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ThumbStopper Retailers Experiencing Improved Social Metrics During COVID-19
While the world copes with the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses large and small are looking for the right message to convey and the right platform to use to communicate to their customers and fans.
As social distancing and “safe at home” policies are enacted across the nation, social media is seeing an influx of users and engagements.
While it’s not business as usual, brands have a real opportunity to assist their retailers in cultivating the right message.
ThumbStopper looked at data from over 1,000 in-network retailers and found that for the retailers that are getting guidance and support from their brands, impressions and interactions are up.
The brands on ThumbStopper are providing the messaging support their retailers needs right now, and through the ThumbStopper effect, curated content is getting more engagement during these tough times.
Increases in Social Media Usage
According to Facebook, its newsfeed and messaging services have seen a drastic increase in users since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. WhatsApp alone has a 40% increase in usage since COVID-19. While many are flocking to social media for their news, many more still are relying on technology to provide a temporary replacement to their in-person social interactions, including interactions with brands and retailers.
Today’s environment represents a real opportunity for savvy brands and retailers to engage with their consumers. Brands on ThumbStopper are using the platform to support their local dealers and retailers with on-tone, brand-safe messaging that is both promotional but also sensitive to our present climate.
The Solution
Today’s current environment represents a real opportunity for savvy brands and retailers to engage with their consumers in an authentic and compassionate way. Brands on ThumbStopper are using the platform to support their local dealers and retailers with on-tone, brand-safe messaging that is both promotional but also sensitive to our present climate.
Using the ThumbStopper Brand Manager, brands are segmenting and syndicating content to their local retailers, using these features to run appropriate messaging in areas of the country based on their current impact from the coronavirus. ThumbStopper brands have also used the Brand Manager to curate their content and cull messages that seem insensitive at this time.
This automation, syndication, and segmentation improves the brand experience at the local level, and above all else, the customer experience, ensuring that every retailer’s social feed is consistently publishing timely content to their retailers’ fan base.
Example of an on-brand social post. Badboy Mowers Facebook Post.
The Results
ThumbStopper pulled data from Brand Manager1 for 1,870 retailers for the last two weeks (March 11 – March 24, 2020) and compared it to the previous period (February 26 – March 10, 2020). We found that key social metrics have increased as more consumers flock to social networks:
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Key Points:
- Companies should understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible.
- Brands that concentrate on accessibility on social media demonstrate care for their customers and build a positive brand reputation.
- Brands should always consider inclusive design, such as plain, straightforward language, in their social media posts.
Accessibility may not be a term you usually associate with the internet and social media. You might picture wheelchair ramps, directional signs in braille, or sign language interpreters at live performances. The landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 dictates the legal necessity of these and similar accommodations in public spaces. As we’ve come to rely on the internet for everything from entertainment to buying groceries, it’s become clear that the internet is now also a public space. It must be accessible to everyone. And like other applications of ADA, businesses that do not comply are liable for damages caused by inaccessibility.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an international set of standards to provide instruction on meeting accessibility needs. It’s important for companies to understand how this applies to their websites, especially if they engage in e-commerce. In terms of social media, the requirements are less concrete. But prioritizing accessibility on your company’s social media is essential to your reputation, even if the legal requirements are uncertain. We’ll look at why it’s important to your customers, how it affects the perception of your brand, and how to make these changes efficiently.
Social Media for All
The cornerstone of accessibility is inclusive design: products or experiences that are accessible for everyone regardless of disability. The most important place where this shows up is on company websites where most users expect to also find links to the brand’s social media profiles. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of websites are not accessible, despite the fact that the application of ADA to the internet is over 20 years old. Making websites accessible is a complex process without the use of specialized software like Accessibe or EqualWeb.
Unlike websites, making sure your social media is accessible is a straightforward, ongoing process. Every social platform has been quick to release optional accessibility features. These features are important to many users even if they don’t rely on them to use social media.
Making your social presence accessible tells users that your brand cares about people, not just profits. It’s the same idea as the push for the representation of different body sizes in fashion or more expansive skin tone ranges in beauty products. Brands that meet the needs of underrepresented groups endear themselves to others as well. And while optimizing your brand website for accessibility might be a larger project you aren’t ready to tackle yet, starting with your social media pages is a great way to show customers that you’re listening to their concerns.
Making Content Accessible
Shifting to accessible content means incorporating inclusive design into your creative process. The practice varies by type of media. For platforms that have graphics or videos with captions, it means not only adjusting each component but also being mindful of how they interact with each other.
For example, YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions and subtitles are often inaccurate. It's one of many examples where the caption generation software has issues picking up strong accents and mumbled words. This could be remedied with handcrafted video transcription services. If that’s not in the budget, the video creator could add their script or transcription to the video description.
None of the technology for accessibility is perfect yet. Teaching computers to digest complex information for human understanding is difficult, and the variations in disabilities further complicate it. The majority of adjustments creators need to make revolve around helping assistive technology better understand their content. Let’s look at how to make different kinds of content accessible.
Text
- Use plain language that’s easy to understand
- Avoid text in all caps
- Capitalize the first letter of each word in a hashtag, like #SocialMediaMarketing, a practice called camel-case
Videos
- Provide descriptive captions. Instead of just displaying the words people on-screen say, explain background noises and other sounds that are relevant to the scene.
- Add your own subtitles or enable auto-subtitles on the video platform of your choice
- Use captioning for live videos when possible
Graphics
- Use color contrast checkers to make sure low-vision people can see images
- Try not to completely rely on color to show contrast
- Add alternative text on each social platform
Distribute Accessible Content
Many users find their new favorite brand through social media. When disabled people (who make up 26% of the population according to the CDC) can’t access your brand’s social posts, you miss the opportunity to connect with a demographic that’s eager to engage in online communities. On a hyper-local level, that kind of connection goes even further.
That’s why ThumbStopper exists to help brands distribute their social content to their retailer network. Retailers can connect with their local audience - with your accessible, branded content - in a more personal way. And since content goes to their page automatically once they sign up, retailers can effortlessly promote your brand online while focusing on running their business.
Ready to see how ThumbStopper can help your brand improve its reach? Check out our brand reach calculator or book a demo.