How Coronavirus Might Affect Your Social Media Pages – and What to do About It

Your social media pages bridge the gap between
you and your customers and clients, so during a crisis such as Covid-19, it’s
important that you use this important communication medium. However, you may be
wondering how to best manage your pages during a time of uncertainty, and
ensure you keep hold of followers and customers. Here are some ways that
coronavirus may affect your social media, and how you can handle these changes.

You may see an increase in traffic

A lockdown means that people are home more
often, which means that whether they are supposed to be working from home or
not, they’re likely to spend more time on social media. This can mean more
reactions, messages and comments on your posts, both positive and negative, and
you can deal with this by:

• Using social media management
  tools to keep track of your different accounts
• If you are having trouble
  keeping up with messages, put on an auto-response so people know you’ll get
  back to them soon
• Get someone in your customer
  service team to help you deal with comments and investigate any problems

It can be difficult to manage your social media
when you have a flood of traffic, so make sure you are prepared.

You may find it difficult to strike the
right tone

Nobody wants to follow a social media account
that’s all doom and gloom, but similarly, you can’t pretend that big things
aren’t happening right now. It’s important to strike the right tone in your posts,
being as upbeat as possible in difficult circumstances. It’s worth working with
social media experts such as Move Ahead Media to put together a strategy and create content
that’s positive, without being insensitive.

You may notice more hoaxes and scams

Unfortunately, a crisis can bring out the worst
in people, and there have already been some high-profile cases where fake news
about the virus has quickly circulated. If you are managing a social media
account, be very wary of retweeting or sharing anything about Covid-19 from
sources you don’t recognise. Not only could you potentially spread fake news
that could put people at risk, you could also make your organisation look
unprofessional.

People will rely on your site for updates

From closures to delivery information, your
social media pages will become a hub during coronavirus, so it’s important to
utilise them wisely. Post regular updates about what’s going on and assure
people that you’re working hard behind the scenes. For example, if there will
be delays, relay this information through your social media, so you don’t get
the same question over and over.

Social media management can be tough at the
best of times, so during a crisis, it can be hard to know what to post and how
to respond. Follow the above tips and you can ensure you stay professional on
your social media pages and build a strong relationship with your followers.