Now more than ever, we’re relying on digital communications to stay in contact.  Social media is an easy and cost-effective way for businesses to get messages out to existing and potential customers.   In times of crisis, it can be a lifeline for businesses looking to quickly and efficiently communicate with all their key stakeholders.  Social media content is:

• Immediate – it enables your key audiences to get up-to-the-minute status reports.
• Engaging – it encourages conversation with key stakeholders through commenting and asking questions
• Share-able – your audience can share information and support your communication efforts.

Here are your top five tips for getting the most out of your social media communications:

• Keep posts clear and concise – use clear, concise signposting within your post to make it easy to read with bulleting.  Keep copy to a minimum and communicate your key message as succinctly as possible.  If you want to link to a longer article with more detailed information, put a link in the post (on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) or in your profile (bio) on Instagram – Linktree is a great tool for sharing multiple links and the basic link service is free.
• Use video – with the quality of smartphone cameras verging on professional, your photography and video can be impactful and high quality.  Consider using video, if you’re not a writer.  The social media algorithms favour it and it’s an engaging way to talk about what you are doing. Looking for an image to illustrate a post? Unsplash.com provides a portfolio of free photography, just put in a photographer credit.
• Use tags and hashtags – tags are a great tool for getting noticed. Tag other businesses you partner with, tag media outlets e.g. @businessname so that they can see what your latest update is and support your communication efforts by sharing relevant content.   Hashtags will enable new customers to find you and your services. Use hashtagify.me to find the right hashtags for your campaign and enable people to find your post.
• Respond to comments on your post – regularly monitoring comments and responding to comments and questions show that you are engaged with your customers.  Think of it as a conversation.
• Branded content - Use an app like Canva to create branded content covers or to superimpose your branding on images and videos.  It’s also great for simple graphic designs.

As someone who regularly works from home, I wanted to share some practical tips on how to work effectively and how to stay sane, as many of us are now basing ourselves at the kitchen table for the foreseeable future.  So here goes:

• Create a pleasant environment to work in: keep it simple but have some natural light, maybe a plant, a few pictures of your favourite things or things that make you smile.  Never underestimate the importance of a comfortable chair!
• Make a list of things to do and prioritise - be realistic in your daily goal setting and don't get distracted.  You should find you can be super-productive working at home, as there are less people around to chat to!
  
• Resist the urge to work past your normal working hours otherwise you risk turning your home, where should feel relaxed, into somewhere you associate with constant work and stress - and your family won't thank you!
  
• Take regular breaks every hour or so,  get up and have a wander around, do a few stretches , make a hot drink, put some washing on, water the plants ( after all that's one of the benefits of being at home you can sneak in a few small household chores into your day).
  
• Take a lunch break in a different room, get outside for a walk, do an online workout for half an hour, do something in the garden, read a book - this should be anything that clears your head and gives you a mental and physical break from your desk.
  
• Eat a nutritional, light lunch.  As you have your fridge and cooking facilities on hand, there is no excuse to eat rubbish or be lazy.
  
•  Take some time to speak to colleagues via Skype or Zoom or a WhatsApp call, even if it's just a 15 minute coffee catch-up with a business associate.  
  
• Join webinars from your desk to interact with other people about subjects that are important to your job.

Hope this is helpful in making your working from home environment a little more pleasant and your practice more successful.  Wishing everyone love and courage in the coming weeks and months.