As the new coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe and people take to their homes to avoid getting and spreading the contagion, it makes sense that much of the conversation is taking place online. People are using the internet to share information, air their anxieties, and bide time while in quarantine. With ever-changing news of the Coronavirus pandemic, internet usage is at an all time high. Advertising inventory across our ad exchanges has surged and this provides an opportunity for businesses to stay in front of their consumers at a critical time.
Media companies are experiencing big traffic bumps as people flock to coronavirus coverage.
Up to 15% of daily web traffic is going to content about coronavirus, per traffic analytics firm Parse.ly. That increase is led by stories about travel restrictions, social distancing, and #FlattenTheCurve. And last week, coronavirus coverage beat election coverage by 15x.
Consumers are also spending ~30% more time with that content over last year, per Chartbeat.
Now is a great time to get in front
•Streaming/Video: More eyeballs are on streaming and video because of political coverage, bans on attending sporting events, local shutdowns and more Americans staying home.
•Device ID: No one leaves home without their mobile device. Advertisers can show relevant messages to consumers based on their visits as recent as 5 days ago and as far back as 6 months. Then, we can track foot traffic throughout the campaign, and as long as it runs.
•Search: Anyone searching for your product or service is a highly desirable customer. Make sure that your business shows up in front of those interested in buying or visiting today.
•Social: Social media usage is at an all-time high. From local news updates to memes, it’s important to make yourself relevant during this time. Join the conversation. Post often with branded content. Continue to engage with your customers and potential customers.
With access to a real-time ad exchange with insight into buyer ‘intent,’ we can offer smart ways for ANY advertiser to reach someone who is in the market for their product or service. Below are a few we have seen this week.
•Real estate: Interest rates are at a 7-year low. We’ve seen campaigns coming in from banks, credit unions, mortgage companies and realtors.
•Home Improvement: Spring and summer are coming and with many people avoiding travel, they will invest in their nest. Advertising landscapers, remodeling companies and hardware stores will be key.
•Auto Dealerships: Spring is typically high season for automotive. Auto dealers have an opportunity to find ‘auto intenders’ who are ready to buy now with more road trips expected this spring and summer, and lower rates to borrow for those auto loans.
•Retail: More and more retailers are moving to a delivery or drive-up option to pick up everything from groceries to clothing and shoes. Whether a hardware store or high-end boutique, delivery or drive-up is a great option to advertise.
•Healthcare: More doctor offices, clinics and hospitals are using digital ads to get the word out on how patients can interact with their offices, when to call, when to come in and why they should feel safe about visiting if needed.
•Restaurants: Delivery or delivery services are already available for most restaurants. This should be promoted, along with what steps the restaurant might be taking to ensure the safety of its patrons. Once it warms up, do they have a large open patio to promote, or a private room for business or family gatherings? We can target ‘restaurant goers’ and ‘foodies’ for any restaurant.
Utilizing Google’s post feature on Google My Business page. If you are a business owner, you should utilize this new feature. First it’s FREE and second, it has proven to be very successful among small businesses.
Here are ideas that Google gave on what to post:
- Share daily specials or current promotions that encourage new and existing customers to take advantage of your offers.
- Promote events and tell customers about upcoming happenings at your location.
- Showcase your top products and highlight new arrivals.
- Choose one of the available options to connect with your customers directly from your Google listing: give them a one-click path to make a reservation, sign up for a newsletter, learn more about latest offers, or even buy a specific product from your website.
Posts will show up in both Google search and Maps results. Here are examples of how Google Posts appear in search result:
What are Google My Business Q&A’s ?
Google My Business Questions & Answers are crowdsourced questions and answers for a local business. These questions are asked and answered through a business’s Knowledge Panel.
Google is taking crowdsourcing to the next level in many ways with online reviews, user-generated attributes and now they’re adding Google My Business Q&As.
Here are some pro points for Q&As:
– Questions can be up voted, making popular ones more visible and most likely to be answered. Helpful answers can also be up voted, so others can find them easily.
– As a busy business owner you’ll be happy to know that other people on Google Maps can answer your questions. One of these being Google Local Guides. They must be levels 2 and up and the Q&A feature is available to them on both Google Maps for Android and Google Search on any mobile device.
– You’ll be happy to hear that your users get notified through Google Maps when their answer has received a reply. You’ll also receive notifications when a new question is asked.
– Similar to positive reviews, Google Q&A has the potential to increase conversions to your website. For example, if a user with celiac disease sees that your restaurant offers a gluten free menu, something they weren’t previously aware of, they might be inclined to book a table.
– You’ll be happy to know that Google moderates some things automatically (bad words, gibberish) and users have to ability to flag anything inappropriate. This is a similar process to photo/review flagging.
Let us know if we can start doing this on your Google My Business Page.
It does not matter how modern and stylish your company website is if no one ever sees it. It can have all sorts of bells and whistles but if it does not receive visitors, then it is nothing more than a darkened storefront. Without traffic it is essentially useless.
So how do you get your website seen? You can print its web address on business cards and promotional materials. You can mention it in print advertisements and place it on company vehicles. Or you can invest in search engine marketing.
What is search engine marketing? It is a strategy that increases a website’s visibility in search engine results pages. In other words, people searching on Google will see your website. What are the benefits of this kind of marketing?
More Traffic
If you want website traffic, then getting your site a good ranking in the search results is the way to do it. The first few search listings get the most clicks, so it is important to optimize your site so that it appears near the top of the page. Google alone receives 3.5 billion searches a day. A good ranking can send huge amounts of traffic.
Return on Investment
Search engine website traffic is cost-effective because users see your business at the exact moment that they are looking for what your business has to offer. They are already interested in your products and services when they arrive at your website. This kind of highly targeted traffic converts well and lowers costs.
Brand Awareness
Search engine marketing makes your website visible in the search engines. Your listing will most likely include your URL as well as some brief information about your business. Even users who do not click on your link will see your brand and associate it with the keywords they are using. This increased brand awareness can lead to future sales.
Few marketing strategies bring the same benefits as search engine marketing. If you are ready to get your website seen, then please contact us. Our team is standing by and looks forward to working with you.
Why is it so important to get more likes and shares on social media? Of course, the more likes and followers you have, the greater your reach is (which is why it’s important that your followers are targeted and relevant). However, it’s much more than that. It’s where the law of social proof, commonly used in marketing, comes into play.
You’ll Get Even More Likes
The more followers you have, the easier it will be to get even more followers. It’s also known as the snowball effect – the larger the snowball gets, the quicker it rolls down the hill and attracts even more snow. People will be more likely to follow you or like your page and posts when they already has thousands of likes. The more shares a post has, the more likely people will be to share it themselves.
Increase Your Clout
People will look at you differently when you have a large social media following. They’ll view you with more respect and will consider you more of an authority. They’ll be more likely to pay attention to what you have to say on your blog posts, subscribe to your mailing list, and even purchase your product.
The Law of Social Proof and Google
The law of social proof even works with Google. Websites that have many social signals usually see a boost in their organic search engine rankings. Social signals include followers, shares of blog posts and social media posts, social media comments, and likes. They serve to tell Google that your content is popular.
For help with boosting your social media campaigns, contact us today!
