Since March 2020, there has been a marked increase in the use of social media, including user-generated streaming platforms such as YouTube, representing both an opportunity and a challenge for brands.
According to GlobalWebIndex, 40% of users between the ages of 16 and 64 worldwide spend more time on social media since the pandemic began.
How can marketers ensure that their social media strategies benefit from this increase in usage and, in turn, cope with negative feelings and uncertainty about what the future holds? Here are three suggestions.
People are mired in uncertainty, and this is reflected in their comments and behavior online.
1. Be encouraged to take a position on controversial issues, without influencing the public.
In 2020, users were demanding a lot from brands to use their platforms to support good causes. Your brand must take a stand. And you must use your platforms to demonstrate that stance. Participating in current affairs can be seen as a forced and opportunistic attempt to increase relevance. Focus on increasing the impact of your brand among your audience or the audience you want to attract.
Finding the balance can be tricky, so it's important that you stay true to your content strategy and your brand values. You can take advantage of the diversification of types of platforms, content, and ads to encourage a preference for your brand and convey your message. To avoid controversial narratives, bet more on discovery-based platforms where conversations are personalized. For comment-based channels, consider changing formats and running pre-video ads, bumper ads, stories, and polls.
People don't want brands to try to force themselves into conversations that don't belong to them.
2. Take into account the cultural climate
Before posting, always check what is happening on the platform of your choice. Evaluate your message in terms of cultural sensitivity, position, and brand security. Will your message be perceived as inappropriate or will it be unwelcome? Or, is there a possibility to improve performance based on interest and impact? This is especially true for paid social media.
Also, look for opportunities for your brand to provide more value to the community. You can create a list of safe topics that will be well received, such as philanthropic initiatives, gift guides, and content about the holidays.
Organize daily meetings to understand what the cultural climate is and how your content can be perceived.
3. Design an alternative plan
At all times, you need to be ready to troubleshoot, stop your plans, or change course based on how users react to your content. Take steps to increase community stewardship, bet more on moderation, and provide your team with an arsenal of responses.
Of course, each brand decides what level of negative feedback it can accept. In Digitas. Take the time to evaluate the content that prompted those responses. That information can help you select upcoming topics and often provides unique statistics about your audience.
If more than 20% of the comments are unrelated to the topic or are hostile, it's time to make a change and come up with a new creative message.
At the end of the day, the important thing is the people
Regardless of what you post, always remember that social communities are made up of real people, expressing true opinions, sadness, joy, happiness, uncertainty, and anxiety. Today, it is extremely important that you review your content from their perspective.
By
Danisha Lomax
VP y directora de Paid Social Lead, Digitas Norteamérica
Lydia Cox
VP y directora de Estrategia Social, Digitas Norteamérica
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