How Has COVID Changed Social Media *

How Has COVID Changed Social Media *

Social Media Changes You Need to Make in a Coronavirus World

The Pandemic has turned our world upside down.  It’s already hard to remember how we conducted our lives and businesses just a few short weeks ago.  We’re all asking many questions.  How can we stay connected in our new normal while living with the corona virus/

Social media may be the best way for us to stay connected.  However we can’t continue without making changes to our social media strategy.  Have you thought about the changes that you need to make to your strategy?

 

 

You See How Your Business Has Changed

 

You understand how your business has changed to adapt to the Corona Virus world we live in.  The first thing you need to do is change your Social Media Bios to reflect the changes you have made.  You have to tell everyone about the changes you have made.  

It’s more Important than ever to engage your audience in a conversation about these changes.  Be specific and provide the information that helps your audience to make informed decisions.  

Staying connected and using social media may still be the best option for all of us to keep our customers informed.  Because of the pandemic, how we conduct business has changed.  Restaurants that enjoyed full dining rooms, have had their dining rooms closed to prevent spreading the virus.  

Since their restaurant customers can no longer come to dine with them, many restaurants have changed their business model.  They are providing meals, but now they have to be either take out or deliver their meals.

 

How Social Distancing Makes Social Listening Essential

 

As we are forced to shift our focus more to social media it brings home a very stark fact.  Online Word of Mouth is the only marketing exposure available to most brands.  Because online habits have changed we may have to broaden our social listening.

With more time on their hands, your customers and prospects may be talking about you in more ways than usual.  They may be discussing you on forums and in chat rooms related to your industry.  It’s important to pay attention to all of these different avenues.  How to do that is the million dollar question.

 

Your Posts Need to Be Purposeful, and Humorous

 

Life has changed, but we all appreciate and need a good laugh.  One of the most meaningful types of post that your business can make is to share your goals.  Be honest with your customers during this emergency.  

We hear it stated that “we’re all in this together.”  People actually do feel that their communities are under attack, placing everyone in jeopardy.  Their community has been attacked and they want to help their businesses, friends and neighbors.

It’s important to keep your posts light and perhaps even humorous.  We all need and appreciate seeing the success of brands that we patronize.  We’ve invested part of ourselves in these brands and want to see them succeed.  By sharing your success, it makes your customers feel good if they have been part of making that possible.

 

Be Creative and Repurpose Your Best Previous Content

 

Everyone has previously published content that was very successful in engaging your audience.  Ensure that the content is still relevant and appropriate for the times, repackage it and possibly build a series to help your customers with a particularly nagging problem.

This is an easy win, and can be very helpful to people who have not had the opportunity to digest this material.  This is a great tactic, with success built into your effort.  If the content was well received in the past, updating and republishing great content is always a winning strategy.

 

Focus on Helping, Not on Selling

 

Your social media content should be engaging and focused on providing the helpthat your audience needs.  Solving problems should out weigh your interest in selling.  Your social media provides your face and voice to the outside world.  Others see you and form their opinion about you from your social media presence.

 

Healthcare Workers Celebrate At An Intimate Rooftop Wedding *

Healthcare Workers Celebrate At An Intimate Rooftop Wedding *

We love healthcare workers, especially when they plan an intimate rooftop wedding with their guests’ health in mind. With personalized masks, a virtual ceremony online, and an open-air environment, Bhavni & Ricardo celebrated their love in the cutest, and safest way. Thankfully, Fawn Events created a space filled with luxe modern chairs, colorful florals, and—of course—a mariachi band. 

Planning a wedding during a pandemic isn’t easy. If you’re looking for inspiration on how to throw a small, intimate wedding, keep scrolling to see this COVID-conscious wedding captured by Mariana Pierce. Trust us, you’ll want to pin the sanitizer bottles, the masks, and the table setups. 

The Couple:

Bhavni and Ricardo

The Wedding:

Los Angeles, California

Planning A Wedding During A Pandemic 

By far, our priority at all times—before, during, and after—was the health of our loved ones and all those involved in executing our celebration. Every step we took in planning, and every degree of stress that came with it, was with the pandemic in mind. Our largest sigh of relief came two weeks after the ceremony, when we confirmed that all those in attendance were in good health and COVID-19 free.

Advice From The Bride

It sounds so cliché, but try not to stress! I had complete confidence in our wedding planner, which took a huge load off of us. I’d say invest in vendors and wedding planners that you have complete confidence in so your day is in good hands.

Why An Intimate Rooftop Wedding?

After abandoning all hope in our original plan (a destination wedding in Zacatecas, Mexico), and being limited by LA County’s fluctuating public health protocols, we had to pivot multiple times. Serendipitously, our apartment’s rooftop and helipad provided an unexpected opportunity to celebrate our love with Downtown LA’s urban canopy in the background. The location allowed us to guarantee social distancing in an open-air environment, and simultaneously minimize the need for air travel—as a large percentage of our wedding party and family live in or around the southern California area.

Shop similar personalized wedding masks: love is contagious ($24); disposable wedding masks ($15); personalized fabric wedding masks ($7+)

Gifts For Their Virtual Wedding Guests

Because most of our originally-invited guests could no longer attend, we sent wedding day gift boxes to each of them—containing champagne and personalized COVID-19 masks— so that they could feel they were still part of our special day while streaming the ceremony online.

Shop similar wedding cake toppers: quarantine wedding cake topper ($74.50); masked wedding cake topper ($77.50+)

The Wedding Team:

Photography – Mariana Pierce
Event Planning – Fawn Events
Floral Design – Penelope Pots Floral Design
Catering – Room Forty
Cake – Vanilla Bake Shop
DJ – Second Song
Live Music – Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas
Videography – Life Story Film
Makeup Artist & Hair Styling – Julian Morales
Wedding Dress Designer – Sarah Seven
Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Show Me Your Mumu
Groom’s Apparel – Indochino
Bartending – LA Speakeasy
Rentals – Sun Drop Vintage

Congratulations to Bhavni and Ricardo on their beautiful intimate rooftop wedding! Huge thank you to Mariana Pierce for capturing and sharing this day with us. Planning a wedding during a pandemic like Bhavni and Ricardo? Check out our COVID-19 wedding planning advice to help celebrate your love in a safe way.  

 

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4 mobile app trends business owners need during COVID *

4 mobile app trends business owners need during COVID *

It’s no secret — we live in a mobile app world. Since 2016, mobile use has trended upwards. Mobile has surpassed desktop usage and proved itself as an almost limitless means of connecting with others, conducting research and making purchases anytime, anywhere. As such, mobile app trends are on the minds of many entrepreneurs.

But, how has COVID-19 impacted consumer mobile engagement?

Well, in short, smartphone usage has increased across the globe since the start of the pandemic.

The pandemic has highlighted the value of mobile devices in the digital age, creating an interesting mix of emerging mobile app trends.

If you’re a small business owner looking to offer more value to your existing customers while attracting new audiences in the age of COVID-19, here are the mobile app trends you need to know about.

Related: Take your small business online — A step-by-step guide

Immersive mobile experiences

First in our rundown of essential COVID-10 mobile app trends, we look at the steady rise of immersive mobile experience since the start of the pandemic.

In recent years, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have changed from far-fetched sci-fi movie features to a living, breathing part of our everyday existence. And it was immersive mobile experiences like IKEA Place that showcased the value of everyday AR or VR to a wider audience.

During COVID-19, the value of VR-driven innovation has increased as consumers the world over have started to search for new ways of connecting with friends, families or businesses in isolation.

Man Using VR Headset And Remote

Instagram’s launch of Spark AR, for instance, presents new ways of presenting immersive mobile experiences to the public — a clear indication that in the not so distant future, mobile apps will become the main vessel for AR- or VR-based innovations.

Immersive dressing rooms, virtual tours, interactive collaborative platforms and in-depth mobile-based tutorials are just a handful of ways that in-app VR and AR are shifting the landscape as we know it.

If you’re looking for new ways to stand out in your niche and connect with your target audience on a level that will encourage long-term commitment, it’s wise to invest in AR or VR mobile app features.

Community-driven mobile app trends

One of the most striking mobile app trends we’ve seen during the pandemic has to be the uptick in community-driven platforms.

From face mask fulfillment and contactless care package drop-offs to frontline worker support, many brands have put their focus on serving the people in their respective locales during the pandemic.

Brands are using mobile communications to deliver important messaging and offer helpful services during the pandemic.

In addition, dating app adoption has reached record levels — as have instant messaging apps — as communities have rallied together to keep in touch and share vital information during times of social distance or isolation.

COVID-19 has demonstrated the community-building value of mobile technology.

By regularly communicating with your local or regional customers through mobile and setting up groups, forums or notification boards, you will spark engagement while meeting your customers’ needs head-on as the pandemic endures.

Editor’s note: Our COVID-19 community support section will give you the ideas and inspiration to get started.

Mobile-based push marketing

The sheer magnitude of the pandemic has placed enormous value on real-time mobile interactions and information.

A study from customer engagement specialist Airship showed that mobile app download and notification open rates skyrocketed.

Expanding on our previous point about the rise in local- and community-driven apps, more businesses than ever are using push marketing communications to reach their customers at times where they’re likely to be most engaged.

Person Holding Phone On Table

Say you’re a running shoe retailer. You might choose to deliver in-app push notifications to your customers when the weather is pleasant in their locale, offering them some tips, advice and inspiration to increase engagement. Or, you could create a push notification about a new product at the time you know your customers are most likely to interact with your app.

There are countless ways to take advantage of mobile push marketing — and in a time when engagement, as well as open rates, are so high, you should.

In-app transactions

As far as COVID-19 mobile app trends go, this is arguably the most valuable as it’s a concept that incorporates all of the ideas above, and more.

As we migrate toward a world that’s even more mobile, an increasing number of people are making day-to-day in-app transactions including managing finances, making purchases, dating, connecting with peers or staying up to date with news or trends.

Related: 7 mobile SEO best practices to boost Google search ranking

Cash in on the trend toward mobile apps

Now the average U.S. mobile user alone spends around three hours and 47 minutes each day interacting with apps, which translates to 88% of all mobile traffic.

By focusing on building a mobile app experience that seamlessly connects all of your business’s platforms and touchpoints, and offers personal value, you will boost your chances of encouraging more positive transactions while growing your audience now and as the pandemic starts to slow down.

Invest in the mobile strategies you know will offer your audience real value and boost your business prospects.

In addition to focusing on the mobile app trends above, you should:

  • Use the consumer-based data you have to create personalized mobile experiences for your customers.
  • Create a sense of customer loyalty, offering exclusive deals and content to those who download and interact with your app.
  • Leverage AI technology like chatbots to improve the user experience you offer your customers.
  • Make it as easy as possible for your customers to make transactions or purchases in your mobile app without being too salesy or pushy. Personable, quirky content and clean call-to-action buttons will help.

“As people self-isolate to flatten the curve, social apps have become essential tools for keeping users up to date and informed.” — Think With Google.

We hope these mobile app trends have inspired you to get out there and reach more customers.

If you’re looking to improve your website and reach more mobile-hungry customers, check out GoDaddy’s Websites + Marketing for an effective and easy to manage website and built-in marketing solutions.

The post 4 COVID-19 mobile app trends every small business owner needs to know appeared first on GoDaddy Blog.

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