Social Media Marketing
The COVID-19 Global Pandemic has changed the way many businesses and institutions operate and market their products. From remote work to Zoom meetings to increased focus on online marketing channels, the pandemic has exposed many opportunities for businesses to connect to consumers.
Read this linked article, “
Guide to Social Media Marketing in 2020
“, then address the following questions in a discussion post of around 200 words.
- Have you noticed any increase in online marketing efforts from brands or companies you typically interact with face-to-face during the pandemic? Which ones? How has their online or social marketing increased or changed compared to pre-pandemic? Give specific examples.
- Do you think as a consumer, you’ll continue to engage with these brands or companies in a virtual environment as the economy continues to open up, or do you think you’ll go back to more face-to-face interactions?
Guide to Social Media
Marketing in 2020
Challenges, Opportunities and Lessons
from the Pandemic and Beyond
Table of
Contents
Introduction
3
Business Challenges & Solutions 4-13
A. Adjusting to Working Remote 5-7
B. Reevaluation of Social Strategies & Budgets 8-1
1
C. Reinventing Social Media Content 12-13
Recommended Tools for Success 14-15
What Comes Next? 16-21
A. Trends – What new social media marketing trends are on the rise? 17-18
B. Predictions – What does the future of social media marketing look like? 19-20
C. Advice – How can social media marketers prepare for the future? 21
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S | 02
O
Introduction
ver the past several months, we have been gathering feedback
and information from our community to assemble a support
guide for social media marketers everywhere. The goal was to
learn how others in our industry are being affected and handling new
and unplanned-for challenges brought on by a global pandemic and
how to tackle the rest of 2020.
Social Media Today’s community is comprised of over 3 million
professionals passionate about marketing, social media,
communication, customer experience, content marketing, digital
strategy, or any other discipline where a thorough understanding of
social media is mission-critical.
In this guide, we share real experiences, challenges, tips, tools and
advice from industry peers. There’s a lot we can learn from how this
historic year has affected us all and how others have adjusted their work
processes and marketing strategies to keep up with changing social
standards and market needs.
O
Sourced from Social Media Today’s community of over 3 million marketers.
I N T R O D U C T I O N | 03
Business Challenges
& Solutions
Marketers shared their most recent work-life experiences and
social media challenges brought on by quarantine. Here are the
major challenges, and possible solutions, that we identified in
the community.
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 04
Adjusting to Working Remote
Challenges
Most of the challenges from this new normal
stemmed from forced daily-routine changes, a lack
of separation between work-life and home-life, a
dwindling office culture and team motivation, and
mental exhaustion. For example, parents struggled to
work with their children distracting them. Teams missed
those in-person moments for quick check-ins and
collaborations. And setting schedules to create a clear
work-life balance became necessary for everyone.
1
Jennifer Baker | Social Media Trainer @JenniferBakerCo
Replying to @socialmedia2day
A1: Challenge working at home with a preschooler. I work at nap
time and bed time. I prioritize my son’s needs. #smtlive
Cassidy Rota @cassidyrota
A1: Not having those face to face moments when I can chat with
a co-worker to confirm a small detail or a last minute language
check. #smtlive
Cassidy Hogan @heyitscass95
A1 – A challenge for me with working to home would be structur-
ing a new schedule to make sure I’m not stuck doing the same
activities daily. It has also given me the opportunity to workout
more. #smtlive
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 05
Solutions
Even as stay-at-home restrictions lift, work-life may
never be the “same” as many companies adopt
indefinite or flexible remote work policies. Our
community shared some great tips with us on how
they have been adapting to remote work including
new routines and structure to support themselves.
Nureen @nureenv
Replying to @socialmedia2day
Lessons learned: Plan content when you’re most productive and
a bonus if that lines up with waking an hour or two earlier.
Hydrate Marketing @HydrateMktg
5:00 Friday FaceTime happy hour! #smtlive
Cassidy Hogan @heyitscass95
I have been using guided meditation to ensure I stay productive
throughout my work day. #smtlive
Adjusting to Working Remote
1
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 06
Expect the unexpected. I don’t think any of us
expected a global pandemic this year, nor for
the entire world to essentially just shut down
like it did. As marketers, we still need to have
established marketing plans in place. But we also
need to be able to pivot and adjust accordingly
based on what is happening in the world around
us. No one is immune to what’s going on, and
the fallout may take years to recover from.”
Tabitha Jean Naylor, Owner at TabithaNaylor.com
“
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 07
Challenges
Social media marketers have faced challenges
directly impacted by business closures, budget cuts,
changes in customer and client needs, and losing
access to high-quality production teams, spaces and
equipment. One of the biggest challenges has been
the “unknown” factor that has sent marketers back to
the drawing board. Now is a time for experimentation.
Reevaluation of Social Strategies & Budgets
2
Travis Joyal @TJMO
Our client base is all restaurant and retail so the #COVID19
pandemic hasn’t only negatively affected our social media
budgets, it’s affected our agency revenue stream drastically.
#SMTLive
Maddie @maddielydon
Replying to @socialmedia2day
Some of the brands that I manage have an experiential fac-
tor, which has been closed for the foreseeable future. This has
caused us to pivot from a quarterly strategy to go week by week
instead. #SMTlive
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 08
Solutions
As social media platforms have recognized an
increased need, new marketing features and tools
are being released constantly to support us. With
more opportunities for content creation, advertising,
and community engagement, marketers are turning
up the heat on social and exploring new content
formats, such as live video. Also, as competition for
ad placements dropped, our community suggested
taking advantage of cheaper ad spend opportunities
and all the new features released by social platforms
over the past few months.
Travis Joyal @TJMO
Social media ads, particularly on Facebook, are cheap right now.
If the budget and strategic messaging are there, I’d recommend
increasing spends!
Sophie Clarke @clarke_sophie
A2: It’s key to focus on what matters: if your business isn’t doing
well & you had to take actions like letting go staff then now isn’t
the time to boost all content. We see that organic works for the
right content: share useful info the user needs + invest time in
customer care
Amanda Shepherd @missamander
If your ads are providing value, this could be a great time to
establish a presence. You have to tread lightly and carefully. But I
think that people will remember the brands that have some good
during this time. #smtlive
Reevaluation of Social Strategies & Budgets
2
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 09
W H A T C O M E S N E X T ? | 1 0
In response to content consumption
and user habits changes, Twitter has
been releasing new features and
platform research to help brands keep
up with the trends. From user stats and
marketing tips to recently released
platform features, see what Twitter now
has to offer.
Instagram noticed a significant uptick in
user activity and content engagement
as more and more communities
went into lockdown. In response,
Instagram began releasing new
content, community engagement, and
advertising features along with research
and support guides for marketers.
Over the past few months, Facebook
has come out with so many new updates
it’s hard to remember them all. From
advertising guides and marketing
education sessions to new features and
tools, the platform is constantly releasing
updates specifically to help brands and
marketers during uncertain times.
Similar to other social media platforms,
LinkedIn has been releasing regular
tools, features, guides and courses to
support brands through the pandemic.
LinkedIn even took it a step further
by launching ‘mindfulness courses’ to
help people manage stress due to the
lockdowns.
Instagram Facebook LinkedInTwitter
Learn more about how social media platforms are helping
guide brands through the global pandemic.
Learn More
Learn More Learn More Learn More
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/twitter-guides-brands-through-global-pandemic/581247/
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-guides-brands-through-global-pandemic/581108/
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-guides-brands-through-global-pandemic/581253/
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-guides-brands-through-global-pandemic/581250/
Since the lockdowns, it’s been really nice
to see the human unfiltered side behind
brands. It’ll be interesting to see whether
this continues post-COVID. Similar to
brands realizing that their staff can
actually work remotely, I expect brands
to be more comfortable with creating and
publishing unedited visual content.”
Neil Sheth, Digital Content Strategist
“
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 1 1
Reinventing Social Media Content
Challenges
Similar to the strategy reevaluations, social media
marketers have had to rebuild content from the
ground up. New challenges include creating content
without large-production capabilities, constantly
adjusting your messaging to be mindful of current
situations, finding creative ways to engage your
audience, and learning how to monetize your new
content efforts. Also, as everyone turns to social
media to answer their engagement and marketing
problems, content overload, once again, is a battle
marketers face.
3
Amanda Shepherd @missamander
Replying to @socialmedia2day
It forced me to completely reevaluate every individual post I had
scheduled. For one client, we focus a lot on serving k-12 food
service pros. Once schools closed, we had to change ALL our
content through the rest of the month & really shift our strategy.
#smtlive
Hydrate Marketing @HydrateMktg
A1 – Definitely. Like we said, we can’t go get images and shoot
videos for most clients. This situation calls for a lot of virtual
communication, both externally and internally. Just got off of
a two hour @zoom_us call during which we solely discussed
social media!
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 1 2
Solutions
Creating new and engaging content on the fly in an
unpredictable time is not easy work, but there are
tricks to making sure you do it right. The positive side
in all of this is the shifting expectations of audiences
who now are comfortable with and enjoy the more
raw, unfiltered, authentic content that brands are
producing. The main piece of advice our community
continued to come back to was the importance of
creating content that adds value and is empathetic
towards current situations.
Robin Selvy Re @RobinSelvyRe
Replying to @socialmedia2day
I thought this was a good checklist for “Responsible brand
communications in uncertain times” via @GoogleAds:
Keep talking
Craft your messaging
Act responsibly
Think ahead
Be the King of (your) Content
#SMTLive
Travis Joyal @TJMO
Our focus now, at least on social media, is to share content that
is helpful, accurate, timely, compassionate and/or human (the
HATCH method). And, we’re tasking ourselves to be proactive
thinkers and planners and prep content once this nightmare is
over. #SMTlive
Reinventing Social Media Content
3
B U S I N E S S C H A L L E N G E S & S O L U T I O N S | 1 3
There are numerous powerful and innovative tools that can help
social media marketers work more effectively and efficiently on
the job. Here are some of our community’s favorites for social media
management, project management, and team (or client) collaboration
while working remote.
Recommended Tools
R E C O M M E N D E D T O O L S | 1 4
Content Creation
The tools our community recommends for
designing social media graphics.
Social Media Management
The tools our community recommends
for social media content scheduling,
monitoring, tracking and general
management.
Team Collaboration & Project Management
For all design levels:
• Canva
• Sprout Social
• Hootsuite
• BuzzSumo
Best for collaboration and project management:
• ActiveCollab
• monday.com
• Basecamp
• Asana
For experienced designers:
• Adobe Creative Cloud
• LaterMedia
• Croudfire
• SocialPilot
• Airtable
• MeetEdgar
Best for task management:
• Trello
Best for saving, sharing and collaborating:
• G Suite (Docs, Drive, etc.)
• Dropbox
• Box
R E C O M M E N D E D T O O L S | 1 5
https://trello.com/
What Comes Next?
We asked the Social Media Today community to share their
predictions for the future of social media and digital marketing.
What lessons can we learn from this year so far, what social
media trends do we see gaining momentum and how can we
prepare for the future? Here is what they had to say.
W H A T C O M E S N E X T ? | 1 6
W H A T C O M E S N E X T ? | 1 7
“Digital events may stick. We were forced into
them but some brands & media outlets are
seeing huge returns: captive audiences, lower
cost to pull off and hyper-relevant msg. Ppl
are loving the “community” of virtual — it’s an
introverts dream & ideal for super busy.”
@Brandi_Rand
“Live and on-demand video content are an
important way to connect to audiences in the
absence of in-person events.
Challenges: bandwidth, monetizing digital events,
so.much.noise.”
@SheSpeaksSocial
“Social media groups and small, niche, interest
driven communities appears to be on the rise
and I see this impacting social media marketing
positively. I think it will place greater emphasis
on social media listening, versus simply surface
metrics of likes and shares.”
@dignajoseph
Trends
Digital Events Video Everything Social Media Groups
What new social media
marketing trends are on the rise?
“Ecom integrations like Teespring w/ Twitch
YouTube and shops w/ Facebook & Instagram
are providing native solutions to compete w/
Amazon are rising trends”
@brucekraftjr
“Not a trend but a movement, Anti-racism &
diversity will become prioritised to ensure long-
lasting change & positive impact is made in the
industry. We will see inclusive representations
internally and externally, as brand communities
demand change and accountability.”
@SocialDisruptpr
“The impact of Covid-19 has increased the need
for brands to create relatable user-generated
content and form meaningful connections with
their community. Working with Micro-Influencers
will continue to increase to achieve this
efficiently and cost-effectively.”
@SocialDisruptpr
Trends
Social Media Shops Social Advocacy Raw, Unfiltered Content
What new social media
marketing trends are on the rise?
W H A T C O M E S N E X T ? | 1 8
Predictions What does the future of social
media marketing look like?
“Out of all marketing strategies, I believe that
social media will be the main one to thrive in the
post-COVID world.”
Lilach Bullock, Founder, Lilach Bullock
“Since the lockdowns, it’s been really nice to see
the human unfiltered side behind brands. It’ll be
interesting to see whether this continues post-
COVID. Similar to brands realizing that their staff
can actually work remotely, I expect brands to be
more comfortable with creating and publishing
unedited visual content.”
Neil Sheth, Digital Content Strategist
“My prediction is that social media content from
businesses will become more creative and
digital strategy will be better than ever. The
businesses that pushed up their sleeves and got
to work on social media marketing efforts during
a major crisis will reap the rewards when the
crisis starts to fade.”
Anna Rudicel, Marketing Director of Cyclone Social
W H A T C O M E S N E X T ? | 1 9
Predictions What does the future of social
media marketing look like?
“In a post-COVID world, I think there will be a continued emphasis
on the needs of the consumer. Social media will become what it has
always meant to be: social. Social media content will be created to
better engage the consumer — asking questions, sharing polls, and
hosting mini-events like Twitter chats and movie watch-along nights
that are relevant to their industry.”
Deborah Sweeney, CEO, MyCorporation
“I think we are going to see online video continue to explode. I mean,
look at the massive surge in popularity of TikTok since this all started.
The company’s growth has been incredible. I also think that, at least
for the foreseeable future, we’re going to see brand messaging that’s
much more empathetic and compassionate.”
Tabitha Jean Naylor, Owner at TabithaNaylor.com
W H A T C O M E S N E X T ? | 2 0
Advice How can social media marketers
prepare for the future?
“Think about the value you really want to bring
– don’t overkill – stick to the basics of good
marketing that’s been working for over a 100
years. Go back to the roots.”
Wisken Beeckman, Founder & CEO, WIScan
“Make room on your editorial calendar for
surprises and changes. In a pre-COVID world,
these were documents that had been established
months in advance. Post-COVID, it will gradually
become a bit easier to plan ahead but this kind
of planning should still be somewhat loose and
open to new concepts and ideas.”
Deborah Sweeney, CEO, MyCorporation.com
“I believe that brands focused on establishing
an emotional connection with their audiences,
through meaningful content, will come out ahead
post-COVID. Authenticity will play a vital role.
No one wants to be sold to or seen as taking
advantage of the circumstances surrounding the
pandemic. I recommend that marketers refrain
from jumping on the bandwagon “du jour” for the
day and skip the overused phrases like: “We’re in
this together” or “During these uncertain times.”
We get it. Just be real and relevant.”
Rachel Strella, Founder, Strella Social Media
W H A T C O M E S N E X T ? | 2 1
Hope you found the advice shared in this guide useful. Join
our #SMTLive Twitter Chat Club to be a part of future social
media marketing conversations with your industry peers.
Learn More
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