COVID-19 has swept through the world in an unprecedented way. Unfortunately, it has lead to widespread economic struggle and a sharp increase in unemployment. Everyone is stuck at home with very little to do but twiddle their thumbs and try to find something worth watching on Netflix. Looking for silver linings in such a crisis is one of the best ways to stop yourself from getting to bogged down in the rampant doom and gloom to be seen on the news and social media platforms. One of the most exciting silver linings is how social media can be used to our advantage during the Coronavirus.
To Raise Awareness:
One of the most significant factors for the drastic increase in user activity recently is that there is very little else to do. It is virtually impossible to emulate a scenario where so many people are spending as much time as they do on social media platforms.
This gives you a great audience base to start running ads to raise awareness of whatever it might be that you are trying to promote. It could be your new business, your new blog, or simply raising awareness for a good cause. Social media has always been one of, if not the, most effective ways of reaching a specific audience. There is no better time than now to promote your brand.
To Make Money:
Just as social media can be used as a platform for raising awareness, it can be used as an advertising base. Social media offers the most specific advertising possible. Meaning directing your target audience to your website to buy your product is incredibly easy. This has always been the case; social media advertising is not new. However, with the vast increase in people stuck at home bored, the amount of people willing to try a new product that will offer them some kind of entertainment is tremendous. So many people are borderline losing their minds trying to entertain themselves throughout the day, that if you can offer them a neat little product right to their door, they will be tripping over themselves to start buying from you.
To Check up on Friends and Family:
Social media can also be used to check up on friends and family. Given that we are supposed to be staying indoors, at home, alone, speaking to our friends and family has become a little tricky. We cant walk over to our neighbor’s house; we cant visit our elderly relatives. Some of us are even scared of visiting our parents to see how they are doing. The risk of contamination is high, and the repercussions can be terrible. So, how do we contact them? Social media, of course! Creating group chats and shared private pages for your family and friend groups is an excellent way of all staying in contact, checking up on one and other, as well as ensuring you all fight the urge to break quarantine out of boredom. Ensuring there is still a sense of community during these troubling times is a very effective way of keeping us happy. And, keeping our sanity.
What not to do:
COVID-19 has created a “trapped” audience for us to market to, which is excellent. So long as you don’t abuse it. Some companies have used this pandemic as a way of pushing their ideas or products on vulnerable people. If you decide that using fear-mongering as a way of promoting your product, not only is that immoral, but it will likely tank your business and reputation in the long run. Having a good reputation is one of the essential things in today’s day and age. It is perfectly fine to market an item as something good for stopping boredom, or that makes the user healthier, it is not okay to claim that it will in any way prevent the coronavirus. Once you break the trust you have with the consumer, it is almost impossible to get it back.
Conclusion:
So, social media once again plays a huge role in today’s happenings around the world. Now more than ever, it can be used effectively to promote your brand or business and keep in contact with the family. And, it can all be done from home—no need to go into the office, or a coffee shop, or the library. So long as you have a mobile phone, you are good to go.