When things go into lockdown, the natural instinct is just to close the door and stop all business activity while you wait for the storm to pass. We get it. It’s scary, it’s uncertain and, for a lot of businesses, it means making some very hard decisions. BUT don’t throw in the towel just yet. Please.
People still want to connect, they still crave community and they want to support your business through this tough time. Social media is arguably ‘the place to be right now’, as people have more time than ever to be engaging with and consuming content.
This doesn’t mean you have to be salesy. Heck you don’t even have to mention sales at all. Instead, it’s about focusing on helpful, value-driven content to keep your audience warm, until the pandemic dies down and you can resume business as usual.
One of the BIGGEST mistakes right now would be to stop posting on social media. Because, in 3-6 months time, when the dust settles, you want your audience to be raring to go. You want them to be excited about what you have coming up and keen to purchase from you when they have the financial ability to do so.
What happens if you do stop? Well, your business will become less and less prominent in your audience’s mind and they will start to eye up your competitors who are still showing up strong and delivering on social media.
If you’re not sure about what content is okay to post, don’t worry! We have compiled a list of the right type of content to post throughout this lockdown period:
Value-driven
This can be anything from tips and tricks to freebies and downloadable content. Think about your customers – what do they need right now? How can you support them through this time? How can you use your industry knowledge to give back?
Community-focused
A huge thing that is trending on social media right now is supporting local/small businesses. Use your platform to shout out other small businesses that you love shopping with, connect with them, share the love and join in the community. People are turning to social media right now to be close to humanity at a time where they feel the most distant, so lean in and see what they are talking about.
Humorous
Who doesn’t love a good laugh when they are stuck indoors all day? If appropriate, play around with some humour. This could be memes of your staff, GIFs, sharing funny videos or relatable quotes. If it’s well received, it could end up with people sharing your content, which will lead to further exposure.
Inspirational
There is a lot of doom and gloom out there in the media at the moment. So your audience ultimately wants to be motivated and cheered up by your account. Create content that is uplifting and inspiring.
Conversational
If you’re not sure what type of content your audience wants to see at this time, just ask them! Use Instagram Story polls, Facebook polls, or even just hop onto your story and ask them verbally. This will not only make your audience feel valued but will also help make sure that your content is on point and serving your audience as best you can.
Competitions/Giveaways
If you are a service-based business, you could create a giveaway for one of your packages. If you are a product-based business you could give away one of your most popular items. Make it fun, make it engaging and get people excited. This is an awesome way to create hype around your product and plant seeds for future sales.
Discount codes
Now you shouldn’t completely discount your products, as you are still a business at the end of the day. But giving your customers the opportunity to get 10-20% off a product or a service will go a long way and might give your customers the incentive they need to take the leap and make a purchase.
There are a lot of content ideas that you can be playing around with during this crazy, uncertain time. Instead of being scared of social media, use this time to experiment and have some fun with it. Try new things and if it doesn’t work, you can always delete it!
Just make sure that you are always posting content that is RELEVANT to your business. There’s no point in putting up an at-home workout video if you’re a hair salon, for instance.
If you need a little help, we are still here! Contact us at hello@likeablelab.com and one of the Likeables will be in touch.
