5 responsibilities of content and social media in the face of coronavirus

When global, national, and local anxiety are at all-time highs, it doesn’t matter how big or small your community is.  You have a responsibility to show up. This period will bring the best or the worst out of all of us, and conversations will take place across millions of social media communities. Yours can be one or the other: A source of comfort and connection, or a source of source of conflict and isolation.

I’m camp connection.  I believe it’s the business leader’s obligation to facilitate a sense of collective wellness — as much as possible — during this time. If you’re overwhelmed with where to start, let me lend a hand.

  1. Audit your scheduled programming.

    What needs to be adjusted in light of current events? Take the time to address it. Vet for a poorly timed meme that could increase anxiety with the new context we’re living in — anything that can come off as insensitive or opportunistic. To be clear, there’s a lot of room for business as usual. If you have a regular content program on Instagram, you provide value in the form of entertainment, so don’t stop that. But your customers and audience are totally freaking out right now. If you don’t acknowledge it, they might judge you for it (if not now, over time).

  2. Be transparent. Don’t be opportunistic.

    When I read this from Beautycounter, I just felt badly that their warehouse crew was still working. And my personal reaction was that this post is an overdone and slightly grotesque self-pat-on-the-back. Patagonia’s shutting everything down and asking their community to be patient on delayed orders until their next update. Unless a policy you’re implementing directly impacts your customers,  feel free to spare them the “how we’re handling COVID- 19” announcement. 

  3. Monitor your communities closely.

    Especially if you use your platform to address the current state of affairs, don’t allow differences of understanding and perspective to devolve into ignorant environments that damage a sense of community and collective responsibility. Lean into kindness and conversation in your community management strategy ASAP. 

  4. What can you do?

    Here are a few ideas: Free shipping, virtual gatherings for your audience, or organizing a timely community effort.   

  5. Determine how “value” looks different for the foreseeable future.

    At the content level, the least you can do is invest time thinking about your audience and how you can improve their lives during this period of time. Publish anti-fear, anti-boredom content that encourages creative thinking and optimism, in a way that shows that your brand is here to go through this together with its community.  

Hit me with questions, don’t ignore it, and send love into the digital atmosphere. Better yet, use your creativity to cultivate something meaningful out of this mess.

In your corner,

Katie

KW Content is a global content and social media marketing agency that develops and launches content and social media programs for purpose-driven brands. Strong Brand Social is our favorite place to hang out! That’s where we provide the absolute best (and most accessible) social media marketing education that empowers small brands to develop their own high-performing marketing programs that are guaranteed to drive growth. Teaching from our proven agency methodologies, we simplify the process and demystify the art of social media marketing to offer focus, efficiency, and measurable results to small business owners, brand directors, and social media marketers. [Learn more.]

PIN this
Share this
Tweet this
email this

results our clients see

It’s all about the final product. By mixing the right services into a potent blend of marketing
mastery, your brand will see measurable results that move the bar forward.

it’s about…

Your brand showing up, suiting up, and playing like a pro

Your brand showing up, suiting
up, and playing like a pro

A beautifully cohesive brand experience

A beautifully cohesive
brand experience

Raving fans with
unquestionable loyalty

Raving fans with unquestionable loyalty

Bigger audiences, more
customers, and better connection

Bigger audiences, more customers, and better connection

But most of all, it’s about having a bigger and totally measurable impact on what got your brand here in the first place… the desire to do good in the world.

AND SO WE ASK…

ARE YOU READY?

Ready to work with a team that has a history of measurable success and proven prowess,
and genuinely cares about the success of your mission?

Scroll to Top