Fighting lockdown fatigue – how to keep your social media going

With the world coming to a standstill, now is a worrying time for businesses and you may have pushed social media to the bottom of your priority list.

But as recent events have forced more digital communication, social media is now an essential piece of any businesses’ marketing strategy. It provides immense potential for businesses because consumers habitually log on to it daily and are exposed to companies even more so as a result of the pandemic.

So how do we keep our social media going when our audiences are growing tired with anything digital? In times of uncertainty, meticulous planning and the ability to adapt your social media strategy to cater for changing circumstances is key.

The tips below should help to reduce your social media overwhelm and sufficiently fire up your social media strategy to keep it going during lockdown.

1. Know your audience better

You may think you already know your ideal customer well, but how well do you know them right now, in the midst of a crisis? Invest time in understanding how your customers are thinking and feeling at this time. What new challenges are they facing? Are they dealing with working from home for the first time? Are they juggling the demands of work and family life? Are they struggling to maintain their health and well-being in quarantine?

Now consider ways you can be of service to them that you hadn’t thought of before. Is there an opportunity to share your products and services with your customers in different ways? Consider how you can pivot your approach to meet the needs of your customers in their current state.

2. Interact with your audience more often

Push marketing is an ineffective strategy on social media on a good day, and it’s less so during a global crisis. Your aim should be to make your brand as friendly and engaging as possible to ensure your target customers welcome you into their personal sphere. So instead of continuing to share posts on your feed and hoping for people to respond, be more proactive about engaging with them.

Start genuine conversations, add value, give back, don’t continue to shout and hope you’ll be heard above the noise. Commit to building and strengthening relationships and this will have a reenergising effect on you and those you’re speaking to. No one wants to be ‘spoken at’ on social media! Ask yourself, what are the ingredients of a good conversation? Is it when one person dominates the room? Or do the best conversations happen when we share ideas and ask questions?

3. Get creative with your content

The secret to standing out in a crowded digital arena, creating memorable experiences for your audience (and beating lockdown fatigue) right now is to get creative with your content.

If you want to reignite the potential interest of your customers, try sharing your story. If writing is not your thing you could share a photo or video series that tells the story of how your business came to be. Find new ways to share photos of your products or services online, photograph them against interesting backgrounds for example. Make sure that any photos you share fit in seamlessly with your brand aesthetic, especially on visual platforms like Instagram.

Visual infographic posts can be a great way to share a lot of information quickly. For example, if you have new sales results, consider including the key findings in an infographic. Drive hope and optimism for the future by revealing details of your business plans post-Covid, share details of new products, services and events you are planning to launch later on.

4. Stay top of mind and don’t stop posting!

Make sure your customers know what you’re up to and are aware of any changes to how your business is functioning during the pandemic. Keep them updated on your availability, opening times and the steps you are taking to help them at this difficult time. Regularly feed them valuable content that will brighten up their day.

Whatever method you choose to reenergise your social media, the most important thing is to do something.  Now is not the time to slow down. It might feel pointless, especially if your business has been forced to stop trading, but NOW is the time to plan for the future and to take the necessary steps to ensure your business not only survives but thrives post-Covid. When lockdown finally lifts and you are able to reopen, you will reap the benefits of having revamped your social media strategy.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to not stop marketing. So use this time to audit, enhance, and refresh your social media marketing strategy.

If you think you might need a bit of a guidance or a helping hand in keeping your social media going during lockdown, get in touch with us at LJM VA Services! We would love the opportunity to help your business succeed within the virtual world.