WHY SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES SENSE IN THE POST COVID19 MARKET?
“Each time PM Modi addressed the nation to make announcements such as Janata Curfew and 21-day total lockdown in March, social media volume noted a jump. Celebrities, cricketers and politicians urging people to follow the lockdown and five-minute gratitude showing on Janata Curfew day were other instances,” points out Prasun Basu, South Asia Zone President of Nielsen Global Connect in his briefing to news persons, as quoted by Smita Balram in Covid-19 Impact: Social media activity in the country grew 50X in early March, says Nielsen.
Why use social media for business?
The additional scrolling hours are undoubtedly an opportunity for brands. Now they have more time on hand to stir an effect. A good time to showcase empathy with a proactive, unique and heartfelt comeback. Though this is an obvious thing to do, during times of high emotion, brands need to remember that only the most precise messages and posts will resonate. Brands that do it right would be the ones that would be remembered and would stand out in the clutter.
When the survey asked respondents if brands should go on advertising as usual,one in every two respondents agreed, but a whopping 82% said brands should be running ad campaigns to show how they’re reaching out to consumers, during their time of need. Lots of brands are using social media feeds to display this. Lidl UK is a good example of a brand showing its support for its shoppers; by posting reassuring updates, also vowing to feed frontline staff, and working to help the needy.
Marketing doesn’t always need to be serious. Many people are on a lookout for entertaining content; some may want to see funny content, memes and or even how-to videos. The social media marketing services can fill in the gap created by social distancing by creating socially-relevant content for their clients’ brands.