Changes in social media usage during the pandemic

The course of 2020 has seen plenty of change in our online usage. With lockdown and movement restrictions, more people than ever are online and using social media. According to “Datareportal” July 2020 saw a 10.5% increase in social media usage when compared to July 2019. Despite the terrible circumstances, marketers can embrace these trends and use them as an opportunity to boost their social media engagements.

The world has become more digital

With the rise of social distancing, people are finding new ways to connect, especially through video chat platforms such as Zoom. We’ve also seen the rise of apps such as Houseparty, which allows groups of friends to video chat and play games.

More people are searching for news online during this pandemic, this has seen an increase in readership for local and established newspapers. The pandemic has created fear in society, and people want information fast. This has seen a rise of people using social media sites for their news, such as Twitter.

Finally, due to the pandemic calling off major sporting events, people are consuming entertainment through video games, with Twitch seeing traffic shoot up by 20%.

Video content is still KING

Video content is still a great way to boost your engagements during this current pandemic. The rise in social media usage is fuelled by boredom, and users seeking entertainment. Gen Z and millennials are increasingly looking for humorous video content online to escape the dire situation we currently exist in. Therefore, funny TikTok videos are one of the main reasons for the spike in online engagement during this pandemic.

How can you take advantage of this?

As a marketer, when planning content you can consider the desire for light and humorous messaging that is currently sought. When we talk about TikTok Marketing Trends, we can use M&S as a prime example of integrating this type of content into their strategy.

Users consuming video content crave creativity to remain entertained during this time. Therefore, ensure to remain inspired and original to boost your online engagement. A study found that Americans spent over 90% more time using apps to create and edit images, videos, and visual content during the peak lockdown period. This shows consumers are being more creative as well as craving creative content. That being said, you can act on this by increasing your company’s creativeness online. This can be achieved by being more experimental in your marketing formats and content, encouraging consumers to interact with your posts. As well as by being more innovative with your imagery and concepts.

Platforms have recognised these trends and enticed customers with their clips and new formats, such as Facebook Watch and now Instagram Reels. According to Hubspot, 97% of marketers claim that videos help customers understand products. Your business can use this to its advantage by publishing product reviews/demos, live videos on your social channels, or simply adverts.

Social Networks are bringing more people together

Zoom is bringing people closer together during the pandemic and you can use this to your advantage with these marketing tactics:

- Sponsoring your zoom meetings. By offering the host of a meeting a financial incentive to pitch a product or service before, during, and after a meeting can be a great marketing tactic and a method to take advantage of the increase of online meetings.

- Product placement in zoom meetings. This could be achieved by wearing a specific product that is being advertised or discussing a certain product or service. This could be taken to the next level by designing your zoom background as an advert.

The time offline is becoming much valued by people

People aren’t taking much time offline for granted during the pandemic. This is a great opportunity for adverts for products and services that are enjoyed offline. Some examples of this may include baking and cookery books/products, board games, books, and items to incorporate in your at-home workout such as resistance bands/weights. Therefore, as people are using social media more whilst valuing time offline, this is a great opportunity to utilise social media marketing to advertise your product.

With the 10.5% increase in social media usage this year, why don’t you scale up your social media strategy?

Are you looking to implement engaging content in your

social media strategy? We’re more than happy to help :)

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