6 Businesses That Are Getting Creative With Social Media During Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Facebook Business

April 15, 2020

With the COVID-19 outbreak disrupting business around the world, we’ve seen business owners come up with creative new ways to connect with and inspire their communities. We know many of you are also searching for ways to get creative online, so we wanted to highlight the different ways we’re seeing businesses use our apps.

The idea to produce an educational, live online event for kids came to life when the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden had to shut its doors to the public. They came up with an idea where every weekday at 3PM ET the zoo could host a fun, at-home classroom experience for the community called “Home Safari Facebook Live,” in which they highlight one of their animals and include fun activities.

The interactive live events let kids ask questions, share their finished projects with each other and enjoy an educational 20-minute distraction each day.

The Cincinnati Zoo's mission is to inspire every visitor with wildlife every day, which is hard to do when you don’t have any visitors. We're using Facebook Live to carry out that mission and actually reach people around the globe!

— Amy LeBarbara, Marketing Manager at the Cincinnati Zoo

This New York City-based yoga studio offers free online yoga classes to help people relieve stress during COVID-19. After the studio closed its two locations in March, it leaned into its on-the-fly style and decided to stream classes on Instagram Live and share a schedule for upcoming classes the next day.

Offering yoga through Instagram Live expanded Modo Yoga NYC’s community, and instructors could still interact with students through comments and reactions. Some students have even sent donations and emails thanking the team for their classes. Since March, Modo Yoga NYC has been running a full schedule on their website in addition to their donation-based classes on Instagram.

We felt that going live on Instagram with our classes from our homes was the safest, most accessible and also the most intimate way of staying connected. And having the classes donation-based has really provided an opening to everyone needing yoga right now.

— Modo Yoga NYC

Baby food-maker Fragola’s founder, Augustina Valenza, shared on Facebook that Fragola would give away free boxes of food. The next day she woke up to hundreds of thankful Facebook messages from moms in difficult situations with their little ones.

Customers also reached out asking how they could help, so Fragola started pairing those who wanted to donate with moms who needed help. People were soon donating as many as 10 boxes.

I think doing things from your heart and doing the right thing is what will set you apart. Being extremely responsive through social channels like Facebook and Instagram is incredibly important. People want to engage with you on social and it's important to chat with as many people as possible, including replying back to comments!

— Fragola Baby & Toddler Food

Ally Kirkpatrick, owner of Old Town Books in Alexandria, VA started offering virtual book clubs, a kids reading challenge and online writing classes on Facebook. The store inspired the community to set time aside for indoor creative pursuits. Ally created printable and sharable coloring sheets of her locally famous shop dog, Scout, and then reached more people by creating various artistic challenges and art projects on Facebook.

Online writing classes became donation based, or “pay-what-you-can,” to encourage people to join the store for creative time online. Old Town Books is using the donations they received to offer programming online through May with award-winning authors.

I think one thing that helps our customers stay connected to us is that I am our brand voice―when we post on Facebook or Instagram, people know they are hearing from me, the store owner. They DM me and I answer. It can be exhausting, but it also adds a level of connectedness that I think makes a small business special.

— Ally Kirkpatrick, Owner, Old Town Books

When COVID-19 caused sudden school closures and activity cancellations, Canvas Studio Art in Fair Haven, NJ, brainstormed ways to bring creativity, positivity and familiarity back into the daily routines of school students. They created the Canvas Art Challenge with Instagram and Facebook in mind so that every home-bound family had the ability to learn.

Promoting the challenge on Instagram and Facebook allowed the business to continue to connect with its community and offer a creative outlet empowering people to build resilience during a difficult time. They received a positive response from their community and saw many students and families complete the daily challenges together.

The beauty of Facebook and Instagram is that content can be shared multiple times and thus continue to reach more people. Parents are able to schedule our projects into their children’s day as well as make it a family activity.

— Canvas Studio Arts

As the owner of JesMarried, an online shop for one-of-a-kind custom illustrated wedding invitations and cards, Jes McGinley was used to creating ‘Save the Date’ cards. But with COVID-19 disrupting wedding plans, she knew that many stressed couples would be forced to postpone their events and would need a fast and easy way to let guests know. Jes designed a free “Change the Date” PDF that couples could easily fill in with their own information.

The PDF has been shared across Instagram and Facebook and has encouraged the postponement of weddings rather than outright cancellations, helping both couples and vendors.

For small businesses like mine, you need to think about what your clients and customers NEED during this time and how can you pivot your business to align in this changing market. My free ‘Change the Date’ PDF has been shared on Instagram and Facebook over 1,000 times, and the comments and reviews have been so heartwarming.

— Jes McGinley, Owner, JesMarried

We’ll keep sharing strategies, tips, announcements and more on the Facebook for Business News site in the coming weeks. We’ll also continue to explore how we can support businesses through this challenging time. Learn about our Small Business Grants program and access our Business Resource Hub to see additional opportunities we’re offering and steps we’re recommending. Get the latest updates on how Facebook is responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

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April 15, 2020

6 Businesses That Are Getting Creative With Social Media During Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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ith the COVID-19 outbreak disrupting business around the world, we’ve seen business owners come up with creative new ways to connect with and inspire their communities. We know many of you are also searching for ways to get creative online, so we wanted to highlight the different ways we’re seeing businesses use our apps.

1

The Cincinnati Zoo brings safaris to kids at home

The idea to produce an educational, live online event for kids came to life when the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden had to shut its doors to the public. They came up with an idea where every weekday at 3PM ET the zoo could host a fun, at-home classroom experience for the community called “Home Safari Facebook Live,” in which they highlight one of their animals and include fun activities.

The interactive live events let kids ask questions, share their finished projects with each other and enjoy an educational 20-minute distraction each day.

“

The Cincinnati Zoo's mission is to inspire every visitor with wildlife every day, which is hard to do when you don’t have any visitors. We're using Facebook Live to carry out that mission and actually reach people around the globe!

— Amy LeBarbara, Marketing Manager at the Cincinnati Zoo

2

Modo Yoga NYC offers a full schedule of live classes

This New York City-based yoga studio offers free online yoga classes to help people relieve stress during COVID-19. After the studio closed its two locations in March, it leaned into its on-the-fly style and decided to stream classes on Instagram Live and share a schedule for upcoming classes the next day.

Offering yoga through Instagram Live expanded Modo Yoga NYC’s community, and instructors could still interact with students through comments and reactions. Some students have even sent donations and emails thanking the team for their classes. Since March, Modo Yoga NYC has been running a full schedule on their website in addition to their donation-based classes on Instagram.

“

We felt that going live on Instagram with our classes from our homes was the safest, most accessible and also the most intimate way of staying connected. And having the classes donation-based has really provided an opening to everyone needing yoga right now.

— Modo Yoga NYC

3

Fragola gives free baby food to moms in need

Baby food-maker Fragola’s founder, Augustina Valenza, shared on Facebook that Fragola would give away free boxes of food. The next day she woke up to hundreds of thankful Facebook messages from moms in difficult situations with their little ones.

Customers also reached out asking how they could help, so Fragola started pairing those who wanted to donate with moms who needed help. People were soon donating as many as 10 boxes.

“

I think doing things from your heart and doing the right thing is what will set you apart. Being extremely responsive through social channels like Facebook and Instagram is incredibly important. People want to engage with you on social and it's important to chat with as many people as possible, including replying back to comments!

— Fragola Baby & Toddler Food

4

Old Town Books hosts virtual book clubs and writing classes

Ally Kirkpatrick, owner of Old Town Books in Alexandria, VA started offering virtual book clubs, a kids reading challenge and online writing classes on Facebook. The store inspired the community to set time aside for indoor creative pursuits. Ally created printable and sharable coloring sheets of her locally famous shop dog, Scout, and then reached more people by creating various artistic challenges and art projects on Facebook.

Online writing classes became donation based, or “pay-what-you-can,” to encourage people to join the store for creative time online. Old Town Books is using the donations they received to offer programming online through May with award-winning authors.

“

I think one thing that helps our customers stay connected to us is that I am our brand voice―when we post on Facebook or Instagram, people know they are hearing from me, the store owner. They DM me and I answer. It can be exhausting, but it also adds a level of connectedness that I think makes a small business special.

— Ally Kirkpatrick, Owner, Old Town Books

5

Canvas Studio Art creates an art challenge for students

When COVID-19 caused sudden school closures and activity cancellations, Canvas Studio Art in Fair Haven, NJ, brainstormed ways to bring creativity, positivity and familiarity back into the daily routines of school students. They created the Canvas Art Challenge with Instagram and Facebook in mind so that every home-bound family had the ability to learn.

Promoting the challenge on Instagram and Facebook allowed the business to continue to connect with its community and offer a creative outlet empowering people to build resilience during a difficult time. They received a positive response from their community and saw many students and families complete the daily challenges together.

“

The beauty of Facebook and Instagram is that content can be shared multiple times and thus continue to reach more people. Parents are able to schedule our projects into their children’s day as well as make it a family activity.

— Canvas Studio Arts

6

JesMarried designs free "Change the Date" templates for couples

As the owner of JesMarried, an online shop for one-of-a-kind custom illustrated wedding invitations and cards, Jes McGinley was used to creating ‘Save the Date’ cards. But with COVID-19 disrupting wedding plans, she knew that many stressed couples would be forced to postpone their events and would need a fast and easy way to let guests know. Jes designed a free “Change the Date” PDF that couples could easily fill in with their own information.

The PDF has been shared across Instagram and Facebook and has encouraged the postponement of weddings rather than outright cancellations, helping both couples and vendors.

“

For small businesses like mine, you need to think about what your clients and customers NEED during this time and how can you pivot your business to align in this changing market. My free ‘Change the Date’ PDF has been shared on Instagram and Facebook over 1,000 times, and the comments and reviews have been so heartwarming.

— Jes McGinley, Owner, JesMarried

We’ll keep sharing strategies, tips, announcements and more on the Facebook for Business News site in the coming weeks. We’ll also continue to explore how we can support businesses through this challenging time. Learn about our Small Business Grants program and access our Business Resource Hub to see additional opportunities we’re offering and steps we’re recommending. Get the latest updates on how Facebook is responding to the coronavirus outbreak.

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