03/30/2020 - This Week In Marketing
Insights Into What We Noticed This Week 👇 As our lives become more controlled by the virus, people are finding new and creative ways to keep themselves and their family safe and sane! Here are some interesting insights we found across our entire client network this week.
👼The search term "Good News" has skyrocketed the past week.
People are looking for something positive. In time lines filled with Coronavirus press conferences, sadness and despair, people are looking for something happy. Something that distracts them from the awful world we are finding ourselves in. People are anxious, help them find an outlet.
For example, here's how you can get involved.
Share your unusual work space. Working from the kitchen table? Working on a garbage can in the driveway because it's the only place you can get the wifi to work? Share your experience!
In addition, people are searching "stay at home order" a lot more than ever before... So, post some funny and useful tips on how & what the order means and how your audience can entertain themselves at home.
🛠People are becoming DIY(ers). What are people searching? You guessed it.
Here is the list of Trending "How to..." questions on social media past week: - How to make a mask out of fabric - How to make hand sanitizer gel - How to make disinfectant wipes - How to make toilet paper - How to make disinfectant spray
📈Ad Spent Up & Ad Spend Down.
Certain industries are pausing their spend. We knew this, but what's interesting is that certain industries seem unaffected. What keeps things dynamic is the uncertainty. No one know when this is all over, when we can return to an increment of normalcy.
Facebook is rolling out some new measures to assist small businesses dealing with the impacts of the COVID-19 shutdown, including more than $100 million in aid to small businesses across the nation. They have also announced new tools, such as gift cards listings, where people will be able to find digital gift cards for their favorite local restaurants and businesses. Buy something from your local restaurant to help them out!
Facebook reported that it's seeing record high levels of usage for its services: Messaging activity is up 50%, Live Video Up 70%
As people are on Live and are broadcasting their indoor world to the outside world, Facebook has brought in new tools to create a more engaging experience. The main ones:
Automatic closed captions
Audio only broadcasts. (basically a podcast)
Lower bandwidth lives
Fundraise and charity streams for everyone. You can now create live streams with dial in numbers that help donate to a cause of your choosing.
Musicians are hosting concerts live. Everyone from Coldplay to The Roots are posting and hosting live concerts online.
👩💻LinkedIn Gets Busy with 15x More Posts
LinkedIn has seen an influx in user activity over the past two weeks. The platform has provided some general tips on what to post, beyond the COVID-19
Post about your experiences - LinkedIn says that providing your personal stories and insights is key to maximizing engagement on the platform, and building a presence within your respective communities. Many people hesitate in sharing their personal experience, as they don't want to reveal some perceived flaw or weakness, but in these times, there's a good chance that other business people are feeling what you're feeling, and asking the same questions you are.
Discover and comment on conversations that are most relevant to you - "Searching hashtags is a fast way to do this. If you recently discovered a video conferencing hack that helped your team have more efficient meetings, search #videoconference and comment on posts with your advice. Found an effective way to keep your kids occupied while you take a work call? Share your story and tag co-workers or close connections who may need similar advice."
Be yourself and offer your unique perspective -"Some of the most successful posts come from professionals who discuss lessons they've learned from their personal lives, show appreciation for their team, or share words of encouragement and post about ways to spread kindness."
Stay informed with trusted news and share your thoughts - "On LinkedIn the number of articles about coronavirus increased by 17X between February 1 and March 17. The biggest topics of discussion we’ve seen on LinkedIn are perspectives and advice on remote working, social distancing, crisis management, business continuity, online learning, collaboration and more. For example, “remote working” searches on LinkedIn Learning tripled in March."
These are just some of the highlights we noted from our clients and across the digital media landscape! More next week!
