Considering the financial uncertainty of these times, many business owners are looking for ways to cut costs – marketing and advertising budgets being some of the first to go. In fact, even Google recently slashed its marketing budget by 50 percent! As tempting as it may be, now is not the time to completely halt your marketing efforts, specifically Google Ad searches, learn more from this personal injury attorney Google Adwords management firm. While times will remain uncertain for the unforeseeable future, the one thing you can control is how you communicate with your audience. Search ads are just one way to do this. Read more…
Pivot Your Offerings. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have started to switch things up a bit in terms of offerings. This may come in the form of free or low-cost versions of their products and services (liquor companies now making hand-sanitizers…go figure), providing free shipping or offering attractive discounts (even freebies!). One example is how Google is helping small to medium-sized businesses affected by the pandemic by offering $340 million in Google Ads credits! The point is…whatever your business is doing in response to the pandemic, it is critical to communicate those changes with your audience. Search ads are a great way to accomplish this.
Change Your Messaging. For a while now, many businesses were in a bit of a comfort zone, and as a result, Google ads have been on autopilot. And then COVID-19 came into the picture! If you have not done so already, make sure your current messaging matches the tone of the crisis. Airlines and hotels should “talk” future travel plans while restaurants should highlight delivery and pick-up options with an emphasis on food handling safety. Some companies choose to communicate their message through vlogs, podcasts, webinars and other marketing initiatives. Others opt to drive ad traffic to landing pages with COVID-19 information specific to their industry. What is best for your company depends on the key information you want to communicate when someone searches for your brand online at this moment in time. This is how you can use the Google search ads channel to your advantage.
Consider Location Targeting. It probably comes as no surprise that 20 percent of advertisers have decreased their local geo-targeting as a result of Covid-19. As for future trends, this crisis will no doubt change the way we live and search – both of which will result in huge implications for search advertising. For instance, city centers may see a dramatic decrease in foot and car traffic which would result in a negative impact on local businesses. On the flip side, local neighborhood businesses have the potential to capitalize as a result of a new work-from-home economy. No matter the scenario, one thing will remain consistent – Google search will remain the customer’s first touch point.
While every industry will be impacted differently, one common thread is the ability to use ads to their advantage. Use this crazy time as an opportunity to take a good look at your marketing campaign – what is working, what is not and how you can apply the current conditions to your strategy.
Need assistance with SEO, PPC or social media services? We can help! For more information, please contact our Tampa web marketing company at [email protected] for a free consultation.