With rapidly changing market conditions due to COVID-19, communicating with customers via social media has never been more important.
Given the current COVID-19 situation in Canada, it's imperative for business owners to embrace the instantaneous nature of social media to keep stakeholders and clients informed.
In fact, as more people stay at home, the more they will be on social media, and, therefore now is the time for business owners to ramp up their social media with quality content.
Below are some straight-forward recommendations for your business to follow in using social media effectively, which will help to keep your enterprise afloat during these trying times.
• Every business owner should have at least a pinned post on their Facebook page sharing where their business is at in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic.
• Regular and new customers should be able to find a business on Facebook or Instagram to see if the business is still open, how they have adjusted to social distancing measures and what products and services are still available.
• If you operate a restaurant or cafe that is now offering a delivery service, make a video or post that can be shared via social media throughout the community.
The more people stay at home, the more they will be using social media. As such, now is the time for business owners to ramp up quality content.
• Consider writing an ebook or providing an online course, which you can sell online and promote through your social media platforms.
• Reach out to customers via social media to see how they are doing - start conversations and build connections. People are craving human interaction.
• Be honest and transparent without creating fear - your posts should show empathy and compassion, rather than stress or fear.
• Look for opportunities to help people – use social media to reach out to those in need and see if you can help.
• People will be looking for fun and entertaining content for distraction, so consider TikTok videos or Facebook Live.
In addition, business owners should be looking towards the future and thinking about what their customers will need and want. Will your business model need to change? Can you offer your customers a package deal? By building up a good relationship with your followers on social media throughout the pandemic, you will be in a better position to relaunch.
Think about how you will celebrate getting back-to-business on social media. Perhaps you can run a competition or invite followers to your relaunch party.
Devoting time and effort into crafting an enhanced social media presence for your business during this downtime can strengthen customer loyalty, help your business weather the COVID-19 storm and increase its chances of relaunching successfully.