Advice for Social Media Managers in the Time of Corona

In the US, many are entering the third week of working from home. Globally we are moving quickly to social distance and face lockdowns, forcing individuals into new habits and patterns. Uncertainty is the underlying theme. I’m not saying this to scare anyone but to begin to understand what it means for using social media effectively. Here's some advice for any Sacramento social media manager facing the weeks ahead in the new reality of COVID-19. You must be realistic about the behavior and tendencies of social media users and the implications for marketing.

ReDo Your Content Calendar

• Don't talk about irrelevant things. People will think you're loony.
• Show your community spirit.
• Build relationships with your customers and prospects.
• And they'll be loyal to you when things go back to normal.

People are Reading Emails and Direct Messages Faster than Ever Before

What kind of messaging from you would they welcome?

Pause scheduled posts

First things first, cancel all scheduled social media posts. Take a hard look at the social editorial calendar and each post. Now is not a time to be pumping tons of messages about your upcoming webinar, your album release or a recent blog post — especially if you’re not attuned to the conversation at large. News is changing rapidly. Hour by hour, a story can change. Your scheduled posts that are previously determined might just fall at the wrong time. We can’t predict the news cycle.

Post in real-time

Pausing scheduled posts doesn’t mean throwing them aside. Social media managers must get into the native channels and scope out conversation, trending topics and what your audiences are doing. Rely on the social listening tools and skills you’ve developed and use the insights to inform content. Then post natively once you have a chance to tailor a message to fit that moment in time.

Prioritize conversation over clicks

Social media starts with conversations, especially in these uncertain times. Retrain our expectations and how social media outcomes are valued to move away from click-driven results. Being part of a conversation, in a Facebook Group, on Twitter, or even TikTok needs to be prioritized. Content created and shared should result in conversation and amplification, not through conversions.

Leverage your community

While social distancing, most of us will have more time on our hands. Create an alternative to Netflix binging and offer more educational content that supports curiosity and personal development. When conferences scheduled for March, April, and May started shuttering (postponing), my inquiries for joining virtual events and webinars spiked.

Create appointment viewing habits

People are unmoored without calendar appointments, and they'll welcome you putting in something like "Must See TV" that NBC used to have every Thursday night. (A million years ago) Take an in-depth look at your editorial content production and posting schedule. Can you add a Zoom Happy Hour, Twitter Chat or Facebook Live on a weekly basis?