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Now that COVID-19 vaccines are getting rolled out across the US as well as the rest of the world, the end of the pandemic is finally in sight. We might soon be able to go back to normal. But what will normal look like after the pandemic is over? The coronavirus pandemic saw a lot of changes to how people used social media. What, if any, of those changes will remain going forward?

How Did Social Media Change During the Pandemic?

The biggest change for social media from before the pandemic was its increased usage. Businesses were forced to shut down and any that could turned to online business. People who couldn’t see their friends and family in person kept in touch with them on social media. With such an increase in user activity on social media platforms, many businesses increased their social media marketing to match.

Will Social Media Marketing Still Be Important After the Pandemic?

Even though the end of the pandemic may be in sight, that doesn’t mean social media marketing won’t be important anymore. Even before the pandemic hit, more and more people were engaging with businesses on social media instead of through more traditional forms of marketing. The pandemic may have just forced some businesses in the direction of online marketing sooner.

What Kinds of Posts Will Be Important in the Future?

Before the pandemic, video content and live video feed resulted in the most engagement with users. This trend has been on the rise for a while, with users showing a clear preference for video and images over text. Live video is especially popular. These types of posts are most likely to continue to be popular in the post-pandemic future as well. The reasons people like video and live feed content remain the same, even as we get back to normal.

Similarly, Stories on Facebook and Instagram should continue to perform well. This is because the social media platforms in question prioritize this type of ephemeral content in their algorithms. Plus, Stories sit right at the top of users’ newsfeed, meaning that they will continue to be easy to see. Stories on Instagram and Facebook were getting more engagement prior to the pandemic as well.

How Can Businesses Use Social Media to Facilitate Reopening?

Social media isn’t just for liking posts and messaging people. Many users turn to social media for information about companies. If your business is reopening a physical location, your social media profile is an excellent place to post information about your hours and any special dates. It’s also a good idea to share any relevant dates and hours as social media posts so the information will hit your users’ newsfeeds as well.

What Type of Content Will Be Best Post-Pandemic?

It’s hard to say exactly what the social media landscape will look like after the pandemic is over. However, certain types of content, such as video, live streaming, and ephemeral content, were already getting more engagement than other types of content before the pandemic began. It may be safe to assume that these trends will continue post-pandemic for that reason.

One of the major changes that occurred in the pandemic was the tone of business’ content. Users found being sold to in a time of hardship to be out of touch at best. Many businesses instead focused on content that could help people or on charitable causes during this time. As the pandemic winds down and things become more normal again, businesses may be able to return to the type of posting schedule they had before the pandemic hit. However, it’s important to monitor your engagement with any content adjustments you make.