Even though the world is on lock-down, it does not mean the business world has stopped due to the COVID outbreak. Businesses are trying to re-adapt to the rapid changes. Audiences expect brands to take on a certain role, and contribute to society. Therefore, authentic and purposeful communication is required to maintain trust with the audience.

The corona virus outbreak is affecting all industries in the MENA region. Readjusting your marketing and content strategy is a necessity for survival in the market. The telecom industry is one of the industries that was able to adapt to the situation quickly. During the last 2 weeks in March, there were tremendous efforts done by telecom companies in Egypt and UAE, playing a positive role during the virus outbreak.

In order to identify some of the lessons learnt from one of the leading industries, we monitored and analyzed over 2 million social media activities on Facebook and Twitter to identify the most appropriate type of content utilized by the telecom experts. The corona virus is a serious topic that triggers a lot of uncertainty and fear. People’s lives are changing and new habits are emerging. Hence, it comes as no surprise that conversations during the last 2 weeks in March were more towards negative than positive. 

The telecom industry is taking steps and trying to contribute to shifting attitude, from negative to positive during these challenging times. They have adopted some communication tactics to respond to the needs of their clients that could be useful to other brands and industries as well. Here were the lessons learned through social media listening:

1. Offer promotions, discounts, and online services

It is important to acknowledge the change in the lifestyle of your audience. People are relying more on the internet whether it is for work or entertainment. 

Based on the derived data, content discussing stay at home offers received the highest interactions. Those offers are making the lives of their audience easier and encouraging them to stay connected while remaining safe at home.  

2. Listen to your audience conversations

It is important to convey the unified message of how we are all in this together. By listening to social media conversations, brands would be able to adjust their tone to what fits best.

For example, social media campaigns are calling for people to stay at home and be safe. Vodafone Egypt recognized what the audience may be feeling at home, and used the opportunity to entertain them with a humorous ad. This ad received the highest interactions on Facebook during the monitored period.

3. Take corporate social responsibility seriously

The way your company reacts to this outbreak is a defining moment that will stay with you for a long time. Many businesses talk about having a social purpose; now is the time to commit to this purpose. businesses need to take on the leadership role in supporting the community during the outbreak. 

Every company is facing challenges and needs to re-adapt to the current situation. Social media listening is crucial at this stage, you have to keep up with trending and favorable content as this can literally change overnight. Now with AI technologies, you can track real-time conversations and market trends in seconds. Request your free demo and create effective communication strategies now.