that has brought the world to a standstill.
