Social Media tips during Social Distancing

Michael Winchester SEO
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Social Media while Social Distancing

Now that most of the population is social distancing and either working from home, furloughed, or laid off, it is a great time to dive into your social media accounts. Social media has always been a great way to catch up with old friends, work colleagues, and professors. People who you may have otherwise never had contact with again. Here are some “social media while social distancing” tips to help keep you connected with your friends and peers while quarantined.

So you are asking yourself; What else can I do besides post on my timeline? Now that every phone and tablet has a camera, video chat is a no-brainer. Why not get creative and contact your friends for a video workout (or work-in) session over Zoom or make a date with friends for a glass of wine and dinner over Facebook Messenger. Be sure to plan and put dates on the calendar to do it again. While we may be somewhat trapped inside our homes, we can still make human connections. Even introverts need them.

Networking

When most people think of networking, they think of golf games, drinks, and schmoozing. But networking is really about getting to your colleagues, finding common connections. Whether it is golf or drinking, or something else, people who share a connection like to do business with someone they can relate to on a human level. For instance, Is there a person that works for a vendor or supplier you deal with every week? It would help if you dropped them a note online to let them know you are thinking about them. Maybe there is a client you have not spoken to in a while, now is a great time to reach out. Small, genuine gestures and interactions always give me warm fuzzies.

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Use video chat apps to stay connected with family, friends, and colleagues

Did you meet up regularly with co-workers or colleagues for drinks? Host an online mixer and invite the regulars to login. Once the drinks are flowing, you will likely forget the current state of affairs and get onto the topics and conversations you would have had at the pub.

Tailor your profiles to your after quarantine goals

Now is the perfect time to dust off your profile pages and refresh your bio, resume, and photos. Your social media profiles essentially act as highlight reels of your life. Set some post-quarantine goals and gear your profiles in those directions. The social media traffic is exploding right now, and odds are interesting when looking at your profile. LinkedIn is your business life; Facebook is your old and distant friends; Instagram is.. well, Instagram is a place to shop trends and style.

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Stay connected, stay home, stay safe.

Notable Apps for Social Media while Social Distancing

  1. Facebook Messenger – while this one may seem obvious, it’s important to note Messenger has phone and video calling services that make it easy to connect more directly with people. There is also a brand new desktop version of Facebook Messenger that will allow connecting with up to 50 people at a time. Seeing friendly, familiar faces and interacting socially are important factors for mental health.
  2. Zoom – video group chat that is lightweight and easy to use. It allows for up to 100 people to chat, 500 with the business add-on! Zoom is still really buggy and has been fraught with security issues, but for whatever reason is extremely popular right now.
  3. LinkedIn – business-appropriate social media. Add people from your private and professional network to get insight into who is still working, what companies are hiring, and more. The free account has plenty of options, but the paid lets you see who visited your page, found you in search, etc. This can be handy when reaching out to prospective employers.
  4. Reddit – has a community for just about every topic. Since it is karma based social media system, you see far less trolling and s#*t posting. I find it helpful in connecting with strangers from outside my region.

Life is all about balance, and now is a great time to find that balance and ensure it stays with you when things get back to normal.