3 Ways Social Media Was Affected from Covid-19
What do you think social media could become? I have been thinking about this question for a while and one thing I do know, is that social media is going to adapt to the world we live in. ‘A virus breaks out and the world is forced to shut down’, “Let’s download the Zoom app and chat”. Over 100,000 schools and 265,400 people used Zoom during March to the end of April of 2020 which was a 345% increase from the previous year (Clement). If the usage of one social media platform changed this much from a virus, imagine how much it could change all platforms in general.
1. It Became Essential!
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At first having a profile on a social media platform was just considered something “nice to have” but now the phrase used would be it’s a “must have”. Before social media hit the world, people would wave at each other on the street rather than on the app, Facebook Messenger. The whole reason social media was created was to stay connected but now it’s an essential part of most people’s life. On average in a single lifetime, a person will spend 6 years and 8 months using social media (broadbandsearch.net).
During the Covid-19 outbreak, many people turned to social media to reach family members, friends, and work. I can say with confidence that I was using social media for everything like school, the news, communicating with people, work or, of course, shopping. According to Statista.com, 42% of adults used social media to virtually socialize with friends and family. For shopping, Statista.com stated that, “9% of consumers were first time online shoppers because of Covid-19”. Due to this virus, social media became an essential part of people’s life.
2. More Advertisements
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Companies needed to find more ways to reach out to their customers. In 2007, Facebook created Facebook Ads in which it would help a business target their audience (about.fb.com). Advertising was a huge way for people to be introduced to new brands and trends while they were scrolling through social media.
Put yourself in the following situation. Coincidentally an ad pops-up with the flannel you were talking about or searching on google earlier. How do you feel about that? Probably somewhere between impressed and weirded out, however, this is how some businesses are finding their audience. There are also about 5 million brands being advertised on Facebook which means you’ll most likely run into an ad of some sort (Clark).
When Covid-19 hit, social media gave companies a chance to show their audience the brand in a new light. A survey was done and about 65% of people said how brands respond to the Covid-19 pandemic will have a large impact on their likelihood to buy that brand in the future (smperth.com). If your business was not advertising enough during Covid-19, there’ s a chance you might have lost customers.
3. Did Someone Say Customer Service?
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Many businesses have struggled with customer service and their reputation being destroyed because of dissatisfied customers. There is nothing worse than bad reviews that other customers can see. However, most businesses were forced to be available only online and not in the store during Covid-19. I’m not sure how thrilled anyone was about this; however, social media was a great way to show customers that they are #1.
Look at angry customers as an opportunity to improve your brand’s reputation! Social media allows businesses to reply quick and directly to customers. According to Gough, 42% of people that contact a company through social media expect a response within 60 minutes. Contact them quick and customers will see your business in a different way and not get frustrated every time they pop into Facebook or whatever social media platform was used. Essentially, Covid-19 changed social media because this allowed businesses to communicate more with their customers about their experiences online.
Summary
From a global pandemic, social media became essential, it allowed businesses to advertise more efficiently and businesses moved their customer service help online. The future of social media looks bright and will keep adapting to its users.
Works Cited
“2020 Facts & Figures // Social Media Statistics.” Social Media Perth #SMPerth, 24 July 2020, www.smperth.com/resources/2020-social-media-statistics/.
“Average Time Spent Daily on Social Media (Latest 2020 Data).” BroadbandSearch.net, www.broadbandsearch.net/blog/average-daily-time-on-social-media.
“Facebook Unveils Facebook Ads.” About Facebook, 7 Nov. 2019, about.fb.com/news/2007/11/facebook-unveils-facebook-ads/.
Clark, Jon. “30 Crazy Social Media Facts That Might Change How You Think About Marketing.” Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Journal, 5 July 2018, www.searchenginejournal.com/social-media-facts/258533/.
Clement, J. “Social Media Usage in U.S. during COVID-19.” Statista, 19 June 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/1106343/social-usage-increase-due-to-coronavirus-home-usa/.
Harry Gough // November 15. “25 Customer Service Stats to Know in 2020.” Qualtrics, 5 Mar. 2020, www.qualtrics.com/blog/customer-service-stats/.
