The Current State of Digital Marketing: COVID-19’s Effect on the Industry

COVID-19 is changing the world in real-time. Businesses have shut down or are working remotely, and social distancing guidelines have forced most live events to cancel. Face-to-face advertising is almost impossible now, making digital marketing both an opportunity and a necessity for businesses.

Digital marketing was already an industry of constant change for many years, and COVID-19 has accelerated that change. Your digital strategy will define your company in the coming months. Successful businesses will leverage digital strategies to not only survive the pandemic’s challenges but also experience real growth.

Staying up to date on such a rapidly moving industry means listening to the experts. With that in mind, here are our top picks for articles on marketing during COVID-19:

4 Tips to Build a Strong SEO Program During COVID-19: COVID-19 has been impacting search tendencies and behavior dramatically. One in three consumers say that the coronavirus has already changed the way they shop. While PPC campaigns are seeing a decrease in budget, SEO is on the rise, with specific brands citing major increases in organic search visibility.

People are searching online now more than ever before. Regardless of the current economic climate, you want your brand to be top of mind among searchers. During economic downturns, SEO is an especially smart long-term investment, as it’s more cost effective than channels like social media.

How B2B Companies Can Be Proactive About Managing Paid Media During COVID-19: B2B businesses face their own set of challenges when it comes to dealing with COVID-19. This article gives you tips on how to navigate the changing landscape of paid media to ensure that your brand continues to deliver value to your customers while building a pipeline for the future.

One of the most effective ways you can streamline your paid media efforts is to evaluate the context of your current campaigns. Do your ads still make sense in light of the current events? What was once considered harmless may now be deemed inappropriate. For example, your ads should not show large groups of people congregating or individuals engaging in physical contact such as high-fives or handshakes.

Why Companies Turn to Digital Marketing to Survive COVID-19: This article explains how and why companies will lean on their digital marketing strategies to get them through the storm of COVID-19.

There is massive opportunity in this new world, specifically for B2B companies in industries that have either been slow to change or reliant on live events and tradeshows. You’ll need to adapt quickly in order to survive the ever-changing landscape that this pandemic has created. And in industries where face-to-face business has been the standard, adapting means setting up a social media account and using digital platforms to establish relationships.

Your ability to establish a digital presence will determine how your business looks on the other side of this pandemic. The harsh reality is that no one knows how long COVID-19 will last, so you should be planning to have digital as a key part of your long-term strategy.

Reducing Digital Marketing Due to COVID-19? Read This First: Here’s some advice on how to embrace a hands-on approach with your paid search accounts. This article also provides tips on how to be mindful of your content during this time of uncertainty. With significant and unpredicted revenue losses, businesses are starting to think about how they can reduce their budget while increasing efficiency. A good marketer can show them how.

Advertisement bidding is lower than it has ever been across all industries due to advertisers making fewer bids and cutting their budgets. If your company is selling products or services that still have demand, now is the time to capitalize. You should be maximizing your ad spend and looking for margins that are advantageous in your industry.

Inside Google Marketing: 5 Principles Guiding Our Media Teams in the Wake of the COVID-19 Outbreak: While new problems continue to arise daily, this article aims to provide a set of standards to use internally for evaluating your media campaigns in this new normal. This piece shares five principles to help brands navigate the uncertainty of marketing during COVID-19.

Market dynamics are rapidly changing, forcing us to reassess our campaigns, creativity, and even guidelines.  This article shows you how to re-evaluate every possible touchpoint for your brand across paid and owned channels, from video ads to the automated emails you’re sending via customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

5 Ways to Do Smart & Responsible Marketing During COVID-19: Context matters. Brands can either add value to a situation or take away from it. When a cultural moment such as COVID-19 dramatically transforms society, brands must approach these situations tastefully and compassionately.

More than ever, people want to know how you can help them. Brands exist to contribute to society; beneficial products and services deserve to be highlighted during these unprecedented times, especially if they can help people in need. If you’re able to improve and enrich the lives of people during quarantine, weave that into your brand’s story.

Marketing During COVID-19: 4 Essential Copywriting Guidelines: Now more than ever, businesses have a moral obligation to promote corporate social responsibility. The COVID-19 crisis requires sensitivity in all aspects of your marketing plan, including copywriting. WordStream gives you four points to remember when writing copy during this time.

Above all else, they want you to “think contribution, not conversion.” People will remember the brands that aimed to provide societal value, not those that value their bottom line above all else. Buying intent is currently low. However, people are using the internet more than ever. Tell people how your brand can help during this crisis and add value to their lives. The companies that pull this off will gain admiration and respect among consumers and will be generously rewarded when some sense of normalcy is restored.