Times are hard with the spread of the Coronavirus. Families and workers are stuck at home and are now spending more time browsing the web than ever.
This trying time has really put things into perspective for marketers as the global economy rattled, marketing campaigns felt drastic changes causing a ripple effect that impacted almost every single brand and business.
The coronavirus pandemic quickly became one of the most talked-about topics on the internet.
As the pandemic swept across the globe, people took to their homes to avoid getting it and spreading the virus. It makes sense that a lot of the conversation about it is taking place online as it seems like the only place to be, at least right now.
The world of content saw a tremendous increase in all kinds of content (articles, videos, podcasts, images) related to the new coronavirus.
In this article, we will look at how search and social media has played a crucial role in content production and sharing.
These are some of the topics/keywords that saw a rapid increase in content creation and content engagement.
Souce: Data from Social Animal.
Coronavirus
This is what content engagement looked like for the keyword “coronavirus”, with social engagement and shares reaching a peak of over 60,000,000 (That’s a lot of zeros) or 60000 million on Mar 23rd.
And 2,206,414 articles were published in just 6 months about the coronavirus.
The numbers are increasingly overwhelming. Social Animal also found that most shares and engagement about the pandemic occurred on Facebook and Twitter.
Healthcare
As fear about the pandemic grew so did the search for health care and it’s related keywords. Google’s reports show a steady increase in numbers for the past 6 months.
About 90,000 articles were published and shared with total shares reaching over 1500 million.
Work from home
The above topic is all the rage right now with almost every country in lockdown. People have shared about 15,000 articles (In 6 months) making the total engagement reach a peak of over 850 million on the 5th of April. Facebook seems to be the most popular platform for this topic.
Home workout
With gyms being closed, people are looking at the only way to keep themselves fit – Home workouts. And about 5000 articles have been shared on the topic with a breakout of shares occurring on Mar 27th with the highest number of shares reaching 637622.
What prompted this sudden spike, you ask?
We might have a clue.
Chris Hemsworth announced that his app was now available for free on Mar 23rd and it wasn’t till after a few days that people of the world realized that they would be able to get Thor’s workout plans for free.
Top articles that mention this news have had about 0.5m shares. (and counting)
Recipes
Home cooking is back in fashion due to the coronavirus outbreak as people take preventive measures. This has led to a massive search for online recipes and people have shared more than 20,000 articles since the pandemic began.
Total engagement on a peak day: 850 million shares
Online Courses
In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, ed-tech and online learning sites are seeing a significant increase in the number of students who are using their platform and app.
Here are some of the top online education sites that have seen a rise in traffic. Thereby promoting social shares.
The maximum number of shares reached a peak of 1761 million.
Number of articles published and shared – 23,000 (approx)
Tv Shows
Millions of people go online for entertainment which has led to an increase in the usage of streaming applications like Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime etc. Naturally, this has led to people looking for recommendations on what to binge-watch.
Tv shows themselves have never been more sought out. And it shows.
Here’s some data from the most-watched Tv shows during the lockdown.
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Self-care
Something of this magnitude has never happened before and people all over are worried. This has led them to read and share content about personal and self-care after the impact of the virus increased significantly in February.
Number of articles shared: 10,000+ (In 6 months)
Total engagement on a peak day: 33 million shares
Skincare
With washing hands being the only way to prevent catching the virus, people are looking for soaps, washes and sanitizers. And with some panic buying the lot, a few are resorting to DIY soaps and sanitizers.
Additionally, with spas and salons being closed, people are trying to learn to make their own face masks, scrubs and creams.
Maximum shares reached 94420, while people shared close to 7000 articles in a period of 6 months for the keyword “skincare”
Headline Sentiments and COVID-19
As COVID-19 is testing world leaders, how are they faring in the world of content?
We at Social Animal analyzed more than 50,000 headlines from the past 3 months that mention different world leaders to find out what the headline sentiments looked like.
Click here to analyze headlines and their sentiments for FREE.
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Turns out some have their work cut out for them.
Even though the outbreak is bad, people are trying their hardest to bring in a little sunshine here and there. With hashtags like #QuarantineAndChill, #MyPandemicSurvivalPlan, people are sharing more memes, gifs and funny videos than ever.
#MyPandemicSurvivalPlan Hanging out with a few friends: Jim, Jack, Johnny & Jose pic.twitter.com/6qXIEaz7h2
— I’m Just Dan (@DanielAshley13) March 17, 2020
In a world of Social distancing, when everything seems bleak at best, we marketers must remember one thing – Never to Exploit.
We’re in this together and like the CEO of the world’s biggest advertising company – Mark Read says, “This is a time for companies to demonstrate how they are working beyond profits to stay close to their customers and fulfil their societal roles in a wider community.”