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The current pandemic put some businesses to the test with unprecedented market conditions. The behavior during the first month of the Coronavirus pandemic is different from the current trends.

Various businesses who have studied the changing conditions and have adapted their strategies have seen positive results. There is no doubt that marketing after COVID will not be the same as it was before it.

This year is one for the books, and the challenges it brings have an impact on the way we market. These changes are where we come in. We see the challenges that businesses are facing at the moment and are committed to helping each navigate.

Read on a run-through of insights on the current market. Reflect on which you can begin to adjust as you consider your marketing strategy for the remainder of 2020.

Marketing Trends During COVID

Since the start of the pandemic, we observed the following changes across industries:

• More time at home brought priority to people’s home maintenance and daily comfort. This focus led to an increase in purchases of home office furniture, mattresses, HVAC, and cleaning services.
• An increase in searches related to bankruptcy, divorces, and medical malpractice.
• Industries that relied on the economic situation, such as the construction industry, suffered a drop.
• Businesses dependent on networking and social gatherings such as events, entertainment, tourism, and travel, saw a decline in performance.

Marketing After COVID: Current Search Trends

During these last weeks, consumer’s mindsets have changed, just like their online searches:

• People are considering traveling again. They are searching for places to visit. Some have booked reservations for the upcoming months. 
• Searches for luxury cars and used cars are up, which means that users are searching for options.
• Mortgage demands from homebuyers are showing a quick and robust recovery.
• People are warming up to purchasing telemedicine services. Despite quarantine lifts, searches for this service continue to do well, as are search queries for restaurants with delivery and pick-up options.

Given the current restraints, there is an increase in desktop searches. Unable to attend showrooms and venues, consumers conduct their research online.

TIP: Use Google Analytics to see how desktop searches have increased on your website. If your brand is receiving more traffic from this device type, make sure to check your device bidding strategy, ad structure, and website user experience.

Paid Advertising Current Trends

As social distance limitations decrease, many industries and businesses are starting to pick up. This momentum is expected to continue throughout the quarter. The sectors and products that spiked during COVID-19 have not slowed down. 

Such data reinforces the importance of advertising in leveraging the current momentum and boosting sales. Following current consumer trends and behaviors will help guide your digital marketing strategy adjustments as required.

For more ideas and tips to adapt your online marketing strategy click here!

Marketing After COVID: Microsoft Advertising as a Business Solution

Microsoft Advertising offers brands the chance to showcase their products through various ad (booming!) formats: Search, Display, and Shopping. The search platform provides unique targeting options such as LinkedIn Profile Targeting. This feature allows advertisers to target people based on their LinkedIn Profile information (job position, industry, and company name). Watch the video below to learn more about why Microsoft Advertising is an excellent option for you.

How to Adapt Your Current PPC Campaigns to the New Normal

While working on your online presence, it’s essential to consider how your products can reach new audiences. 

For instance, if you sold boutique bicycles to companies in the hospitality and tourism industry, this might be a good time to switch to a B2C approach. Current price sensitivity is leading consumers to explore transportation options available to them. Likewise, if you are a B2C company, consider how you can adapt to a B2B format.

As businesses adapt their services and messaging, ad copy, keywords, and overall PPC strategy must follow. For more on how to adjust your pay-per-click strategy, click here!

Takeaways

As brave through the summer, we remain alert on the ever-changing marketing after COVID. The upcoming months are up in the air as we begin to see a mixed model of quarantine restrictions among companies and offices.

Similar to changes in culture after the Great Depression (the Greatest Generation and the Silent Generation), consumers are expected to become more loyal and price-sensitive to brands that have “helped them out.”

Would you like your business to benefit from these changes in the market? To learn more about how you can adapt your business to the current situation, visit our COVID-19 library, and subscribe to our blog!

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According to the rules of habit, most of us should be well adjusted to our new routine. Studies are helping marketers and businesses understand consumer trends after COVID-19: what people have been up to and how to reconnect with them in the months ahead.

Below are some of the notes we’ve made sure to communicate with our customers. Read on to check these off your lists of “musts” today!

Online Activity Will Continue to Increase

Although the ideal thing to do right now is to cut costs to save money, we encourage businesses to hold onto your marketing. While it’s usually the first to go, withdrawing online marketing efforts discontinues your connection with your consumers. 

A lack of visibility can even result in consumers thinking you have closed for good! This is a moment to stay top of mind and communicate your products and services (over and over again!) with the public.

Maintaining placements will keep the conversation going. Indeed, consumer behavior proves that people are online. Therefore, online is the place to build relationships and connections. Clearly, this is the way to remind customers you are willing and able to provide them with the products or services that they require. 

Another way to stay relevant is to create helpful content. This contributes to improving your brand’s organic presence. SEO does take a bit longer to have an impact, but now is the time to create content for consumers searching online. Indeed, we expect people to continue with this consumer trend after COVID-19. You can do this yourself by publishing relevant content via (Google my Business, SEO) blogs, articles, etc.

After the Coronavirus, Engaging Content Will Continue to Lead

Given the quarantine, it is safe to assume that receptivity is higher than usual these days. Whether it is shopping or lead generation marketing campaigns, people are eager to interact with others.

That’s why creating engaging content is more important than ever.

Many businesses are thriving because they have found creative ways to support, inform, and engage with their local communities and consumers. Here are a few ideas on how brands have done this:

• Explanatory videos
• How to’s
• Tutorials
• Virtual tours
• Webinars
• Video calls
• Live videos

TIP: Our digital marketing strategists suggest changing your CTAs to relevant phrases. If people are no longer able to book appointments with you, adjust the CTA to “Book a meeting online!”

Other phrases that might work could be “generate a call”, “fill-out a contact form”, and “let’s chat online.”

Customers are Being Priced Sensitive and Care Much More

What we have stressed to our partners is that we are all in this together. Now, more than ever, consumers will value brands that offer special discounts and promotions to their customers. People are price sensitive.

On the other hand, it’s common knowledge that consumers are driven by brand marketing. The brand experience has always been important to cultivate loyalty, but a few other factors will begin to influence greatly: how businesses treat their own employees, why they keep stores open, and whether they’re focused on price rather than supporting the community.

Without a doubt, it’s important for your business to communicate a genuine interest in what is happening and find ways to stay afloat without being insensitive.

Conclusion

According to Simeon Siegel, Managing Director at BMO Capital Markets, “It would seem that the Coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the structural changes we’ve seen across society for the last decade — toward online interaction.“

Many were prepared to make a switch to an online-based advertising effort, but this was an unexpected push for some others. Whether it was your main focus or not, you can make changes today.

With consumer trends after COVID-19 pointing to more demanding customers, it’ll be important to adjust your campaigns and strengthen your online presence. Begin by looking at the points we’ve mentioned above.

For more strategies and constant updates on how to advertise in this new online marketplace, subscribe to our blog!

 

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To all our readers, we hope that you can follow our posts safely from your homes or work spaces. We are working ‘round the clock to help you adjust your strategies to reconnect with your audience.

Consumer behavior has shown an increase in search queries for online legal services. Nowadays, firms have a significant opportunity to connect with their clients. Therefore, we’ve listed out the tools and paid search strategies that can help you.

Read on to find out what they are and how to start.

Communication Tools to Manage Your Legal Firm During the COVID-19

It takes a good amount of time to understand how tools work and how they benefit your business. Indeed, this list below should help you jump into it. 

For Meetings

To begin with, various platforms can help you continue your conversations with new and existing clients. We highly recommend the meeting tools that many of our legal clients use for video conferencing, online meetings, and chats:

• Zoom: Focuses on video conferencing and webinars
• Gotomeeting: Contains collaboration software and cloud options
• Skype: Focuses on collaboration

For Legal Consultations

Legal Match is a platform that you can use to find clients. This platform connects people with pre‐screened lawyers and allows them to evaluate cases submitted by users. 

In short, these meetings will help your team manage expectations, inform your clients, and help them get ready for their online consultation.

Digital Marketing Strategies for Your Law Firm

A genuine (and easy) way to attract consumers online is by creating search engine optimized content. While managing your legal practice during the coronavirus crisis, content will allow your business to have a voice and gain credibility. Also, it helps you to be found. 

Furthermore, Google My Business and Bing Places will help you increase exposure on search results. These profiles will give consumers the information that they need to make easy and quick references to your business. Ultimately, you gain visibility with someone interested and searching.

For pay per click strategies, the following adjustments will go a long way:

• Increase the visibility of your paid search ads with ad extensions. Besides, you can include calls to action and give as much information as possible to your target audience. 
• If they are relevant, take advantage of features as call-only campaigns. Furthermore, YouTube and display campaigns can help you promote your brand.
• Identify trending keywords such as an online attorney, online consultation, and virtual consultation. Also, push your negative keywords lists. Indeed, it’s essential to keep them updated to avoid unnecessary traffic.
• Make sure your contact information it’s updated in all your online business profiles.

Conclusion

As we mentioned above, we hope that you are able to address the obstacles facing your business through digital marketing. We will continue to provide recommendations to help you manage your legal practice during the coronavirus crisis as our team identifies them. 

Feel free to download this blog in PDF format to refer to it as you make the necessary changes to your campaigns. For more industry updates, subscribe to receive free insights directly from White Shark Media!

 

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As screen time rises, brands that continue to serve ads have the opportunity to appear front and center for everyone who is online. 

Some businesses in the automotive industry have paused their marketing efforts. Meaning that, competition will decrease while users’ screen time continue to rise. Hence, your ability to connect with consumers will improve.

Below are some marketing tips that are effective to keep your business steady for the weeks to come. 

Tip #1: Let’s Go Over The Automotive Industry Marketing Funnel

Now more than ever, potential customers start their journeys online. We know that people gather information before making a purchase decision. This reality highlights the importance of online presence in the automotive industry. 

Moreover, historical data shows that searches for store visits increase during May-August/September. In other words, March and April are important months for marketers. During these months, consumers are actively seeking answers to questions such as “which car is best” or “is it right for me.”

Current Searches Related to the Automotive Business

According to Microsoft’s latest updates on US online behavior, between February 15th and March 15th, there has been an increase in searches for:

• Vehicle purchase incentives such as “specials,” “sales,” “deals,” and “offers” 
• New vehicles (25% growth!)
• New + luxury vehicles (38% growth!)
• New + non-luxury vehicles (19% growth!)

These searches related to the automotive industry indicate that there is continued movement through buying funnels. Therefore, it is imperative for your brand to be there.

Tip #2: Focusing on the Buying Funnel

There are creative ways to respond to the market. For example, your dealership can provide safe home test drives. Take all necessary precautions so that your consumers feel secure while they are trying your product. 

In addition, you can:

• Promote your top-performing car models and brands through paid campaigns and content 
• Add online reviews to strengthen the  credibility
• Update your website, social media business pages, Google My Business, and Bing Maps information

Each of these will contribute to your online presence. Also, you will generate brand awareness while consumers make a decision.

Tip #3: Revising Your Automotive Business’ PPC Strategy

If you are revising your PPC strategy, adding Display Remarketing Campaigns is a good starting point. Especially for the brands you want to promote.

Below are pillars that our strategists have focused on to help our partners. Read on to learn more about how to tap into each: 

• Remarketing: Build new audiences to remarket to those who have viewed or interacted with specific car models and brands on your website 
• Brand Awareness: 
  • Run local YouTube campaigns to increase brand awareness
  • Use ad extensions to make your ads highly visible
• Keywords: 
  • Prepare your keyword list. Use variations such as online catalog, online prices, online shopping, and similar phrases
  • Update your negative keywords lists
• Track chat interactions, financial related events (if your dealership offers credit), and other forms of website engagement

Conclusion

As the weeks unfold, we will continue to share insights on how your business and industry can continue to establish a presence in the market. Though the times are challenging, there will be a moment when things begin to subside and we hope to help your business prepare for it. 

Feel free to download this blog in PDF format to refer it as you make the necessary changes to your campaigns. For more industry updates, subscribe to receive free insights directly from White Shark Media!

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In an attempt to alleviate the economic impact of COVID-19 on small businesses, individuals, communities, and governments are doing what they can to support industries and companies that have been hit the hardest. 

On March 27th, Congress passed the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security). President Trump said he signed the “single biggest economic relief package in American history to deliver urgently needed relief to our nation’s families, workers, and businesses.”

The legislation will provide relief to small businesses in three different ways:

• The Paycheck Protection Program
• The expanded U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan program 
• Updated business tax provisions

The CARES ACT and The Paycheck Protection Program

The Paycheck Protection Program is one of the most important programs of the CARES ACT. The program is designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. It consists of $350 billion in government-backed loans. This will help small businesses maintain employees’ payment through June 2020. 

Eligible businesses include:

• Any small business concern that meets SBA’s size standards (either the industry based sized standard or the alternative size standard)
• Any business, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, 501(c)(19) veterans organization, or Tribal business concern (sec. 31(b)(2)(C) of the Small Business Act) with the greater of:
• 500 employees, or
• That meets the SBA industry size standard if more than 500
• Any business with a NAICS Code that begins with 72 (Accommodations and Food Services) that has more than one physical location and employs less than 500 per location
• Sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed persons

*Companies must have been operational on February 15, 2020 

Additional notes on the program include:

• Approved applicants can borrow up to 2.5 times their average eligible monthly payroll costs, up to $10 million
• Interest rates on the loans will not exceed 4% 
• Though many factors will come into play, depending on the amount and how businesses use the funds, there is a possibility that it–or a portion of the loan–may be forgiven

To apply for the Payment Protection Program, click here for the SBA website.

As more information about the Payment Protection Program continues to arrive, our team will update the information above. In the meantime, subscribe to our blog to get the latest industry updates directly to your inbox! You’ll receive industry updates, useful strategies, and guides on the current market conditions. 

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The current COVID-19 crisis has pushed businesses to reconsider their digital marketing strategies. With the world under quarantine, the changes in online activity are unprecedented.

According to Amanda Betsold, VP of Programmatic at iCrossing, media consumption has gone up significantly. Data shows that 46% of consumers are using social media more than the week before March 27th. Also, organic search is up by 33% as information is on the rise.

So, as behavior shifts, how can your business adapt to these new trends? Below are some tips for adapting your strategy. 

The Key to Build Your Marketing Campaigns 

The research comes first. This will come in many different forms, but together, it will allow you to build purposeful strategies. 

Digital marketing is highly volatile these days. Therefore, keeping an eye on what consumers are searching online is quite necessary. 

Also, following your competitors will give you an idea of how they are responding to the current market needs.

Do not limit your searches to trends in your industry. Indeed, the COVID-19 situation is going to see a great deal of cross over in topics. 

One example is the increase in organic searches for labor laws. As a result, lawyers can include relevant keywords to labor law consultation services within their digital marketing campaigns. 

Tip! Between the fourth week of February and the first week of April, organic searches reveal: 

• Searches for Nursing home abuse attorneys increased by 1150%
• Searches for Wrongful termination lawyers increased by 67.99%

Additionally, look into how other industries are responding. At the moment, everyone has to adjust to similar limitations. You should keep an eye on other industries to re-apply any strategy that can work for you.

Furthermore, organic searches include keywords such as “at home,” “delivery,” and “shipping.” As a restaurant owner, adding delivery services would help your business.

On the other hand, if you are a furniture store owner, people who are working at home may be searching for home office furniture. Consequently, this is your chance to inform them of brands, styles, or promotions.

To add, the dental industry shows areas of opportunities in digital marketing. Searches for emergency dental services have increased by 96% in the past weeks and continue to rise.

Think Outside The Box

Though the current conditions have never occurred, analyzing past challenges might provide direction on how to combat the situation. Altogether, consumers and markets may mimic specific trends. 

We know that when Brexit was announced, shippers filled their warehouse spaces with inventory stockpiles to get ahead of slowdowns. Moreover, Amazon is looking to hire more employees to meet current demands. Supply managers may reconsider optimal inventory levels and storage locations. As a result, there may be an opportunity for freight and warehouse suppliers to provide their services in a time of need.

Similarly, though many transportation options have come to a halt, delivery services for food, medicine, or any other goods the community may require are highly valuable these days.

Adjust your Digital Marketing Strategy 

Cooped up and bored, people are active on social media and search engines such as YouTube, Google, and Bing to stay informed about the coronavirus. Therefore, being present where your consumers are is more important than ever for days to come. 

Businesses will need to adjust their digital marketing efforts. If there is a budget assigned to traditional marketing, it should be redirected to build or increase online presence. To illustrate, social and engaging content such as carousels, 3D images, and videos can help brands connect with potential customers. Also, these strategies can strengthen relationships with current clients.

Furthermore, adding paid social media will help generate leads and increase website traffic. 

As you begin to strengthen your digital marketing strategy, double-check platforms that state your business’s information. This includes your website, Google My Business, and Bing Places. Each should be updated with the following:

• Changes in hours of operation
• FAQs or addressing concerns regarding preventative measures
• Shifts in your phone number, in case you are operating from home or another location
• Client reviews to promote word of mouth recommendations
• Modifications in services or products to meet current demand
• Chatbot integration for easier interaction. Click here to learn more about how to use chatbot technology

Revise Your PPC Strategy

Revisions will start with your strategy and progress to your PPC campaigns. Moreover, you can start with keywords and ad copy strategies. In short, you should provide relevant information and let people know how you have adapted.

For example, you can include keywords such as  “special promotion,” delivery services,” “online consultations,” among others. Also, it will be essential to update your negative keywords lists to avoid unwanted traffic.

Your ads should remain highly visible and engaging through ad extensions. These will allow you to provide the right information. Also, they will give the audience a chance to take action directly from your ad. To illustrate; you can use promotion extensions, price extensions, site link extensions, and location extensions. 

While you should be already tracking your digital marketing efforts in Google Analytics, we recommend that you go over your current goals. Perhaps there is room for improvement. Make sure you are: 

• Tracking your visitors’ activity thoroughly: If you haven’t done it, establish a minimum amount of time they should spend on your website or a minimum amount of pages they should visit. 
• Reconnect with your past website visitors through remarketing campaigns: Let them know how you can help them during these circumstances.

Cover all the different angles of your digital marketing efforts. Paid search will put you in front of new and returning visitors. Separately, tools such as Google My Business, Bing Places, and SEO will help you own the organic search results. To clarify, these will allow you to display your business through relevant content while strengthening your digital marketing strategy.

 Leverage Tips From Our Strategists

Below are some of the reminders that our strategists thought essential for your business’ campaigns: 

• Work on your brand awareness through display ads and local YouTube campaigns
• Use call-only campaigns to encourage customers to contact you by simply clicking or tapping your ad. You can learn more about campaign types by signing up for our Academy Course on Call Only Campaigns!
• Microsoft Advertising can target your ideal audience with a high purchasing power at a lower price. This product offers features such as Linkedin Profile Targeting to reach customers filtered by company, job position, work industry. White Shark Media is offering a $250 coupon for new accounts that Microsoft adds to its digital marketing mix! So if you would like to know how we can help you with your marketing strategy, let us know!

Plan for the Future

Each of the sections mentioned above will help you navigate the current SARS-CoV-2 situation. However, your team should also begin to plan for what’s to come. As a business owner, you need to think about your post-COVID-19 efforts. 

If your business is naturally in a low season, continue working on brand awareness to prepare for the high season. 

On the other hand, if overall consumer purchases decrease during your industry’s high season due to the current crisis, sales competition may be tougher. 

However, if your business is completely affected and has no chance to adapt to the current market needs, you may consider removing your marketing altogether. Don’t.

Marketing is a long term investment. Even though you may not see it right away, ROI will reach if you stick to a purposeful digital marketing strategy. If this moment is not ideal for generating sales and leads, focus your efforts on increasing or building your email marketing lists. 

Google recently announced a $340 million support for small and medium-sized businesses to continue advertising. Get acquainted with all the requirements and specifications of Google Ads’ Credits here.

Though people are hesitant to purchase, they are still showing interest through research and queries. They are staying in the upper and middle funnel. They are just not ready to pull the trigger, but when they do, you want to be there.

A Few Last Words

Do you need help with your current digital marketing efforts? We provide everything from one-pagers on how specific verticals (automotive, dental, cosmetic surgery, warehouse, food services, legal, eCommerce, & furniture!) can adapt their campaigns to expert advice on building your marketing strategy. 

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The year’s events have impacted consumer search behavior and PPC performance. Many businesses have paused or reduced their advertising in the last few weeks. Conversely, others have set responses in place to react to the changes in consumer searches.

Though it may seem counterintuitive, now is the time to hold steady to ensure a strong come back within your marketing after COVID-19. As businesses withdraw themselves, great opportunities will surface if your business can maintain a long-term marketing strategy. 

To make your digital marketing efforts effective, your team should begin to plan adjustments in response to the shift in searches, competitors, and market share.  In other words, your past PPC set-up before and during this crisis will likely no longer apply to your marketing after COVID-19.

Adjusting your Digital Marketing Strategy

Bidding Strategies

The competitor market has changed. As we mentioned earlier, many businesses are responding to these changes in drastic ways, some by cutting their PPC marketing budgets altogether. 

Though it may not make sense right away, holding marketing budgets is the recommended move. That said, sticking to the same automated bidding strategy and targets will not make sense for your marketing after COVID-19. 

We recommend reviewing & adjusting both manual and automated bidding strategies. Also, you should monitor your campaigns’ marketing strategy given the volatile market. Remember, conditions will continue to shift. Therefore, if you don’t just set and forget, you may be able to go along with the changes.

Keywords

As you may know, keywords are a powerful resource for markets. Hence, you can use Google Trends, which is a great digital marketing tool, to understand how people are searching online.

Great marketing strategies are all about adaptation and monitoring search trends. Weekly digital marketing tasks should include reviewing search term reports and search queries on Google Analytics. Primarily to understand what queries people are using to find your business and strategize your marketing after COVID-19.

Device Strategy

Daily routines will go from working from a laptop at home to desktops to going back to mobile use during commutes again. In other words, mobile traffic may have decreased, but you will want to adjust your PPC campaigns for mobile traffic after the quarantine. Indeed, you should review your marketing campaign device settings. When the time comes, make your brand highly visible on mobile again. 

Ad Copy & Extensions

Review the messages in your pipeline to remove anything that seems insensitive. Not all ad copy will hold relevance for your marketing after COVID-19.

Similarly, you will want to keep tabs on which competitors are advertising. Some questions to consider:  (1) What is their message? (2) Are they pushing promotions? If so, what are they?

Tip: “Shop local” has been one of the popular search trends. Use this and variations of it in your ad copy marketing strategy to help vendors and shops in your community.

Quality Score

If you haven’t done this already, focus on your quality scores. You can do this in a few easy steps. First, pull a list of all your current keyword quality scores. Second, brainstorm to create new content for your PPC ad copy. Finally, do the same for your landing page. Together, these will improve your quality score.

Remarketing

If you stuck to the plan and continued marketing through the outbreak, we’ve got good news. You’ve probably built up a substantial audience that you can now remarket to as part of your Marketing After COVID-19 Plan.

Conclusion

When the dust settles there will be a number of things to shift back to like updating any of your business operations on your website, Google My Business & Bing Places. Whatever adjustments (business hours and phone number) you made during the quarantine, make sure to shift back. 

It will take time to find the new norm for marketing after COVID-19, but each of the points above will prepare your marketing strategy efforts for shifts that are expected. If you’d like to stay up to date with the industry and our recommendations on strategies for your business, subscribe to our blog to receive insights directly to your inbox! 

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Do any of these sound familiar?

“Please pause the campaign”

“We need to reduce costs”

“We are shutting down for a while”

 

We’ve seen these phrases before. Though the current conditions brought by COVID-19/coronavirus are unprecedented, some business owners are cutting budgets and going back to basics. Surprisingly, this means that many don’t consider marketing to be an essential part of the business. 

There are several factors that you have to consider when deciding what marketing plan is best for your business during this COVID-19 crisis. But the most important thing is never to stop your advertising. You may need to reduce your paid traffic but never remove it because there is also something else that you can try during this coronavirus situation. For example, SEO. This is a cost-effective solution to overcome traffic and spend difficulties and can help a great deal.

Coronavirus Can Also Bring New Opportunities & New Markets

While COVID-19 has brought a decrease in paid traffic, organic search is showing the complete opposite behavior. The nature of self-isolation and quarantine is making us look for different things to do, which results in users taking more time surfing the web, reading blogs, researching about the coronavirus, and referencing how to’s. If you can connect your product/service with what’s trending, it will increase your brand presence. 

For example, if you sell furniture or offer home office furniture, more people need your product than you might imagine. With so many people working from home during this COVID-19 crisis, now would be an excellent time to connect with your ideal audience. For example, if you have a YouTube channel, use it. If not, create one. Leverage videos or posts to provide valuable content to people at home and engage with a potential audience. 

Keep Creating Content and Maximize SEO Traffic

Ranking organically #1 is not as “easy” or “quick” as PPC. For anyone reducing costs or re-evaluating their marketing, SEO will still be running.  However, the current pause that many of your competitors are taking as a way of dealing with the coronavirus/COVID-19 consequences will give you a chance to gain online market share through paid advertising. On the other hand, if you invest in SEO, you can gain ground and rank much higher on the organic results over time. You can start with the following:

• Update your Google My Business listing. This platform is a great way to get in front of potential customers who are looking for the products that you offer. People more than ever are relying on the information they see on your website, social media platforms, and local listings. 
• Another way of working on your SEO is by analyzing trends. Tools like Google Trends or Ubersuggest can help you first to see what’s trending on Google, what are the most common searches, related queries, and then create content. The best SEO is publishing good content. 
• Last but not least, always keep learning. Digital marketing changes every day. Staying informed on algorithms, new features, seasonalities, and updates on COVID-19 is part of the job. 

Conclusion

Again, though COVID-19 has brought a lot of uncertainty in the air, businesses must focus on the day to day efforts that can help them in the long run. Instead of cutting marketing budgets during this coronavirus crisis, connect with your customers in simple ways and provide them with valuable content so they remember why they want to support your business. 

Before we wrap up, we’re sending a shout out to Moz who is offering “free training for all” with the promo code: wegotthis. Great ahead, start on training today!

To stay up to date on the latest industry insights, subscribe to our blog for helpful tips and tools!

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Google is helping to alleviate some of the costs for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to stay in touch with their customers during this challenging time brought by COVID-19. Last week, they announced a new $800+ million commitment to support small-and-medium-sized businesses, health organizations and governments, and health workers on the frontline of this global pandemic.

Out of those $800 million, there is $340 million assigned to Google Ads credits available to all SMBs with active accounts since the beginning of 2019. Credit notifications will appear in their Google Ads accounts and can be used at any point until the end of 2020 across any of the Google advertising platforms. 

Why Is Google Offering Ad Credits to Small and Medium Businesses?

“Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our communities. They represent about 90 percent of all businesses and more than half of employment worldwide, according to the World Bank.” COVID-19 has posed a particular challenge to these businesses, who may be facing closures and declining revenue even as they find ways to support and protect their employees. Through ad credits, they hope to alleviate some of the cost to stay in touch with their customers.

How and When Will Eligible Customers Receive the Ad Credits?

Small and medium businesses worldwide that have been active advertisers since the beginning of 2019 will be informed in the coming months through notifications within their Google Ads account.

Advertisers receiving ad credits will be notified soon, so stay tuned. Google is in the process of building these specialized credits into Google Ads accounts, so these notifications will not show immediately. We appreciate your patience as we all wait together.

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We all feel the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 virus. Communities, businesses, and individuals continue to take preventive measures to keep each other safe and slow down the spread of the infection.

As we all know, consumer behavior is shifting in the markets around the world. Many businesses are reconsidering their current marketing strategies or business models to survive the storm. 

If you can work from home, we hope that you, your team, and your loved ones have already settled in safely. Our strategists have been working hard to understand how we can provide you and your teams with the right information, market insights, and strategies to help your businesses withstand the current conditions.

Our Fulfillment Team has come together to address common questions across various industries. What our clients and partners want to know is, “Should I keep advertising during this crisis?” 

The short answer is, “Absolutely!” but read below for some of the reasons why. 

Businesses That Continue to Advertise During a Crisis Grow

Throughout its history, the U.S. has endured and survived various recessions. Along with the hardship of these times, each experience provides opportunities for growth. What previous experiences have taught us can be used during this COVID-19 crisis. Here are a few to consider:

Companies must:

• Adapt with efficient processes to volatile market conditions and demands. 
• Continue working to position their brands. Those who are relentless will eventually benefit from a decrease in competition and heightened brand awareness. Many even experience the highest growth in sales and net income during recessions and the two years that follow.

Last year, Microsoft Advertising rolled out a blog featured on Forbes. The piece focuses on companies that leveraged their marketing efforts during crucial times to grow their businesses. Below are some examples included in the article:

• During the 1920’s crisis, Kellogg’s doubled its advertising spend and introduced Rice Krispies. Amid the chaos, a new product was a bold move. When Post, their competition, cut their advertising budget, Kellogg’s decided to invest. The space in the market allowed profits to grow by 30% and gave them the lead in the ready-to-eat-cereal category. 
• Toyota was tempted to decrease their ad budget during the 17-month recession of 1973-75. However, the company followed its long-term plan and stuck to its ad strategy. By the year 1976, Toyota had surpassed Volkswagen’s presence in the market and became the top imported car maker in the U.S.
• Amazon positioned itself in the technology industry when it unexpectedly introduced new Kindle products during the 2009 Great Recession. Against the norm, the company’s new products increased market share and grew sales by 28%.

When Everyone Stops Advertising, Opportunities Open Up

When others pull back, windows of opportunities present themselves. These changes in the competitive landscape mean possible growth in market shares, improved advertising deals, and brand awareness for those who continue to advertise.

With a close eye on how our clients’ competitors are behaving online, we expect the same to occur. Many of our clients have improved their online market share or position in the search results pages without having changed their campaigns.

The image shows how a client from the automotive industry gained market share over the last few weeks. Changes also resulted in a lower cost per click (CPC) while staying top-of-mind with consumers.

Conclusion

We continue to review past cases and current conditions to help you combat the volatile markets. As you take the preventive measures as individuals, we hope to provide you with the tools and information to make informed decisions rather than radical ones. 

Like many of the businesses we discussed in our post, those who can continue to connect with their audience should do so. These are tough times, but as we have learned, they do not last forever. 

Furthermore, with your progress in mind, we’ve put together a set of one-pagers for various industries and businesses. In each, we evaluate the current situation and propose strategies to help our clients and partners swim through these waves. Feel free to share or download:

• Cosmetic Surgery Industry
• Dental Industry
• eCommerce Industry
• Legal Industry
• Automotive Industry
• Food Industry

We are continually updating our blog to keep you informed on industry news as they come up. Stay safe and subscribe to our blog for more relevant, up-to-date information!