When it comes to your own social media platform, some common questions immediately spring to mind:
- How can brands use social media effectively?
- How do you introduce your brand on social media?
- What should a social media strategy contain?
- Who is doing social media well and how can I replicate this?
This post will dive into the answers to each of these individual questions by summarizing a number of different approaches that well-established brands have taken regarding their social media platforms, some specifically in response to the COVID pandemic.
Social media best practices 2020
Social media can have a crucial impact on your business’s success and future sales. Now more than ever, consumers are looking for compassion, trust, and inventive campaigns to tempt them into buying new products or services. Businesses will need to work quickly to keep up with these demands as well as to stay relevant amongst competitors.
In this difficult time, brands have to tread a thin line between responding to the crisis, but also providing some relief from it and a sense of normality. Here are 10 brands who have found different strategies to stay connected to consumers and keep their businesses running during COVID.
1. Airbnb showed support
Source: Instagram
Airbnb used social media to show their audience how they’ve been supporting their community throughout the pandemic. The made great use of social media to publicise their initiatives, showing the company as proactive and responsive in a crisis situation.
Airbnb teamed up with hosts to offer free stays for healthcare and frontline medical workers in a number of countries. They waived fees and helped connect people seeking accommodation with hosts, who signed up to offer free stays. At the height of the pandemic earlier in the year, this was of concrete help to medical workers who were isolating from their families to protect them from possible infection.
They managed to harness their core business activity and offer practical benefit when this was much needed. Brands can learn from Airbnb’s approach, and consider how their core activity can help consumers in difficult times.
2. Zoom gave pro-tips
Source: Twitter
The pandemic has led countless companies to start working from home resulting in massive use of video conferencing company Zoom’s platform. The brand, now with heightened attention, used their social media platforms and website to create and disseminate helpful tutorials and short pro-tips on how best to use the features of their service for successful work calls.
This is a great approach to customer service. It gives answers and solutions to large numbers of people, many of whom were having to learn fast how to use video conferencing. Any company offering tech or other services will have first-time users trying to get to grips with the service. Creating tutorials, tips, and how-to posts can help build up trust and confidence in your product, as well as enabling a better user experience. It made Zoom's social media channels a useful resource for their audience.
3. Urban Outfitters utilized multiple channels
Source: TikTok
With consumer behavior leaning towards video content more than ever before, clothing brand Urban Outfitters has hugely expanded its TikTok use. Not including their own own website, the brand is now on a total of 8 different platforms: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Spotify, and Tiktok. Utilizing this wide assortment of social media platforms allows the company to extend its reach immensely.
Not every business can stretch to 8 platforms, but it’s worth researching which ones are most used by your audience. The current COVID crisis has led to a huge increase in digital use. Creating accounts on different platforms can help with growth and attract a larger audience who are actively looking for content to engage with.
4. Ralph Lauren cross promoted
Source: Instagram
Top clothing brand Ralph Lauren executed a successful social media campaign during the crisis, teaming up with Chance the Rapper to promote a live performance across all of its social platforms at their Chicago Flagship store.
Ralph Lauren utilizing each of their channels was a successful, cohesive strategy to get people to tune into the performance. They also offered a livestream of Chance on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook Live, so people could watch it on their preferred platform.
Cross promoting your brand in the way Ralph Lauren did can extend your visibility and reach, and positively impact your engagement and conversions.
5. Glossier used user-generated content
Source: Glossier
Makeup company Glossier often posts user-generated content that resonates with its audience. UGC is a creative way to get your consumers involved in your brand and in some instances, can be used to promote a new campaign, like for example, Glossier’s new eyebrow pen release.
Besides being cost-efficient, this strategy is also highly effective as it encourages more consumers to engage on your platforms, in the hope that your brand will repost something they’ve mentioned you in. Checking in regularly means you can respond in a timely way, establishing a good rapport with your audience, and also ensuring you can weed out anything unsuitable that might get posted. Businesses utilising user-generated content can establish a welcoming environment that customers appreciate in a time of uncertainty like the present.
6. Mac Cosmetics collaborated
Source: MAC Cosmetics
The time of lockdown, quarantine and social distancing has ironically been a perfect time for brands and different companies to collaborate online. Makeup company MAC Cosmetics chose to adopt this approach and work with international pop star Rosalia, creating a new lipstick campaign that will be able to reach a massive 36 million plus combined followers, just on MAC's and Rosalia’s Instagram accounts.
Brands should be considering collaborations. It's an effective way to network with different industries and businesses for potential audience growth and sales.
7. The Mayfair Group used hashtags
Source: The Mayfair Group
Similarly to UGC, promoting the use of hashtags is an effective way of drawing in your audience and increasing brand awareness. Marketing company The Mayfair Group highlights their universal #MayfairWorld hashtag in their Instagram bio and post, welcoming followers to join their brand by using the hashtag.
Hashtags let consumers feel they are a part of a group, which in turn can create an uplifting space for people to gather and share their interest in your brand, as well as raising overall awareness.
8. Budweiser responded to current events
Brewing company Budweiser took to Twitter to react to the current crisis by tweeting about healthcare workers around the country, giving a shoutout and thanking them for putting themselves at risk during the peak of the COVID pandemic.
The brand also donated to the Red Cross’s Annual Disaster Giving Program and is one of the organization’s proud supporters.
Shining a light on the current crisis and being present shows that your brand is aware of and cares about the situation affecting so many people so badly. It shows you are in touch and can help foster trust.
9. Ford gave assistance
Unemployment rates are soaring as a result of the pandemic, so car company Ford offered a 6-month payment relief for any customer buying a car. In this way Ford demonstrated their understanding that times were hard and people might need a payment break. The campaign #BuiltToLendAHand was promoted across all Ford’s social media platforms, helping spread the word on their assistance packages aimed at attracting new buyers.
The hashtag was also used for posts about Ford workers producing face shields for healthcare workers and first responders.
Source: Twitter
Companies can adapt this strategy to their own products and services by showing customers that they are aware of the difficult situations people are facing and are willing to help out. This approach can help ease customer fear of making a big purchase and create a trusting bond between brands and their audiences, likely to increase brand loyalty.
10. Netflix created a safe space
Source: Instagram
Streaming platform Netflix used their social media platforms to create a safe space for their audience during the start of the pandemic. With many people feeling isolated and reports of an overall increase in mental health issues, Netflix used Instagram Live for stars and health experts to discuss topics such as anxiety and depression.
This is not a simple thing to do, these are sensitive topics that need to be handled with care. A large company like Netflix benefits from being able to deploy experts, with other resources on hand. A smaller concern might not be able to do exactly this, but can still help with, for example, links to useful resources.
Showing sensitivity and awareness of these relatable topics can help create an open, judgement free platform for everyone to use. This approach can really help towards promoting a positive company message and improving overall levels of awareness during a crisis, and into the future.
Conclusion
Studying other brands’ strategies can inspire your own company’s business and marketing plans, and also prompt ideas about how to make a useful contribution. Strive to push forward with innovative ideas and thoughtful campaigns which include social media strategies in a variety of unique ways that best encapsulate your brand ethos.
