As you’re undoubtedly aware, the coronavirus (COVID-19) is sweeping through Australia and the world. Asa result, schools and universities, entertainment venues like pubs and clubs are closed and organisations are implementing disaster management protocols. To stop the spread of the virus as many people as possible are staying at home and everyone is practicing social isolation – even at our digital marketing agency.
While medical and healthcare priorities must come first, it is also important for businesses to react as flexibly as possible if they want to survive and keep paying salaries. With people increasingly relying on social media to get their information as they practice isolation, it’s important to pivot your digital marketing and social media marketing in order to support your clients and your business.
Here are some tips from our social media marketing team in Melbourne.
TIP #1 Be Relevant
You probably developed your social media marketing strategy back in January, which is a great thing – you could plan ahead, get content out regularly, and have the time and resources to engage with your target market.
Well, sorry to say it but your content plans for April and the coming months just aren’t going to cut it. Your target market no longer cares about the things we all thought we’d care about at this point, and the news cycle is all about COVID-19. In fact, one COVID-19 Tweet is shared every 45 milliseconds and #coronavirus is the second most used hashtag of the year!
Social media marketing is all about connecting to your audience and right now, COVID-19 is all they care about – so make that part of your marketing plan. Share a message of support to your customers, keep them in touch about how you are running operations during the outbreak (if you are operating at all) and show them how you are taking action to protect your staff, suppliers and, of course, your customers.
TIP #2 Only Share Facts
The importance of only sharing accurate information can’t be emphasised enough. If you’re putting in place measures to protect staff and clients, make sure that they are the right measures. If you are sharing updates on the situation, make sure they come from sources that are beyond reproach. If you’re in any doubt, don’t post it.
Good resources for guidance include the World Health Organisation, the Australian Government Department of Health, and the Centres for Disease Control.
TIP #3: Don’t Cause Panic or Encourage Hoarding
Recently, Australia made global headlines with a viral video where consumers are fighting over toilet paper. Not our proudest moment! In times of crisis, it is very easy to cause a panic and for businesses with social media accounts, it’s very easy for marketing content to cross a line and cause people to go into panic mode.
Now more than ever, we all have to be exceptionally responsible about what we post and how we phrase our content, and that we do our part to keep people calm and encourage a responsible and cautious approach to COVID-19. It’s time to check our content multiple times before we post – or have a digital marketing agency manage it for you.
TIP #4: Put Effective Measures in Place for Your Employees
If you haven’t already come up with a plan or aren’t sure where to start, there’s some great resources from the CDC and WHO. This includes letting employees work from home if at all possible, implementing strong hygiene protocols in the workplace (staying 2m apart, regular handwashing, sanitising hands and surfaces), informing any employee if they feel sick they should stay home, self-quarantine and contact the National Coronavirus Hotline or their doctor. Your exact protocol will differ according to your business type, but it is important to take action to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to your employees or the public, especially if you are in the service industry, retail industry or an industry where your team has a lot of contact with the public.
TIP #5: Think Outside the Box
Importantly, businesses also have to consider how they can operate safely within these restrictions in order to support employees and stay operational.
Restrictions on restaurants have forced them to become part of a takeaway only or mobile food delivery service, developing special menus and rates so that people can still support them and enjoy their food even in self-isolation.
Retailers in some countries have started opening their doors at specific hours to more vulnerable persons in the population (most notably, the elderly), so that they can get their shopping done without having to put themselves at high risk.
Personal trainers, yoga instructors, and gyms are live-streaming classes so that people can stay fit, active and healthy without leaving their home.
Other companies in the ecommerce space have ensured that everyone can keep shopping, and that delivery drivers are taking appropriate hygiene and social distancing measures to ensure that neither they nor your customer is put at risk.
Professional Social Media Marketing Assistance from Our Digital Marketing Agency
If you don’t have the time or resources to manage your digital marketing during this period, or you want to reassure your consumers but aren’t sure where to start, our social media marketing team can help. We can assist businesses throughout Australia and are happy to chat to you over the phone or via an online meeting about how we can help.
Stay safe, stay calm and be kind.
Sure, I’m a sales specialist – but we do things a little differently around here! For one thing, I’m not here to sell anything - I’m here to solve problems. By getting to know your business, you’ll get proven digital marketing solutions that bring in sales, leads, and results. It’s all about putting you ahead of the competition. Are you ready to be in first place?
