Remember, Rethink, Provide: Best Practices on social media during COVID-19

Life as we knew it changed in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic sent the world into lockdown, with businesses closing their doors and people wondering when or if their lives will ever resemble something normal again. A significant number of businesses had employees working from home for safety. Some people were able to go about their normal job duties from home. Other businesses suffered at the hands of the pandemic and needed to get creative in the digital space to make it through the uncertainty. 

Remember your brand

One of the most important aspects of creating a marketing or social media plan is knowing your brand’s mission and purpose. During unprecedented and unpredictable times over the past year, Twitter published an informative article about brand communications in times of crisis. The first angle they discussed was what is appropriate for brands during the pandemic. Instead of looking at what other businesses are doing, Twitter suggests looking and understanding the role your brand has in people’s lives. This helps in seeing how you can assist your community in different ways. The pandemic sent a lot of businesses for a loop, but the Cincinnati Zoo found a way to stick to their mission in a creative fashion. The zoo, committed to inspiring visitors with wildlife everyday, put together education Facebook live safari sessions for kids. It allowed them to ask questions, share projects and participate in interactive activities virtually. 

Re-think your marketing strategy

With more eyes focused on social media and digital marketing during the pandemic, it’s important to remember that what your brand is normally doing may not work in times of crisis. Current.org mentioned that companies were under heavy scrutiny during the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic due to ads and posts that were irrelevant or at the time. KFC in the United Kingdom was one of the many brands that pulled inappropriate ads. They had a digital advertisement running in March 2020 with photos of people licking their fingers and the well-known KFC slogan “finger lickin’ good”. Return on investment is the usual mindset for a lot of businesses, but likes, clicks, shares and comments have been just as measurable during COVID-19.

Provide value

Any brand, large or small, needs to continue to provide value to their audience and customers during a crisis. It’s important to post informative and knowledgeable information when needed, but providing value through your business is an even better way to keep people engaged. It also helps bring a little bit of normalcy back to the daily routine. One of the industries that needed to adjust quickly during COVID-19 were gyms and workout facilities. Planet Fitness started a video series called “Home Work-Ins”, where they did live workout sessions every day for members and non-members on Facebook and Youtube. It even included special guests, like the Denver Nuggets mascot. The fitness brand just recently concluded their video series after over a year of video content since clubs are beginning to reopen across the country.

Guinness Embraces Community, Celebration In Times of Uncertainty

“When you raise a pint of Guinness, also remember to raise each other up. Be good to one another, celebrate safely, thank the ones protecting us.”

St. Patrick’s Day fell right smack dab at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guinness did a good job of using powerful messaging to ring in the tradition of the holiday in 2020. The video took a look at the company's history but told people to remember that “On St. Patrick’s Day, we’re all Irish, but let’s not forget that every day we’re all human.” That message could not have been truer in 2020. 

The brewery has been around for over 260 years and showed that they know their role and purpose they have in people’s lives. Their brand is a staple of St. Patrick’s Day. They are the favorite drink of many around the world. The video preaches community and the way it was produced and narrated made things sound hopeful and even somewhat comforting. Guinness does a good job here of marketing their product without being very blatant about it. They make it more about tradition and feel good moments than anything else.

Guinness short video worked well in what was only the start of a challenging time for the entire world.