Under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic, brands worldwide have been fighting fervently to stay afloat in these turbulent times. Lockdowns and stay-at-home notices have also drastically changed the way businesses reach out to their audiences with many choosing to cut back on their ad-spend relying more on organic content to drive engagement and awareness.
To delve deeper into the impacts on the world of social media, Socialbakers, the leading social media marketing platform, has released its State of Social Media Report which examines how the global pandemic has affected the way in which users and brands engage over social media. The report dives into the implications on social media ad spend, CPC and engagement across social media channels, providing insight into how the social media landscape is changing, and ultimately how brands should be marketing today in order to come out stronger tomorrow.
3 key findings from the report are as follows:
- Despite Facebook ad spend dropping by half in North America and Western Europe, East Asia actually saw a recovery with Facebook CPC increasing by 21.5% in March.
- Socialbakers data show that posts mentioning coronavirus have been far more common on Facebook than on Instagram, suggesting that people may use Facebook more often when seeking news and updates.
- Brands that share messages of support or details of what they are doing to support their communities and employees have audiences respond with a dramatic increase in ‘Love’ reactions to coronavirus-related content.
The report reflects how industries in East Asia have reacted in this unique time in our history and how the digital world as a whole has fundamentally altered our behaviour. Socialbakers sees users turning to social media channels as sources of information regarding their favourite brands while also being a method of which we stay engaged with the world around us during the crisis.
For more data, you may find attached or download the State of Social Media Report: The Impact of COVID-19.