Social media is both a blessing and a curse to all small business owners. Social media has transformed the way we conduct business and interact with those in our markets. It serves as "free marketing" for our businesses and provides inspiration at our fingertips, but alas, there's no such thing as a “free lunch” as Milton Friedman would say. Creating and executing a social media strategy takes a lot of time and energy. Now, throw a global pandemic into the mix and watch as markets change, social interaction changes, and businesses panic as they realize it's anything but business-as-usual.
As quarantine began, social media usage skyrocketed. Instagram story interaction is up 40%, IG Live and Facebook Live streaming is off the charts, and Facebook has seen an increase in usage for the first time in years. Time spent on Instagram is estimated to grow 14% this year according to eMarketer. With businesses facing serious challenges and looking ahead into unchartered waters, we witnessed various types of reactions–some good, some not so good, but all put out there for the world to see. Amid the panic in the event industry, some small businesses went dark on social media, while others broke from their usual brand guidelines and posted raw and personal content, while yet others scrambled to create new products and push them out to the market as quickly as possible. Articles and blog posts started hitting our inboxes with titles like, "How to Communicate on Social Media During a Pandemic" and "Why You Should Take Advantage of the Increase in Instagram Viewership and Post, Post, Post!"
We have to admit, it's hard not to get caught up in all of the emotion and pressure to perform on social media. In the initial frenzy, our team decided to pull back, re-evaluate our strategy, and ask ourselves some hard questions despite all of the social pressure. Here are some of the questions we asked ourselves:
- Just because social media engagement is up, does that mean we should increase our social media presence, change our offerings, etc.?
- Does the pressure to keep up with the social media uptick translate into making less calculated business decisions for most businesses?
- Will posting more, adding packages, going live add a lot more work to our plates for little return?
In other words, if bookings are down, incomes are lost, and budgets are impacted, does it benefit us to throw all of our great content and time (which is constrained as it is) into social media efforts at this time?
These are pertinent questions for any business to ask and they're difficult ones to answer because there are still so many unknowns in the situation we're facing.
While we certainly don’t have all of the answers to these questions, we do believe that asking these hard questions is the first step in determining the best social media strategy for your business during this time. Read below for a few tips to help you evaluate whether or not you need to pivot your social media strategy and a few first steps you can take to do so!
Research & Know Your Target Audience
Knowing the current struggles, interests, and state of your target audience will help you deliver material that connects on a deeper level. As bookings slow and markets change, reassess your content strategy to meet the current needs of your target audience. To help determine the social media strategy that's right for your business during this time, ask yourself:
- How has my target audience changed (if at all)?
- How have their priorities changed?
- How have their spending habits changed?
More than ever, people are looking for meaningful connections and you don’t want to risk seeming out of touch with the people you're trying to (or in the future hope to) garner business from. For example, repeatedly posting captions that scream “book me” or “buy buy buy” may seem slightly out of touch given unemployment is over 14% and many of the individuals you're marketing to may be struggling financially. We understand that we've all taken a financial hit and it's tempting to try to drum up business this way, but if you know your audience, you can more effectively market to them. Meeting their current needs and being sensitive to where they are will pay dividends in the long run.
Focus on Adding Value
Engagement on all social media platforms is up, so there's no denying that there's a benefit to being engaged in some regard. That being said, the pressure to post constantly, create new content, and keep up with the Jones’ (per se) can cloud our business judgement. It's important to realize that there's nothing wrong with taking a different approach.
If you feel your current strategy is taking too much time with little return, or you're scrambling to compete, focus instead on adding value where you can. Think quality over quantity. When you do engage on social media, add value by providing your audience a mix of educational, motivational, and inspirational material that will help them in some regard. Show the value of your expertise and how you can assist them.
If you're struggling to produce new valuable content, hold off until you can and instead consider engaging with your social media community in other ways. Commenting on posts and sending encouraging direct messages to clients and fellow vendors can go a long way. This type of interaction requires less resources but shows you're still present and engaged. It provides the unique opportunity to interact in a more low-pressure way, but showing that you care adds value to your brand name.
Remain True to Your Brand
Regardless of what you determine is the best social media strategy for your business, be sure to stay true to your brand. The need to feel connected and that we're all in this together can easily change the way we personally approach social media interaction. After all, with everyone working from home, conducting Zoom calls with kids in the background (or on your lap), or being interrupted by the dog who just wants to play, we naturally get to see a different side of each other’s lives. In a way, it's humanized businesses and people more than ever.
The increase in sharing via IG Stories and IG Lives has led to a trend in increased personal sharing. While personal sharing may be the norm for some businesses, it may not be for others and that's OK. If keeping things primarily business is usually the name of your game, continue doing that. Your followers continue to follow you because they like whatever you're providing. Stay true to your brand and allow your brand strategy to guide you.
Remember, no one's an expert at marketing during a pandemic, so don’t be too hard on yourself. We all hit social media overload and feel the pressure to keep up. These are unique times we're living in and if your current social media strategy isn't working for you, don’t be afraid to adapt or toss your current strategy. Our needs as business owners have changed and so have our client’s needs. To focus yourself, don’t look to the left or the right at what others are doing—focus first on your target audience’s needs and what they're facing and then evaluate your time and business goals. Use that information to determine how much to post, what content to post, and how you can add value while allowing your brand to be the backbone of any new strategy you execute. You can never go wrong by meeting your audience’s needs and helping others in a time where there's so much need—people are loyal to brands that provide them rich resources, joy, and quality connection.
We can get through this together and be an inspiration while walking the journey!
With love,
Want to see more from Karlie and the bumble burgh Events Co. team? Visit their listing and their website bumbleburgh.com!
About the Author
