Working In Real-Time
As the COVID-19 quarantine began rolling out across the United States, our social media team went to work. We joined professionals nationwide to quickly assess what content might need to pause. The first action step was circling back to edit scheduled content. When we do this, we are scanning for visuals and captions that might appear insensitive or out of touch.
To entertain people while they are home, we craft posts that ask what they were doing to stay busy. We also put a lot of time into creating motivational video content. At a time when people felt confused and hopeless, we aimed to publish posts that would uplift and inspire.
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Social media’s other purpose is to provide information, so we made sure to alternate these lighthearted posts with informative updates.
The New Normal
Ten years ago, you might have had people going straight to websites to get updated information on businesses. A website was the ideal way to find out what business hours were, etc. Today, consumers head right to social media profiles because the expectation is that they’re more real-time. This is no longer a phenomenon, it’s The New Normal. Social media is our best means, besides face to face conversation, to reach customers, communicate, and build or foster relationships.
Our focus is now on reopening posts. We are using social to reassure followers of the safety measures clients are using to encourage confidence. On Facebook, we are pinning these updates, but now there is a new feature to take advantage of that lets us mark posts as COVID-19 updates. This important tag promises your post will have more reach to your local area.
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The COVID-Update feature lets people know how your services are changing. For clients, that could mean news about reopening or different safety measures they might see in-office. Some clients are focusing on Virtual Orthodontics and encouraging fewer office visits. Right now, the update is only available on desktop but Facebook promises a mobile option is coming soon.
Social media, by its nature, is a fluid vehicle for presenting information and entertainment. Having an agency oversee your content calendar is a smart way to make sure that during a crisis you have a team that’s attentive to what your followers are seeing when they turn to your brand online.
Want to learn more?
Listen to the Ortho Marketing Podcast, Episode #74, to hear President Dean Steinman and Director of Social Media Amy Mauro discuss Best Practices and Tips for Social Media for Orthodontists During This New Normal. Learn What Should You Be Posting, How Often and When. 🎧 Listen now!
