How To Manage Your Social Media in Times of Crisis

During this time of deep uncertainty and fear of what the future holds, it is important to take this time to invest in yourself, your business, your values, and your story. One of the first key areas to look at is your brand and how you present yourself online. Right now, it is crucial to think about how you and your team can effectively manage your social media presence and your brand’s story during the Coronavirus crisis. Let’s break it down.

Pause and reconsider your social media plans & goals.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to pause and reflect on any existing plans and or goals you have set for yourself or your brand on social media. Many campaigns and content you may have already created might not be relevant to what is going on in the world right now. No one prepared for this.

We recommend rethinking your content and campaign plans and tailoring them to be more thoughtful and sensitive to the changing needs and concerns your audience has right now. Take a look at the bigger picture and ask yourself “What role does my brand play in this situation? Am I in a position to help?” If you’re a lifestyle blogger, consider sharing recipes and daily tips on how to survive the quarantine. If you’re a fitness influencer, maybe you could share easy, no-equipment workout routines on your stories. If you’re a fashion blogger, share some ideas for Working From Home outfits. Get creative, now’s the time!

As far as your previously planned content goes, instead of getting rid of the campaigns and content all together, try creating a backlog of content and ideas you have and save them for future use. At UNUM, We have moved all of our previously created, curated, and planned content into an entirely new UNUM Space.

For those of you unfamiliar with UNUM, a Space is one of UNUM’s core features for drafting out and storing all of your creative ideas prior to posting. Think of a space as a visual backlog filled with all your ideas — everything you hope to create and share in the future.

Remember, this is bigger than all of us.

It’s important to note that a worldwide pandemic (paired with an economic crisis) is not something to take lightly. Brands and influencers should be considering how to create healing in a world that is wounded.

Every post, campaign, or ad you run will need to be created with extra emphasis on thoughtfulness and empathy. And while it is okay to continue to market and sell goods and services (we need jobs, we need services, we need solutions), keep in mind that your audience’s priorities have changed.

Remember, everyone is impacted, and with that comes an increased level of (and need for) empathy. Stay positive and convey hope for the future.

Make an effort to stay informed & communicate clearly with others.

In times of crisis, communication is key. If working remotely is going to affect customer service, delivery times, or product/service availability, then let your audience know. You will also want to ensure that everything you share remains relevant to what is going on in the world. Keep up to date with the news so that you don’t fall behind and or risk sharing information that may be outdated. We at UNUM love Feedly — it allows us to follow specific topics, categories, and sources, and organizes them into one long list that we can review every morning and share with you all on our social.

Be proactive with your online community.

Take this time to enhance the relationships you have with your audience and online community.

Some ideas for this include:

• Creating a chat group on Instagram where followers can join and communicate with you and other members of your community. We’re currently working on creating ours, please email or DM us (@unumdesign) if you’d like to join!
• Share news sources and key articles you think your audience will benefit from. Spark conversation and encourage others to engage as well. Some of our favorite news sites include The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The Washington Post. We love reading up and checking in with those daily as well as verified health news sources like the CDC and the World Health Organization.
• Remain transparent about what you or your brand is going through, how you are coping, and the ways you plan on getting through this crisis. Not only does this help enhance your relationship with your followers, but it also shows them that they’re not alone in how they are feeling. We have moved our priorities to focus on creating templates that share information from the CDC and the World Health Organization. We’ve also begun creating templates that prompt conversations with audiences and support local small businesses.
• Provide resources and links to sites that are committed to doing good and making a change in and around your community. Despite being confined to your home, you can still contribute to the social good by informing and inspiring others to make a difference.

Here are some resources and companies making a difference:

• U-Haul > is providing free self-storage to all college students who have been impacted by schedule changes at their universities
• LVMH > announced that it will use all perfume and cosmetic brand production facilities to produce large quantities of hand sanitizer
• Comcast, Charter, Verizon, Google, T-Mobile, & Sprint > all signed a pledge to keep Americans internet-connected for the next 60 days, even if people cannot afford to pay
• UberEats & Doordash > announced that they are waiving commission fees for independent restaurant partners
• OneDine > is offering free Tap & Pay touchless payment systems to restaurants staying open during the COVID-19 crisis
• Meero > a file transfer service, is offering free, large-file transfers to ease remote working

Whatever you choose to share, be sure to consider how it will be perceived by your audience. Put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if you saw another company or brand post the same thing?

By taking a pause to reconsider your existing plans and goals, remembering that this is not an opportunity to build your brand and sales, making an effort to stay informed and inform others, and being proactive with your community, you are paving a path towards contributing to the greater social good. Be thoughtful with each post. Be empathetic with your audience and community. And spread positivity and hope for a future we are all uncertain of.