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Marketer’s Guide: Advertising in the face of COVID-19

Category
Marketing Strategy
Date
March 18, 2020
Author
Adrian Padron
Social

Marketers all over the world are forced to to rethink their strategies, pause campaigns and even delay new launches as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Thankfully, digital advertising allows us to adjust quickly. We listed some ideas for you to use in this new landscape where shopper intent is changing day-by-day.

1. Drive ecommerce

Household needs don’t go away and may even increase with stockpiling and panic buying. Concerns surrounding shopping in public places have driven consumers online – whether buying CPG goods, groceries or even apparel. Make sure to position targeting and messaging to capitalize on that consumer behavior.

“COVID-19 Concerns may boost ecommerce as consumers avoid stores”

eMarketer

2. Invest more advertising spend on branding, not less

When other brands pull back, you can increase your share of voice at a much cheaper cost because there is less competition for attention and ad inventory. Creating a branding impact will have a halo effect and pay off when the market normalizes.

3. Test different promotions

One of our clients used to offer free shipping for orders of certain value. Now, they offer free shipping on all orders. Another client extended free shipping for their friends and family. Both saw immediate results.

4. Revise your live campaigns, ASAP

Edit your ad copy as needed to let customers know if you are offering services like express shipping, or targeted promotions to loyalty customers. Pause campaigns promoting unavailable products that may have been impacted by supply chain issues.

5. Keep a close eye on your budget

If the cost of acquiring new customers is too high right now, remarket to past website visitors or re-engage existing customers through email. If you can see an increased interest in a range of products, focus on that.

6. Follow your audience

The foundation of any successful marketing strategy is knowing where your audience is. And at the moment they are all buying hand sanitizers and toilet paper from Amazon.

7. Incorporate more video to the mix

Time typically spent on sports, with friends, at theaters and restaurants, etc. is now shifting to watching videos and TV at home. You can capture a huge portion of those users on YouTube, a significantly cheaper advertising channel than TV.

8. Be human

This may be a time to shift away from traditional campaigns and engage with customers through social media. Can you add value to people stuck at their homes? Think about how-to videos, recipes, and virtual workouts. Most importantly, maintain excellent customer service and a seamless online buying experience.

It’s a lot to take in, regardless of whether you are a marketing team of 1 or 20. If you would like help steering your ship during this turbulent time, let’s chat.