In the aftermath of COVID-19, what has changed for social media managers? How can social media managers best approach their work to keep building their clients’ and employer’s online presence and brands?
The Importance of a Social Media Manager
Social media managers occupy an essential role as promoters of brands and organizations. Their core responsibility is to engage with the target market, grow follower numbers, and expand a brand’s online presence. All over the world, lockdowns are necessitating social isolation, leading to more time connected to digital media. Figures from Facebook, for example, indicated massive rises in the use of their platform during lockdowns.
As people are spending more time online and demanding more online content, social media managers have an opportunity to capture the attention of these prospective leads and engage with them. Although the shift to a more serious, somber time means standard messaging approaches might no longer be relevant, social media managers can still work to engage effectively and sympathetically with the target audience.
Growing a Business on Social Media
The post-COVID world holds many uncertainties for social, so social media managers will need to stay flexible and responsive to tailor their approaches. Consider how your employer or client’s messaging comes across during a time when consumers are feeling uncertain and vulnerable. Review the format, timing, and channels of your messaging in the context of the current cultural climate.
During a crisis, you might be able to best improve engagement and grow your audience, and hence the business, by adopting an empathetic and open tone. Excessively sales-focused or promotional messaging could backfire during these times. Your organization will still want to maintain regular, frequent social media messaging while staying alert to changes so you can tailor your messages as things change. For example, if stricter or looser restrictions impact how your goods or services are delivered, make sure your customers know about it. As an example, fast food giants like McDonald’s and Domino’s have promoted their contactless delivery processes. Focus on driving conversations, expanding the community, and sharing to keep growing your business.
Another useful strategy for growing your online audience during this time is to encourage appointment viewing habits through episodic content. With people spending more time on digital platforms, social media managers can encourage repeat views and regular connections by running a series of content. For example, you can post COVID-related information posts every day at a given time and remind your audience to check back the same time the next day. You can simultaneously run other content series related to how to use your products or services. These can take the form of live videos, recorded videos, podcasts, articles, newsletters, or any other format you prefer. Be inspiring, educational, or entertaining, but always deliver value.
Leading with Empathy and Sensitivity
While physical isolation can lead to more time spent on social channels, businesses will likely gain loyalty by not coming across as opportunistic. Again, constant pure-sales messaging could make the brand appear to be tone-deaf and out of touch. Instead, adopt an authentic, helpful approach to support your social media audience.
For example, Dettol’s TikTok handwashing challenge led to billions of views while communicating a practical message in an upbeat manner. As you refine your messaging, take into account your community might be feeling anxious and vulnerable as they face new challenges in their lives.
Explore ways to be helpful even if it doesn’t involve buying your products or services. For example, you could share a message offering to donate a percentage of proceeds to food banks or to provide free services or goods to nonprofit organizations that are helping the community during the pandemic. By demonstrating the brand genuinely cares and is doing its part to help out, social media managers can build trust among consumers.
Even during stressful, turbulent times like the present pandemic, social media managers can drive engagement and business growth by a unified, consistent message. Focus on quality messaging relevant to the customer’s pain points. Track performance and adjust your content from day to day in accordance with analytics as well as how COVID is continuing to shape the world. Given how changeable the post-COVID world is, brands and their social media managers will likely do best by staying agile and prepared to adjust their social media strategy as new challenges and opportunities arise.
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