Where do you read this right now? From your work place or your home?
Well, there is a good chance that you are home with your Internet and family trying to get the best out of the consequences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all settling into a new normal and trying to make the best out of an everyday life in which the lack of toilet paper in supermarkets is a real threat. The social restrictions in the real world force us to get closer to our self-isolation partners and family members but it also creates a search for a different kind of interaction on different social media platforms. In fact, the use and adoption of social media platforms has increased worldwide, and with these numbers follows a shift in demand and consumer behaviour on social media. Lean back while this article explores some of these social tendencies.
Connection & Comfort
The fear of missing out on life is real like never before. As people are stuck at home, they get more and more desperate to overcome these isolation fears and the loneliness. Consumers are now looking for comforting online communities which confirm them that they are not alone in this pandemic. As a result, social media has seen a revival of its original purpose: Connection and interaction with friends and family. Users state that social media has mitigated feelings like loneliness, anxiety, and stress. Furthermore, the rise of social “watch party” reveal this tendency and it is an essential part of the increasing demand of shared media consumption experiences.
As a digital markting marketer, it is crucial to find ways to create and strengthen these online communities. Today is the perfect day to build meaningful relationships and interactions with tuned-in consumers and provide comfort and connection. It could be by developing a hashtag campaign that encourage users to share their situation to create a sense of togetherness, or maybe just to generate some comforting content that underlines that people are not alone during this difficult time.
Entertainment & Creativity
Connection and comfort are far from the only tendencies we see during COVID-19. People want to be distracted from the seriousness of the entire situation, and the demand for entertainment is here to stay. Generation Z is especially bored. During the long hours spent in social isolation, 50% of younger consumers said they feel bored which is why the search and crave for social media content described as fun, exciting, cheerful, etc, is increasing. The rise in media consumption within social media platforms with entertaining video formats such as YouTube and TikTok underlines this. Furthermore, consumers use creativity apps to deal with their boredom, and they want to engage and participate like never before.
This desire for entertainment and creativity should be noticed by marketers, and more lite messaging or video content can be used as a digital strategy to create a sense of escape. However, content based on humour can backfire during this serious situation as many younger and older consumers still find it inappropriate. Nevertheless, marketers can help consumers with their boredom by enabling their followers to create content in which they explore their own creativity. This strategy will create engagement and create the needed sense of escape.
What is Next?
It is crucial to understand and investigate the different tendencies during a pandemic as social media advertising or content can be perceived as inappropriate and, therefore, backfire. If you need help or have any questions, leave a comment or contact me.
