Digital Marketing Practices and COVID-19

Stay Safe

First things first, keep yourself, your family, employee’s and customers safe:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Avoid touching your faces, especially your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Stay home if you are unwell
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or the inside of your elbow

Assess Your Existing Content

Smart businesses are careful about the content that they send out. The coronavirus situation is no laughing matter. It has contributed to a significant degree of fear. You as a business owner should assess any and all content that you put on the Internet. If a your Facebook page has anything that may seem insensitive to our current situation, then deletion is probably the way to go. If you come across any ads that don’t fit well with the current climate, then you need to say goodbye to them as well.

Create a Google Ads Campaign

As mentioned in the above points, it’s imperative that you let customers know if you are still open during this time. If you’re worried that you’re not getting the message across, one way to do so is by creating a Google Ads campaign. This is the best way to reach customers who intend to buy quickly.

You can also use the likes of Facebook Ads to reach your target audience on social media.

As we can expect a drop in demand for certain products and services, now is the time to use online advertising to make a push with discounts and support your sales team. Of course, depending on your product/service, you’ll need to be mindful of a potential disruption to stock and delivery.

Utilize Social Media

Similar to Google My Business, use your social media channels to keep your customers up-to-date with your business. You can create posts letting customers know if you’re open or not; if you’re taking online orders or offering take out only, or simply if you’re keeping yourself and your employees safe. Generally, just being active online is encouraged.

There are many social media platforms to choose from. It is important to understand and research which ones are best suited for your industry.

The Benefits of Social Media for your brand
• Increased brand recognition online
• Better search engine rankings (SEO)
• Increased website traffic through back linking and other strategies
• Target your audience more effectively
• Increase loyalty and grow relationships with your clients

Blogging

Blogging is important for your business as a way to reach your customers and provide content for search engines. Blogging is an effective way to provide valuable information to customers and set your business up as an expert in your industry. So why you should write a blog for your business as part of your digital marketing. You might be thinking you don’t have time, don’t know how or don’t have content that is valuable. Blogs help to position you as a thought leader in your industry. Writing
consistently not only provides information to your customers, it provides great content for Google.
Content for your website is important and you have a lot more knowledge than you give yourself credit for.

Search Engine Optimization

A good looking website is only half the battle.

You’ve probably heard a hundred times that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a vital digital marketing tool, but even if you have a basic understanding of what it entails, you may still not have a solid grasp on this complex and multifaceted creature.

One of the most important functions of SEO is increasing visibility, which means making it easier for prospects to find you when they search for something you have to offer. Visibility is directly related to your ranking.

The higher you rank on a search engine result page (SERP), the more likely prospects are to see you and click through to your site. The more effective your SEO efforts, the higher your ranking and the better your visibility, which is especially important when you consider that a quarter of web users never click past the first SERP.

Don’t Try to Take Advantage of the Circumstances

This pandemic is no joke to people. It’s something that has wreaked havoc in the vast majority of nations. That’s why you want to steer clear of taking advantage of it. People are scared. They’re concerned. You should refrain from doing anything that could be misinterpreted as being opportunistic in any sense. You should keep your marketing approach subdued. Don’t try to freak people out. Although you should keep others in the loop to the best of your ability, you should resist the urge to make them feel trepidation. They’re already anxious.