Over a month ago, everyone’s lives took an unexpected turn. The coronavirus hit the United States hard – forcing the population to practice strict social distancing until further notice. While social distancing is becoming the “new normal” for people; for businesses, it’s still taking some time to get used to and adjust their strategies accordingly.
In the chaos of COVID-19, many consumers are changing their buying habits – making it more difficult for non-essential businesses to entice customers to convert. As a result, many brands are putting their marketing efforts on hold. Is this the best move for businesses? We’ve asked each of our marketing teams for their best piece of advice for these trying times.
PPC Marketing
For any business that is running search ads (that is not physically closed), keep running those ads. While volume may be down for your industry, you still want to be there for users who are searching. With people stuck in their homes, they’re more likely to be in a “discovery/research” phase. You may not see the conversions at this exact moment, but the intent is still there; so, you can then add these users to your remarketing lists. Not to mention, with less competition in the ad space, the average CPC has decreased significantly.
SEO Marketing
This is no time to panic. SEO is all about the long-term strategy. You’ve already invested in setting up this strategy, so keep with it. For now, if you are a local business, keep your Google My Business page up to date with hours and announcements (i.e. are you doing curbside delivery, how are you ensuring safe social distancing for peoples, etc.); and, if you’ve rolled out any new remote features for your business, add that update to your website.
Social Media Marketing
Due to social distancing, more individuals are looking to stay in touch with people via their social media feeds – thus increasing their time spent online. This results in more opportunities to put out engaging content, but it’s important to also remain sensitive to the current environment. If your business is not in the medical industry, don’t post about medical advice (we aren’t looking to clothing brands to share the symptoms of the virus); instead, focus on how people can interact with your brand at home. For example, if you are a food establishment, consider posting recipes people can make at home; if you’re a furniture store, consider posting tips on how to deep clean your furniture during spring cleaning.
Email Marketing
At this time, all consumers are looking for is clear communication. It’s important to communicate any store closings/updates to your loyal consumers; however, do keep in mind how many businesses are increasing their email marketing strategy at this time as well. That said, it is important to put extra effort into your subject lines. Everybody is going to be talking about the coronavirus. The question now becomes – what information does your email include that other’s do not. Once you answer that question, you will have the subject line of your email.
If you pause marketing operations out of fear, you’re setting yourself up for a struggling, uphill battle when this is over; and, remember – this will eventually be over. While we don’t know exactly when that switch will flip, you don’t want to have all of your marketing campaigns on pause when it hits.
