How social media traffic is adapting to COVID-19 - Thoughts

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March 30, 2020

How social media traffic is adapting to COVID-19

In these uncertain times, marketing and communication professionals want to know where social media traffic is surging and where it is lagging. We all know so much has changed in the last two weeks – including how and when we use social networks. New behaviors must be foundational to social media marketing plans during this chaotic moment.

Here’s what Marx Layne & Company’s experts have noticed:

Traffic up – Facebook & Instagram

Last week, Facebook mentioned having bandwidth issues. While traffic escalates, the way in which people harness these platforms is evolving. We’ve noticed more connected, reciprocal content like challenges, workouts, concerts from home and webinar-esque posts via livestreams.

Traffic up – Instagram Stories

No surprise, as general traffic on Instagram has increased. Influencer marketing platform, Klear, came out with research claiming IG Stories usage is up 15 percent since the outbreak.

Traffic up – Twitter

For a while, Twitter has trended towards an information platform – providing practical value to its users. On Twitter, it is not about engagement – people often harness the platform to get information. And, with the COVID-19 outbreak, Twitter has become the go-to resource for real-time information from reporters, politicians, doctors and scientists.

Traffic up – LinkedIn

Professionals across the United States are working from home full-time. At the same time, many Americans have been recently laid off due to coronavirus. Those working from home will find themselves with more free time – no commute or long lunches. Some of this time will go to LinkedIn, checking up on colleagues and friends. On the other hand, those who are seeking jobs will be active on LinkedIn, as some industries and companies continue to hire.

Traffic up – Twitch

Many young people (ages 10 to 30) have ample free time during quarantine. For gamers, Twitch is a go-to platform. Pre-coronavirus, Twitch already emerged as a massive social platform – but now and in the coming months, it’s traffic certainly will surge. If you’re trying to reach young people, in particular men, this is definitely a platform we recommend exploring.

Traffic down – Podcasts

The loss of a daily commute will likely harm podcast downloads. People will still listen to podcasts of course, however, according to the Infinite Dial Report in 2019, 52 percent of folks listened to a podcast while driving. That’s going to hurt podcast listens in the near-term.

Traffic up – Zoom

Activity on Zoom is way up, as it rapidly becomes the de facto video communications application. Zoom is not necessarily a social network, but it functions like one: social interaction, chat functionality, ability to break off into groups and more.

Traffic up – TikTok

Usage numbers are up – one recent report claimed the application received an 18 percent increase in downloads, and was downloaded 2 million times between March 16 and 22. Particularly considering you now have millions of young people ages 12-25 who are no longer in school and suddenly have loads of down time.

In this interesting and uncertain time, communication to customers, clients, partners and employees is essential. Our evolved behaviors must be top-of-mind when developing social media marketing plans moving forward.