There is no doubt that this is a strange time we are living in. Our world changed in the blink of an eye, and social media has become more influential than ever before. Social channels are buzzing right now. People are craving information, education, entertainment, and creative content. Sprout Social recently released a report on current popular stay-at-home activities and identified some of the hot topics on social media as cooking, baking, fitness, video games, and happy hour.
Initially social conversations centered around COVID-19 focused primarily on sharing pandemic-specific information. Social media created an excellent platform for getting information to consumers quickly on closures, schedule changes, and other major shifts. Now that we are more in the thick of the crisis, the conversation has started to change to focus more on entertainment, educational and creative content that can add value to an audience that is now stuck at home.
This isn’t the time to bombard consumers with heavy-hitting sales content. It is a time to remind them that you are here for them as a brand—on a more human and emotional level—and that we are all in this together. That doesn’t mean you can’t share creative content that mentions your product if it is applicable in the new COVID-19 world we are living in, but how you go about framing that type of content is crucial.
We strongly advise against posting anything that can be found insensitive to the hardships people are currently facing around the world. Every piece of content should be screened through the lens of COVID-19 to make sure it is applicable and appropriate to the current digital climate. The pandemic has brought on real and challenging issues for people around the world on many different levels. Your top priority should be to answer consumers’ overarching questions like where to find essential products, solutions for products they need that may not be accessible right now, or other hot topics of conversation. Then, you can talk about what you are selling in a way that is useful and helpful to consumers’ everyday lives.
A good creative strategy to have during this unique time is to create content that will impact people in a positive way (Tip: going live can be a great way to engage with your audience in real time). What value can you add? How can you create a positive moment during their potentially stress-filled day? People are looking for authenticity and transparency on social media—from brands and people alike. Even if your product isn’t the most relevant during this time, finding ways to continue making your brand a content destination during COVID-19 will create a real and lasting relationship with your audience.
