Staying Connected in Isolation

We have never been more inundated, more connected, or more vulnerable. Headlines and empty shelves haunt us, but if you’re reading this, you’re working, you’re learning, you’re not remaining stagnant. So congrats to you! Now is the time to engage, build and educate your customers. Now is the time to take hold of this unique situation in a way that benefits your brand.

Admit it, your “screen time” is up significantly this week. Ours is, too, and the same goes for your customer base. They’re gathering information left & right and looking to be entertained, so let’s give it to them. Are you a streaming service? Offer an extended free trial. Live entertainment? Remind your followers of the magic of live music; give them something to look forward to. Travel? Inspire wanderlust. Striking an authentic, encouraging tone that gives your customer a sense of belonging is crucial.

Collectively, our clients in the travel industry saw a 101% increase in impressions last week, despite decreasing their advertising budgets by 47% (imagine if they’d increased budgets instead…) And while impressions are impressive, it’s engagement that we need right? Over that same time period, we saw a 53% increase in Instagram engagements for a streaming video service promoting a offer to customers stuck at home. Another client used well-targeted social media and paid search ads to more than double their e-commerce orders (+136%) this month. People. Are. Watching.

Ideas are great, but HOW? Media Whisper’s team of digital marketers and community managers put our heads together to create some universal best practices:

Change the tone. The way in which we speak to our followers in this climate is paramount. They are looking for a silver lining. Speak to it. Now is the time for a personable tone, a “give give give” mentality, and rapid response time in customer support. Help them help you, and use this as an opportunity to build a new level of trust & brand advocacy.

Change the visuals. Flashy, staged images of your product, or visuals featuring groups of people will go over like a lead balloon in this season. Choose grounding, relatable imagery (like user-generated content and post shares), and lead with empathy, allowing a “we’re all in this together” mantra to underline your content.

Change the narrative. Now is the time to drive home your brand story, reflect on your history, and highlight what makes you special. Now is the time to provide superior goods and services, to dream up creative offers. Now is the time to lean in. Because after all, a good lean forward will be what propels you off the block first when the fog lifts and all competitors are back in the race.

Now is the time to (virtually) come together! If you need help with your digital strategy during this time, let us know.