Social media during Covid 19: How to stay visible and relevant

There is a temptation during something as dramatic as a global pandemic to stop posting, stop marketing, but that’s really not the answer.  It may feel strange and hard and awkward,  but you need to acknowledge it as much as possible and keep present.   This is a real chance to forge a deeper connection with your audience, but of course, it’s really important to do all of this super sensitively. 

Being sensitive to the situation and still selling your service or product can be challenging.  Hands down the best way to do this is with honesty.  If your business is in real danger of going under right now and you need to keep making sales, then tell your customers and talk about that challenge. They will appreciate your honesty.

If you’re not able to provide a service right now because of the corona virus, you should still keep posting, talk about all the great stuff you have done in the past and all the plans you have for your business when this is over.  Take your customers on that journey with you.  You want to be top of their mind at the end of all this.

What to post?

You don’t need to talk constantly about the current situation but acknowledging it is a good idea. Look over your planned posts and check that they are not going to be insensitive at the moment, adapt them as needed. You can still promote but just do so with honesty and integrity. Let them know you still need to keep selling to keep your business going, tell your audience how much you appreciate them and do this regularly.

Don’t be afraid of sharing the more personal aspects of your life - your daily walk, your pet, your garden, your workspace and current projects. Yourself!! Post an image of yourself and tell everyone something they may not know about you.  Let your audience get to know you.

Use stories more to show the behind the scenes stuff.

If you sell a product but don’t have a shoppable feed yet, then now is the time to get that sorted. 

What copy?

Think about the copy in your posts. Practice writing like you talk.

The more you can sound like you, the less you sound like anyone else and that will make your people want to connect with you.  Let your customers hear you. If you are worried about being sensitive then ask someone to sense check before you post. Talk about the struggle. Talk about the lows and highs.

Engage, engage, engage.  

People are looking for connections now more than ever, so connecting online has become so important.  So, connect with your customers, reach out to them too.  

Answer problems you think they might have. Comment on other people’s posts, if you’ve always been a lurker, now is the time to get brave and say hi.  Engagement REALLY matters

Go Live

People are spending a lot of time on social media right now and live views are going up and up. That tells you that people want to see your face, especially at the moment.  You may hate going live, I get that, but it’s a great way of communicating with your audience at the moment so give it a go. 

Remember that we are people talking to people and you can talk about anything as long as it’s relevant to your audience. 

Finally

Use any extra time you have at the moment to work on getting your business channels looking as sharp as possible.  Audit your pages, make sure your bios are tip top, your header images the best they can be, your grid looks how you want it to.  If you want a short business audit then get in touch with me and I can help you make sure you are looking your best.

Take care and wash your hands x