Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and #stayathome, most businesses with the ability to go virtual have transitioned online. There are countless PR and marketing tips that can help companies navigate this new norm. If your business can create unique, interactive experiences for customers and followers to explore--on your website and social media platforms--it will pay off in the long run.
Consumers are glued to their phones, tablets, and laptops during what seem like extra-long days. Businesses should tap into this unusual situation. Tactics to draw in consumers include online games, trivia sessions and virtual challenges. When you start creating consumer-targeted activities, remember that the content needs to stay consistent with your brand.
In addition, be human and approachable. Few consumers want to feel like they’re talking to a robot (sorry, Siri and Alexa).
Here are tips to help you reach customers and prospects, weather this storm, and rise above the competition.
Use the Instagram Story feature to post polls or trivia questions
Structure posts to encourage tags and shares. Always align your post with the brand’s colors, voice and aesthetics. Consumers' answers will give you insight into their product knowledge and opinions. In addition, it will draw users to your website and social media accounts.
Similarly, other advantages of using polls and trivia questions via Stories is receiving results in real-time, users tagging friends and sharing posts. This feature can help you adapt and craft future questions to increase engagement.
Create virtual challenges to create a bond
Whether it’s tagging amazing people in a thread or recording a dance or even inspiring fellow users to do push-ups, challenges are a great way to bring users together. Whatever it is, challenges help bring out the competitive edge in users, while promoting your brand. Just be sure to encourage users to tag your business. Who doesn’t want free advertising?
Some examples:
- a fitness company can challenge users to devise their best at-home workout
- a makeup company can ask users to post their top at-home makeup tutorials using its products.
In addition, you can offer incentives like a chance to win products/services or become featured customer post of the day.
Livestream Q&A or AMA (ask me anything) sessions
- Offer virtual consultations or tours of your facilities.
- Fitness or health-related companies can livestream workouts or tips and ask users to share tips.
- Restaurants can livestream cooking demonstrations and promote meal kits or a vote for users' favorite choices for takeout meals of the day.
- Share how your company is giving back and supporting the community, and ask how your customers are doing so.
Whatever you decide to do, make it positive, engaging, and authentic to your brand values. Customers will notice and remember it long after this crisis is past.
Melissa DiGianfilippo is president of PR, Serendipit Consulting