Gold Member Holly Copson, M.D of Copson Social shares her thoughts on the outlook for social media platforms in a post-covid landscape.
WHAT WILL SOCIAL MEDIA LOOK LIKE POST-COVID?
A few months ago, at the start of the COVID outbreak, there was a rush for businesses to move online. Lockdown and social distancing measures meant that people could no longer meet face to face, businesses and consumers were worried for the future, and everyone suddenly had to become experts on Zoom.
During lockdown I wrote about how businesses should be harnessing their social media activity as a way to bridge the gap until things go back to ‘normal’. But as time has progressed it’s become clear that the role social media plays in business has changed drastically, and it’s not going to go away quietly.
I’ve summarised a few of my predictions on what social media will look like post-COVID.
Social will be valued more now than ever before
Social media has been a part of the marketing mix for a long time, but with a sharp increase in tech and more businesses moving (and staying) online, social media will become an even more valuable asset. However, this means it will also need to work much harder. If your business has moved online, the chances are your competitors will have as well. That means there is going to be a bigger fight for real estate on social. Your content will need to be able to cut through that competition and reach your audience above others. Those businesses who embraced their social activity during the lockdown will begin to see the rewards once the crisis begins to die down.
2020 will (finally) be the year of video
It feels like every year has been touted as the ‘year of video’ since about 2012. But in 2020 it could actually happen. Predictions are that the production and demand of video will explode in the coming months as businesses look to move their messaging online. You only have to look at the astronomical rise of TikTok to see the mass appeal of video content (the app had 104 million downloads last month alone).
Content will need to be authentic
At the start of the crisis, there was a clear differentiation between brands who piggybacked on it for their own gain, and those that didn’t. Social media users became very savvy very quickly, and this has resulted in the need for social content to be as authentic and transparent as possible. That’s not to say authenticity hasn’t always been a requirement, but now audiences expect it, rather than just prefer it. Again this goes back to the point I made earlier about an increase in competition; authenticity will help brands stand apart from their competitors.
Recent movements like Black Lives Matter have also made brands stand up and think about how they demonstrate their social consciousness online. The Black Out Tuesday collective action generated tens of millions of black squares, with users showing solidarity with the George Floyd protests.
Social Listening will form a larger part of the programme
In a similar vein, brands will need to listen to their audiences even more. Social media needs to be social – it sounds obvious but there are still those who use their channels as a broadcasting function. Businesses have a brilliant opportunity to get feedback on their service direct from their target market and ignoring that would be a wasted opportunity.
If you need any advice or have questions on the shape of your social programme as we move into the new normal, why not book one of our Power Hours? A one-hour session where we can discuss your social strategy and how you can move it forward. Visit the website for more details:
https://copsonsocial.co.uk/services/book-a-power-hour/