A consistent social media presence has become a fundamental part of almost every organisation’s marketing tool kit.

Without face to face interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting with customers on social media is more important than ever. Some small businesses have done a great job on social media over the last year, others seem to neglect it.

It is vital for businesses that remain open to put more time and effort into updating their social media accounts. Also, it is equally important for businesses that have had to temporarily close to stay connected with their customers.

Your customers will be searching for the latest information about your COVID-19 safety measures. They will search for if you’re open or not or if you’re offering products or services in a new and innovative way. The first place they will look is your social media page.

Open or closed, your loyal customers, and potential new customers will want to know about you and what you are doing.

Tips to help you to stay connected on social media during lockdown:

What should I post about on social media during lockdown?

The answer to this is anything to do with your business, your products, you or even previous posts as throw-backs. Your customers are interested in your businesses story, as well as your own story. So utilise social media as your platform to communicate all things about your business!

What type of content should I post?

Videos, photographs, images and are the best content for every social media channel. Full text posts aren’t as engaging. The social media algorithms tend to ignore these so your customers won’t see them on their newsfeeds. If you really want to be at the forefront of your customer’s newsfeeds, posts in groups are the best way in to do this in 2021.

Can I post the same to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter?

Posts on each network can be similar, but make sure you tweek them for each audience. For example, whilst hashtags are vital for Twitter and Instagram, they don’t tend to be used on Instagram. There is also the issue of the 280 character limit on Twitter and links cannot be used within Instagram posts.

How often should I post on social media during lockdown?

I always recommend at least 5-7 posts per week per social media channel. This keeps your customers and target audience interested, but try not to over post as people may get fed up and unfollow you. If you can only post once or twice a week, then you will still reach some of your customers.

What time should I post at?

You need to put yourself in your customer’s shoes, have a think who they are. Are they professionals/ mums/ students/ mature etc? Think about when they are likely to check their social media accounts. For example, when they wake up, morning coffee breaks, lunch, after work, after tea or before bed. This is when they will engage with your posts and therefore you will have more success. A lot of scheduling is trial and error, but the social media platforms’ analytics also give information on when your customers engage with you and therefore the best time to post.

Social Media Strategy

People are using social media more than ever to stay in touch with friends and their favourite brands. It is not too late to invest in a social media strategy and capitalise on the massive uptake of social media. Connect with your customers now and ensure you are even more competitive for when things do get back to normal.

Please contact me if you would like to chat about how I can help you to connect with your customers during lockdown.