In the last couple of weeks, your audience’s behavior has changed in response to the global pandemic. They are potentially facing sickness and/or unemployment, and they are going to be seeking community online to relieve these stressors. The first step to pivoting your social media strategy amidst COVID-19 is evolving the tone of your brand voice, with the following tactics.
Make a statement: Present the precautions you are currently taking to protect your team and consumers against COVID-19, and acknowledge that there is a lot of uncertainty in the air. It is important to keep in mind that your audience is receiving a lot of repetitive messaging from brands regarding COVID-19, and in light of this fact, one succinct yet authentic statement should suffice. It is also essential to steer away from virtue signaling, i.e., expressing your values in a long heartfelt statement without following up with any action.
Ask Your Audience: Ask your audience what type of content they wish to see during this time. This is the time for your brand to show more humanity, humor and candor. As people are progressively forced to isolate, they are turning towards online communities for support and comic relief. Start by asking your community what type of content would be the most beneficial to them during this time, and take notes! You can ask them via Instagram Stories using functions like Polls and Questions,, or in an in-feed post. You can then adjust your content calendar to reflect the type of content your audience is most likely to engage with during this time.
Stay Nimble: While a certain type of content might perform well one week, it is imperative to closely monitor engagement and stay tuned into your audience. As the CDC releases new directives and guidelines, content will shift accordingly.
Give Back To Your Community: As consumers’ inboxes get flooded with brand messaging everyday, a great way to stand out from the noise is to think of ways to give back to your community. Examples can be donating proceeds to charities, or offering your services or product at a discount. By giving back to your community, you are not only acknowledging the situation, but also taking action and bringing positivity in any way you can.
Consider Alternative Channels: For businesses that depend on their audience showing up, such as boutique fitness studios, it is time to get creative and explore alternative channels. Think about what it is your customers rely on you for, and brainstorm different ways to bring them the same value, through an alternative channel. Influencers are also continuing to create content for their audience from home and are a source of inspiration to their followers. Tap into their networks by starting a partnership with an influencer!
Paid Media Recommendations: We recommend you boost posts as needed to continue to engage your customers and audience at this time. It is important to always stay top of mind, but remember, you must evolve your content strategy and tone of your ads.
Successful branding is never about products, but about the emotions they elicit. Get inspired by the lighthearted content going around Instagram and Tiktok, and remember that if you can bring your audience a smile or moment of levity during this hard time, you have accomplished something essential!
How else can Socialfly further support you during this time?
In an effort to support you and your business during this time, we are providing an exclusive offer to help further guide you on how to properly introduce and execute the strategies listed above! See below for more details, and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Social Media Audit and COVID-19 Adjustment Plan ($999)
We will be donating 10% of all proceeds to DirectRelief
Shoot us a line at [email protected] and we’d love to start a conversation!
