With social distancing and other measures brought in to keep Covid-19 at bay, social media is the electronic way to keep in touch socially as well as commercially.

It reaches where COVID-19 cannot reach and it helps maintain links with friends and clients which lockdowns and social distancing are putting under threat.

When it comes to social media and what it can provide, Iolanthe Gabrie of Ruby Assembly is worth listening to, especially in times like this. Ruby Assembly has been in operation since 2009 and is one of Melbourne’s oldest boutique social media organisations.

Its role is to help clients across a range of services (including the fields of accountancy, law, real estate, tourism, accommodation, technology, allied health) to stay in the forefront through social media platforms.

“We’ve been fortunate and have suffered very little client loss. Our clients need communicate more than ever before because things are changing so fast. Linked In and Facebook are the best way to keep informed.

“We have had some clients who have been their services on hold but most realise the need to stay in front of their customers.

“We are lucky in that most of our clients have been able to keep working from home and are still functioning. It would be different if we were in the hospitality or retail industries. That would have been a problem for us.

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“We now work from home, although we would prefer together. Although the nature of our business meant that we were already working remotely with us working from home on Mondays and Fridays and coming to the office for mid week where we could collaborate.

She uses the communication platform Slack to keep in touch with clients and colleagues but apps such as Zoom are also important.

“The big shift for clients has been to work through such as Zoom ( a web-based conferencing tool that places the board room meeting into the digital sphere).

Holding meetings remotely creates its own set of niceties, Ms Gabrie said.

“It is more emotionally draining than meeting in person. You can usually tell a lot from a person’s body language and tone (when face to face) but now you have to concentrate more to get a feel of the other person at the other end (of the phone or computer screen).”
She said when taking on a client, her team would need to spend time learning how the client worked to shape a strategy that worked best online. Now, such a process has become more difficult by having to work online.

“I am also very careful to keep check on how my team is doing. Thankfully, none of us are completely isolated in our homes as that would things much harder for the person who is alone.”

As for keeping up with all the changes and regulations affecting business Ms Gabrie said looked to her accountant for advice on the way to guide her business through.

“My accountant pointed out that there was a Victorian government grant that offered support. It helps a lot,” she said.