When the times are good, businesses must take advantage of it by aggressively pushing their products and services on social media. However, when things become uncertain, as is the situation now due to the global coronavirus pandemic, it is even more vital for businesses to maintain the presence of the brand on social media so that they can survive the recession, preserve their brand image, and continue to be favored by customers as before. At a time, when the pandemic has forced us to live apart and we cannot meet our loved ones, social media like Instagram has risen to the fore as a method of effectively meeting family and friends online or even seeking information and entertainment from the brands we love.
Brands Need to Adapt Their Instagram Strategy to the New Reality
When everyone has been impacted in some way or the other by the pandemic, brands also need to alter and adapt their posting techniques to the new reality. There is perhaps no use for brands to try to pretend that everything is as before and it is business as usual. In fact, should a brand be foolhardy enough to take that position, customers will likely dismiss it as being insensitive, especially if they continue to push for sales. When customers are extra sensitive, even brands that try to project that they are there for customers can be viewed as not being grounded. Regardless of the strategy, your brand may have executed in the last few months, it is still not too late for you to align yourself to the changing marketing environment and use Instagram productively to strengthen your brand even in the face of adversity. Some tips on what brands should do to remain steady in these challenging times:
Keep Customers Well Informed
For brands that have been active on social media and even those who have had a minimal presence, this is the time when they should step up their presence on social media. This is because your customers need to know how you are reacting to the situation and what steps you are taking to serve them as best as you can. Some may think that when the demand has collapsed, there is no need to engage in brand promotion but this is not true as staying away from customers will only raise doubts about your products and your ability to handle the situation. Even if you are not able to feed the market due to the disruption in manufacturing or logistics, you can still use Instagram posts and Stories to demonstrate how you are fighting the situation, taking steps to protect your facilities and employees, and how that translates to safety for customers. With the pressure off from pushing sales, this is the right time for brands to provide insights into how they work and to foster the development of emotional bonds as well as to deliver content that will keep them coming back for updates.
Boost the Trust Factor and Take Steps to Buy Followers on Instagram to Enhance Engagement
The prime concern of most customers is safety so this is the perfect opportunity to use Instagram to assure people that your brand has taken proactive steps to keep customers safe. These could include photos of how you have ensured social distancing in your offices and plants, how you are sanitizing the workplace and production facilities to prevent transmission of the virus, etc. while a touch of humor is usually fine, you need to be careful not to overstep as people may think that you are mocking their concerns. You can buy followers on Instagram if you need to start a conversation regarding your COVID-19 response.
Add Value to Content
The pandemic has created a lot of panic due to the huge amounts of misinformation about the virus and proper safety precautions. You can thrust your brand to a position of authority by providing Instagram content on how customers can keep themselves safe physically and mentally during this time of great stress. According to Edition.cnn, there is a huge amount of misinformation online, so you need to be careful in not spreading inaccurate information through your posts. Also, keep in mind that people get tired of information on the pandemic so it can be a very opportune moment for brands to focus on how customers productively occupy themselves and their families through value-added content.
Conclusion
Brands need to appreciate that it is as important to stay connected with customers during the bad times as it is during the times when the climate is good. Brands should be sensitive to the prevailing conditions and that the customers may be stressed out due to health and economic pressures. The Instagram posts should be genuine, transparent, and always put the customer first. It is not a good thing to push sales or even spread misinformation; rather the focus should be on building customer loyalty.
