All businesses, regardless of their sizes, prepare for risks and disasters to ensure that cash flow continues despite setbacks. To do this, entrepreneurs invest in innovative enterprise risk management software solutions, where they outline their plans in navigating the challenges they face. But one thing most businesses probably never prepared for was the pandemic.
As the viral spread got worse, multiple commercial establishments were forced to shut down, affecting countless workers and small business owners. Four months down the road, a number of businesses have already ceased operating permanently due to bankruptcy.
If your small business is fortunately still alive during this pandemic, you only need to utilize one technology to keep your business thriving: social media.
Being Active on Social Media
According to a report by Fractl and BuzzStream, social media campaigns are still seen as one of the top digital PR strategies during the pandemic. Improving a company’s presence through blogs and SEO are also regarded as excellent tactics in retaining an audience.
Stephen Panico, chief growth officer at BuzzStream, states that this shows that social media is no longer just an extra tactic in a business’s marketing plan, but now an essential part of every step of a planning process. Amanda Milligan, marketing director at Fractl, meanwhile shares that this is a huge opportunity for brands not engaging in digital PR to promote themselves and start building awareness.
Hence, if you’re still lagging in your social media game, this is the best time to invest your efforts in it. One of the most effective strategies to survive a pandemic is engaging with your audience, and what’s a better way to do that than being active on social media?
Be sure to post updated and relevant content. Steer clear of stock photos, because users are now seeking authenticity. This means using real faces and real insights on your posts. This way, your brand is humanized, making your audience relate to it.
Aside from blogs and photos, you can post high-quality videos as well. Videos are found to gain 38% more engagement than text-copy posts. Keep your audience engaged by adding in animations, GIF images, and other eye-catching visuals that’ll make them stop scrolling down.
Using Social Media to Build Trust
Releasing marketing campaigns isn’t social media’s only best function. They also make news-sharing quick and easy, which allows businesses to spread safety tips with a breeze.
In addition, entrepreneurs or marketing officers can use social media to promote rational thinking to their customers. Since the pandemic has affected supply chains, a shortage of certain goods is seen in grocery stores and other retail establishments, frustrating consumers, and spreading panic. But if brands communicate that hoarding supplies are an unethical practice, the panic may ease, and they may earn the trust of consumers.
Collaborating with public figures like actors, influencers, and athletes are also highly effective in promoting safety and building trust. Given that people are more interested to listen when it’s someone famous speaking out, it may only take one post from a public figure to build brand awareness and trust.
Of course, this doesn’t imply that you should leave the pandemic’s mess as they are. You should still do your part in reducing the effects of the economic slowdown, which what enterprise risk management is for.
But since the budget of small businesses is usually limited, social media is your best bet for now. As long as you practice transparency, stay updated with the news, and show that you care for your customers, your social media pages will thrive, resulting in your business’s success amid the pandemic.
