Scary times call for a sensitive hand when it comes to the messaging your business sends out.

We understand the pandemic might have severely affected your bottom line, and cause you to struggle to stay afloat. But one wrong move on social media that comes off as insensitive or opportunistic could make your business’s situation worse.

So how do you address this unique challenge?

What People Expect From Brands Now

Twitter recently helped answer this question by surveying what users are looking for from brands during the pandemic.

The good news is you shouldn’t immediately assume that you have to stop advertising altogether. Only 37% of people on Twitter in the U.S. believe it’s insensitive for brands to continue advertising as normal, according to the survey.

But how should you go about handling your messaging? Twitter’s survey has more illuminating insights on that point.

People on Twitter want to see how brands are supporting others, whether it’s vulnerable people (86%), frontline workers (82%), their own employees (80%), and their local communities (77%).

And as with all social media branding, the tone is key (now more than ever). People on Twitter are interested in seeing brands take supportive (45%), informative (44%), and positive (35%) tones on social media.

So don’t abandon advertising during this time. But understand that you’ll need to bring more empathy into your social presence.

Taking a break to figure out your social media strategy isn’t a bad idea, though. It’s a chance to show your company’s sensitivity to how the pandemic affects customers.

How Big Brands are Adjusting Their Messaging

Denny’s and Moon Pie took brief hiatuses from tweeting in the early days of the pandemic to navigate the best approach, according to AdWeek.

“There’s no playbook, but when it comes to social media, knowing when to stay silent is just as important as knowing what to say,” said Denny’s chief brand officer and senior vice president of marketing John Dillon. “No question in the initial days of Covid-19, it was important to stay silent. As it continued, we were having continuous discussions around our social strategy. The news cycle was changing so fast, and we wanted to stay agile and responsible.”

Denny’s returned with a heartfelt statement from its CEO. Then, taking into account the explosive increase of video meetings, the restaurant chain created fun backgrounds for people to use.

No, you didn’t ask for them. No, you don’t want them. But they’re here: Downloadable Denny’s backgrounds for your video work meetings. Dress 2 impress. pic.twitter.com/W5oZwxcTlc

— dennysdiner (@DennysDiner) March 26, 2020

Not to be outdone, Moon Pie joined in the video background fun as well.

I know some other brands have made video chat backgrounds already but none of them will get you promoted like these ones will pic.twitter.com/EXcKSKv0Xs

— MoonPie (@MoonPie) April 10, 2020

So there are ways to stay successfully engaged with your customers and show the human side of the business.

KEYLAY Adapts Our Tone to the Times

You might have noticed we at KEYLAY continue to share our industry insight and advice, and point you to interesting content on our social media channels. But we can’t ignore the times we’re in, so we’ve tailored our content to address the pandemic and its effects head-on.

For example, we’ve created a timely post about keeping your head up during hard times in your business.

And we shined a light on Atlanta’s graphic design projects that bring hope to the masses.

If you live in Georgia, you may have seen some unique signs on lawns and in front of buildings. We thank our fellow designers at the Grant Design Collaborative for creating #SignsofHope to share comforting words of positivity. #HopeHealTogether https://t.co/Lkl7JKTHTQ

— KEYLAY Design (@KEYLAYDesign) May 14, 2020

Lastly, we’ll leave you with this piece of advice we tweeted out in April.

Brands with the courage to pivot during times of adversity are those who stay relevant in the minds of their customers. #resilience #business #wordsofwisdom pic.twitter.com/reOvYFiDrp

— KEYLAY Design (@KEYLAYDesign) April 28, 2020

Good luck with your social media branding, and let us know if you have any questions! Stay safe out there.