For a few weeks now, the coronavirus outbreak has been the central issue on social media affecting the daily work life of brands, agencies,  governments and the general public in the region. Everyone is trying to adapt to the current situation by revisiting business, marketing and content strategies.

By listening to conversations on social media, businesses can understand the evolving consumer behavior and better tailor to their needs, thus communicating the right messages. 

To get an idea of how engagement and conversations on social media are evolving, we monitored and analyzed over 600K social media activities on March 21st, a day that is celebrated with love every year. 

The analysis was done in an attempt to highlight the initial change in social media behavior and provide businesses with an idea of the current preferred messages and corporate approach. We started off by analyzing the social media activities on Mother’s Day in 2019 and 2020, coming up with the following key insights:

1. Coronavirus Dominated Social Media Conversations on Mother’s Day 2020

Coronavirus was still the main topic being discussed on that day. There was quite a drop in the level of social media activity in regards to Mother’s Day only. Users chose to engage with Mother’s Day content when connected with the call to be safe and stay at home more than ones not mentioning the coronavirus at all.

Comparison of SOV and Engagement Levels  on Mother’s Day 2019 vs. 2020

Share of Voice on Mother’s Day 

Mother’s Day Trending Hashtags 

Level of Engagement on Mother’s Day 

2. Positive Communication is Key   

Due to the current situation, it was no surprise that the level of negativity among social media users increased. However, optimism and positive messages of encouragement was the leading content approach on March 21st. Spreading powerful messages about #stayingathome to protect loved ones is considered useful information to the audience. It guided them on how to be proactive, and understand how they can make the situation better. 

3.Audience Expectations Are Now Different 

It is important to recognize that there is a shift in the type of social media conversations being held right now. Based on this, audience expectations might change as well. It is necessary to join in the Coronavirus conversation, and not go off track. Coronavirus was still trending during Mother’s Day, which highlights its significance. Influencers and brands have a role to play in our current reality of social distancing and self- quarantine lockdowns. Brands at this stage are encouraged to:

• Provide access to trustworthy and useful information 
• Build engagement and connect with your audience in the right time
• Create relevant social media content that adapts to the current situation

It is important to stay on the frontlines, and contribute to the ongoing social media conversations, with value . The way to do that is to have accurate information on what is happening on social media. We are here to support you and your teams with effective monitoring, listening, and activation tools to help identify the most appropriate content strategy in the current situation.