“Take advantage of it now… because these things don’t last your whole life.”
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s writing of Love in the Time of Cholera.
Just as the novel Love in the Time of Cholera by the famous Cuban author Gabriel Garcia Marquez explored the essence of life during the Cholera outbreak in Colombia in the early 1800s, social media content has captured the essence of our times as the world lives through COVID19 and focuses on social media.
In light of the immediate shift of business and industry to an online infrastructure, methods of communication have evolved, but also surged with tried and true, free communication tools. In April, Facebook reported a 52% increase in time spent on the platform while Instagram reported a 32% increase in its application’s use. Why? In the weeks prior, many Americans went into shelter-in-place of stay at home orders across the country.
But why did we see the biggest shifts to social media platforms? What are businesses gaining who maintain a steady stream content through posts and continue their advertising path amidst the pandemic?
Five considerations should influence your social media content plans and inform your digital strategy. As we continue to evolve with partially opened states and expected, ongoing changes to how we operate, time on the platform will continue to rise, but will surely drop off when the “new normal” returns.
- We are a social people.
At our lowest points, human nature needs camaraderie and support. COVID19 took the opportunity to experience life immediately away. Social media has been used as a place to connect people to each other, share information, do light promotion and collect data points. When stay at home orders were issued, people turned to social media as a way to stay engaged with friends, family and businesses. Organizations dove into the platform, using it as a way to immediately communicate if they were open, how they were adjusting and what is next on their horizons.
- Websites & Campaigns May* Take Time and Money to Update Properly.
As COVID19 exploded in the US, consumers did not expect businesses to immediately respond with websites, but did expect some communication through a different channel. As people settle into their “new normal,” many sites and campaigns are now updated with new policies and practices; however, the ins and outs of business such as urgent messages, adjusted hours, reopening plans keep relevance with consumers when there is a daily drip of social content.
*NOTE: One of the MANY benefits of working with Digital Tulip includes immediate website updates so we can represent you best AND at no additional cost!
- Consistent Content Indicates a Communications Strategy.
Consumer psychology tells us that when a prospective client is able to associate content with a brand or identity in a digital environment, brand trust builds and recall rates lift. Social Media content has always been a cornerstone of a digital strategy, but was not perceived as a “must” until recently. Planning messages a week or month at a time will provide a digital communications framework that can then expand to encompass other tactics such as email newsletters or text messages, always driving traffic to recruit returned communication.
- Increased Consumption = Inventory & Time Opportunity
There are opportunities for businesses to connect with their consumers because of how much time people are spending on social platforms. One example might be a restaurant posting during dinner hours about a special pop up event and watching their viewership of that story double or triple. Another example would be a clinic sharing information about their virtual care options to make patients feel more safe. As time on the platform increases, so does the inventory of users to whom the platform can deliver. Given the financial fall out from the loss of work, people have turned to free media, entertainment and communications opportunities.
- Consider Your Feeds a Digital Storefront.
As shelter in place and closures wear on and change, social media content levels the playing field for businesses to share more about who they are instead of constantly selling what they do. Using posts to focus on the brand, its identity, tag line and branded elements are just one option. Others include featuring staff members or leadership, sharing what the “new normal” will look like when things do return.
For assistance with your digital strategy, social media content or advertising, contact Digital Tulip today. Communications solutions are customized to fit the needs of each organization with whom we work to help them navigate these unprecedented times when digital media–especially social media, is the place to be. Call 859.327.4242 today or email [email protected].
