During self-isolation and lockdown, people have been flocking to social media platforms, using them as a replacement to face-to-face contact. As the world as we know it is turned upside down, social media has become an anchor as the nation rely on it to keep in touch with the people in their lives, steer away from boredom, and to stay up to date with news on an international level.

In their Webinar this week, Facebook shared that as people stopped going out, they had seen total messaging on the platform increase by more than 50%, while time spent voice and video calling had increased by 1000%. In Italy specifically, 70% more time had been spent on Facebook owned apps in the past month. Furthermore, with venues and gyms now closed, artists, celebrities and fitness instructors have taken to the livestream stage, doubling Instagram and Facebook live views in just a week.

Other platforms have also seen major increases in usage as more people search for an online escape –TikTok saw an 18% boost in downloads this month, and was downloaded 2 million times between March 16 and 22, an increase from the previous week’s 1.7 million. The video app Zoom has also seen its popularity sky-rocket, now gaining 200 million daily participants, up 150 million from December.

Expectedly, consumers have now become more responsive to digital marketing as more of their lives move online. This uplift in social media means that there has been a significant drop in cost per clicks on online platforms this month. Click-through rates in the UK have had a 60% increase in the last week, and these results are expected to continue.

For those looking to connect with audiences during this period, these numbers suggest that social media is where brands should be optimising. Not all businesses are in the position to be spending, however it is worth considering for those in the position to do so.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/people-are-spending-20-more-time-in-apps-during-the-covid-19-lockdowns-re/575403/

https://sensortower.com/blog/tiktok-record-revenue-downloads-february-2020

https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/as-coronavirus-pushes-thousands-inside-everyone-is-going-live-on-instagram/

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/coronavirus-causing-unprecedented-volatility-online-marketing/1678082