The global pandemic known as COVID-19 is affecting almost every part of life all over the world.
As the global economy reels from the impact of this disease, businesses are shifting strategies, hoarding assets and preparing for the worst.
But the reality is that businesses can still thrive in downtimes if they’ll be wise about the decisions they make, the services they stick with or cancel, and the people they keep or let go. In the end, some businesses will win and others will lose.
The winners during this time will be those businesses who make the strategic shifts in their outbound marketing and content marketing efforts.
A quiet business is a declining business.
This is true when times are good but especially true during trying times like we’re in today.
TAKE ACTION: Be visible and avoid the perception that you’ve gone off the “digital grid” during a difficult time.
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Here are five marketing efforts you should absolutely start or continue during these trying times.
1. Organic Search Engine Marketing Can Produce Cash
During economic downtimes, cash is king. So, an organic strategy is critical. And organic strategy is a long-game play but eventually will actually save you money. Imagine if you could rank at the top without spending a single dime on ads?
Should you pay for search engine marketing during these times?
If you still have some cash to put towards paid search engine marketing, then do so, but be careful.
Make sure your paid campaigns are being managed wisely by someone who fully understand the uniqueness of this time we’re in globally, and regularly monitor the results.
What if you’ve always relied on PPC (pay-per-click) ads to keep your brand at the top of Google?
Even when times are good, if you don’t want to be stuck paying for search ads forever, you need a plan for diversifying your marketing portfolio and transitioning from just PPC to a mix of PPC / organic, and then eventually to solely organic.
Is search engine marketing a quick fix?
Not at all. With the right person managing your ad campaigns, then PPC search engine marketing is a more immediate way to get found.
But, it’s expensive and it only lasts for as long as you’re willing to spend money on ads.
This is why, even if you do rely heavily on ads, we strongly suggest you begin building a super reliable and more affordable organic search engine marketing plan.
Right now is NOT the best time to stop your PPC campaigns if this is all you’ve relied on. But, if you don’t want to be stuck paying for PPC ads forever, now is also a great time to boost your search engine rankings with a solid organic strategy.
Here is how we handle this with our clients under normal circumstances:
- We believe organic is best long term strategy. We’re an organic first agency. We believe PPC has a place in your marketing portfolio, but we don’t believe it should be the only thing in your marketing portfolio. And, we definitely don’t think it should be your primary marketing investment.
- Don’t Stop Cold Turkey. If you have relied solely on PPC ads for brand visibility and lead generation – at the same time neglecting organic SEO, Local SEO, and content marketing – don’t stop your PPC ads without getting help from a professional. As soon as your ads stop, you’ll fall of the face of Google. We don’t want this either.
- PPC to Organic Transition Plan. We work with our clients to build a phase based transition plan that will take them from relying solely on PPC to a mixture of PPC and organic.
- Organic Only Is Possible For Some Businesses. For some of our clients, our transition plan includes a phase that completely removes their need for PPC ads. It takes time and patience. But, the value is unprecedented as their able to GREAT diversify their marketing efforts which allows them to really dominate across multiple channels and mediums for the same investment if not less.
- Consumer Needs: Search engine marketing, whether it’s paid or organic, still has to reach the consumer when they are in a state of need. If you can reach them – while their in need – with helpful or valuable resources, they’ll trust your brand much more than they would if they found you through an ad that says, “25% Off Oil Changes.”
2. Opt-in email marketing.
The only marketing play that produces a better ROI than search engine marketing is opt-in email marketing. But, opt-in email lists don’t grow on trees.
A great email list is built by creating demand for valuable and helpful information that connects with what people are searching for around your products and services.With
Hey, I’m Marshall, one of the founders at King Creative Co.
We’re offering free 30 minute consultations to help you build out a quick opt-in offer so you can quickly start building out an email list.
There’s no strings attached. Seriously, we just want to help you succeed.
GET A CONSULTATION
WE CAN HELP:
We’re offering free 30 minute consultations to help you build out a quick opt-in offer so you can quickly start building out an email list.
GET A CONSULTATION
3. Start Using Live Video and Don’t Overthink It.
When people stay home, they are going to be searching, Facebooking, Instagraming, and Tweeting more rather than less.
So, join them!
Two ways you can do this today:
- Spend 15 minutes doing a live video that actually gives people a small sliver of helpful information.
- Get permission from one of your clients to post a consultation (not one that’s personal) of you helping them online and if possible, LIVE while it’s happening.
At the end of the video, make an offer to them for something they can buy, signup, or register for on your website.
Not only can this generate revenue, but it will also help build your opt-in email list.
But don’t stop here. Take that live video and post the recording of it to your websites blog, your social profiles, and other place to recycle it. This will help you with with search engine rankings as well.
4. Write Content that Helps People. And then Repeat.
Write great content that will not only help you boost your authority but will also help you boost your search engine rankings.
Great content along with search engine optimization can produces sales and leads precisely because the consumer is connected with your brand when they are searching for your product or service.
5. Don’t Neglect or Underestimate Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Did you know? Even a $500 SEO campaign investment could produce the revenue your business needs to make it through the inevitable hard times we’re currently in.
Forward-thinking businesses need to find a search engine marketer that will help them uncover unique opportunities to:
- Capitalize on the scarcity of specific items.
- Begin ranking for products or services, as well as ranking for the topics around those items that directly help users and provide value to them.
- Developing organic search ranking strategies that are free instead cash flowing paid search ads.
While you can see results from SEO in a short period of time, the overall effectiveness of SEO doesn’t happen overnight.
We can’t say it enough: You need to have an organic strategy sooner than later. Those that can capitalize on SEO organically will be better off because as the keyword costs around expensive or scarce items will increase as the demand increases.
SEO is one of the few marketing plays where the results keep on giving long after the work has been done.
78% of our SEO campaigns produce a 2X to 5X ROI for at least 12 months.
During the times of a global pandemic, an SEO campaign could help your business reap results for years to come.
SET UP A QUICK SEO CONSULTATION
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So, here’s the bottom line:
Eventually things will get back to normal. Despite what your Facebook friends are saying, the world is not coming to an end. Humans still need products and services. This means these 5 marketing plays can help you reach consumers with buying intent.
But in the meantime, each of these marketing plays will still be some of the most effective and reliable ways to reach consumers. And, for those of you that implement these marketing plays during the downtimes, you’ll be primed to clean up when things normalize.
I encourage all businesses to either continue or start aggressively implementing these 5 marketing plays today.
Hey, I’m Bart, one of the founders at King Creative Co.
We’re offering free 30 minute consultations to help you build out a quick opt-in offer so you can quickly start building out an email list.
There’s no strings attached. Seriously, we just want to help you succeed.
GET A CONSULTATION
WE CAN HELP:
We’re offering free 30 minute consultations to help you build out a quick opt-in offer so you can quickly start building out an email list.
GET A CONSULTATION
4 Daily Reminders
1. Products and Services Are A Necessity
People still need products and services, even if they are self-quarantined for 14 days.
2. Stay in front of searchers.
Your goal is to place and keep your brand in front of searchers across social media, Google, Bing, etc.
3. Play the Long Game
Even if overall sales of your product or service go down because of the economy or the pandemic, you can offset some of your losses by investing in a comprehensive search engine marketing program that puts you in front of those that are still in a buying frame of mind.
From Search Engine Land
4. When There’s A Sense of Scarcity, People Search.
There is already an indication that some goods are going to be hard to find in the near future. I would imagine that the first ecommerce listing for “toilet paper” (FYI – it’s Amazon) is worth its weight in gold right now.
