Adjusting Your Digital Marketing Investments During COVID-19

,Has the COVID-19 pandemic forced you to rethink your digital marketing investments? With a sudden halt in revenue, many businesses—particularly those considered “non-essential”—have shifted their focus on cutting budgets while maximizing efficiency. Some businesses have seen their performance drop by as much as 20% just within the last two weeks.

Here’s how to maximize your digital marketing investments during a time of uncertainty and unexpected losses.

Beware: skewed analytical data

Understanding how to measure and read digital marketing analytics is a major step to maximizing your results. During a time of uncertainty, however, beware that your analytical data may not be what it reads. According to Brett Patterson, Digital Analytics Lead at Siteimprove, internal traffic “is not internal. With so many employees working remotely right now, this may influence your digital analytics data.”

Employees working from home may be counted toward your company’s analytic metrics since the typical analytic filter doesn’t account for remote workers unless they are using a VPN or other remote network connection.

Brett suggests making note in your analytics account of the number of employees working remotely so you can take that into consideration when measuring your digital marketing investment, for there isn’t a true solution otherwise.

Reduce paid search and social media, OR prepare for daily management

At times such as the COVID-19 pandemic, search demand decreases. What does that mean for you? If your product or service isn’t “essential” or high-need, you may want to consider limiting your spend on paid ads.

Of course, some “non-essential” businesses might actually experience the opposite effect. Our client Writers.com, for example, saw an uptick in paid search conversions, as many people were interested in at-home creative writing education.

However, when you fail to reduce spending on a potentially profitable campaign, you risk a negative return on ad spend (ROAS). In other words, if you’re a non-essential business, proceed with caution on your paid search spending.

In contrast, industry bids are lower than they’ve ever been, which means if you’re selling an in-demand product or service, then you should maximize your ad spend. If you are in the position to maximize your paid search, keep a watchful eye on your ROAS, and prepare to tweak your campaigns daily.

Maximize email

One of the cheapest and most effective digital marketing investments is email. With email campaigns, you can stay connected to your customers and remind them that, while your brick and mortar service remains suspended, they can utilize your online services. Though email has the potential to lower paid search and social media campaigns, it assures your customers that you will work with them throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilize email to promote special COVID-19 promotions and deals, communicating empathy and reassurance.

Continue building SEO and content marketing

Although there may be a decrease in the overall paid search and social media marketing campaigns, it’s best to continue with your SEO and content marketing efforts. By maintaining and growing your SEO campaign, your organic rankings will be in good shape. Those who continue to focus on building and growing their SEO and content marketing campaigns will be on track for a faster and more effective recovery period post-COVID-19.

Be safe, stay kind, and market efficiently

During the pandemic, you should look at your digital marketing investments critically. The COVID-19 pandemic is the best time to prioritize your clients and safety of your employees. Through empathy, be kind and have situational awareness. The companies that will rebound the quickest after the pandemic subsides are those that understand the current situation, acting with concern and empathy.

Need help strategizing your digital marketing investments? Reach out to the digital marketing pros at Summit Collaborations, and we’ll set up a consultation that helps you market for success during the COVID-19 crisis.