How Social Media Has Changed Us:
COVID-19 edition
What’s the first thing you grab in the morning?
A glass of water? Probably not.
Your toothbrush? Eh.
How about your phone? Think about that. The amount of people looking at their phone within the first few minutes of waking up and/or brushing their teeth is astounding. Doubt me? Google it! You will be surprised at the numbers.
Social media seems to be running our days and nights. As Newton’s Third Law states: For every opinion, there is an equal and opposite opinion. (Okay, he didn’t say that, but it fits well!) So, we will start out with the negatives and lead to the positives.
Immediate Access to Knowledge
Long gone are the spirited debates on random facts such as who played that fiery Italian mother, Sophia, on The Golden Girls. (It was Estelle Getty, by the way.) Since there is an endless amount of information at our fingertips, we never have to wonder. Everything we could ever want to know is right there. We have grown accustomed to this constant stream of new information. The “Now, Now, Now” culture has taken over us. Patience has become a rare virtue, especially when the Wi-Fi is out.
However, the immediate access of information is great in times like today. There is a special need to get constant updates. Amid stay-at-home orders, we can enjoy the many beautiful pictures and stories of people supporting each other in crisis. Elle posted a wonderful article on the unheard positive stories of COVID-19.
Great (and Terrible) for Business
Yup. You mess up and it is pasted on everyone and their grandmother’s feeds. Bad reviews spread like wildfire. Don’t get caught on the wrong side of the fight. If you want more information on this, check out our blog post on battling bad online reviews here. Nothing is private anymore, so image crafting is especially important. Businesses need to spend more time than ever concreting their social media branding. (Shameless Plug 2: this is our specialty, so reach out and ask us how we can help you!)
You get your name out there in the world. People used to spend oodles of money to advertise their business in magazines or newspapers, but you have this access for FREE. Take advantage of it. Keep reading our blog to gather an arsenal of tips and resources you can use in your marketing! (And that was Shameless Plug 3 #whoops???? #IPromiseImDone)
It’s Raining Politics
It feels like you know everyone’s political standings now. And if you don’t, you can probably check their latest status to get the scoop. There is a strong possibility that you have unfollowed someone because they got way too political in your feed. Twenty seven percent of Americans have blocked/unfriended someone because the person posted certain political views, according to Pew Research Center.
Political modesty works best for companies with customers in all walks of life. “Playing Switzerland” keeps your business in good light with a large array of customers. On the other hand, if something aligns with company values, carefully post it. Be respectful of opposing opinions. People are especially sensitive during this time of uneasiness. If you are running business social media now, it might be best to keep things lighthearted. One business that has been doing a great job with this is NYC rock climbing gym, The Cliffs. They are closed, but they have been keeping their members active with strengthening exercises, live yoga classes, and knot-tying tips. This keeps their members engaged and distracts them from the stressful global environment.
Time
The sheer time and effort dedicated to social media is astounding. Social Media Today posted that people spend about 2 hours and 23 minutes a day on social media. It can be predicted that average social media time has increased tremendously with the stay-at-home orders. Social media has become a way to cope with the hours of boredom cooked up at home.
This is the best time in history to get noticed in the social media realm. Now is the time to get out your best content-creating skills to blow your customers’ socks off!
The Wrap Up
There are so many other ways society has molded around social media culture. The advice suggested above may seem a bit airy, but that is the world of marketing. No one method will work for everyone. It is up to you to represent yourself in the best way possible.
Stay safe everyone!
