The World Health Organization has officially recognized the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, as a global pandemic. We’re facing a time of great uncertainty with many unanswered questions. Although we don’t have all the answers, we want to share the knowledge we’ve gathered and provide guidance for our customers and other small businesses who might be dealing with changes in their operations. This pandemic isn’t just a public health crisis; it’s also significantly impacting the economy. Google reports that “global search interest in coronavirus has skyrocketed by +260% since the first week of February.” While such spikes in search trends are typical during major events, we’ve also observed a surge in traffic related to pandemic-related products and information.
Image Source The leadership at nexus-security is closely monitoring the situation and has taken decisive action by implementing a remote work policy for all nexus-security employees. Rest assured, we have taken every precaution to minimize any disruptions to our operations and services for our valued customers. While we’ll leave medical advice to healthcare and public health professionals—and strongly encourage you to do the same—we turned to our in-house agency specialists to gather insights and recommendations for managing your online advertising accounts during this time. Want more insights? Tune in to Mark’s on-demand webinar today!
Google and Facebook’s Response to COVID-19
Beyond making it simpler for people to find information on symptoms, vaccines, and travel advisories, Google is actively removing YouTube content that promotes false claims about preventing coronavirus instead of seeking proper medical attention. They’re also cracking down on ads that attempt to profit from the crisis. Similarly, Facebook is taking a firm stance against anyone using ads to exploit this situation.
Will these measures impact you? The simple answer is no—provided you avoid using messaging in your ad copy that makes any promises to cure, prevent, or treat COVID-19, this change is unlikely to have a significant effect on your paid advertising accounts. While these platform policies are unlikely to directly affect your account, the pandemic and its ripple effects on the market certainly will. Here are some recommended strategies to help you adapt and adjust your accounts accordingly.
Stay ahead of the curve in the evolving online advertising landscape with this complimentary small business guide to COVID-19.
Account Review
Staying informed about how shifting markets and emerging trends could impact your paid search and paid social campaigns is crucial, from fluctuations in clicks and impressions to cost variations. “It’s important to remember that paid search mirrors the market, it doesn’t dictate it,” says Mike Emilliani, Senior Manager of Managed Services. “So, if consumer search behavior has naturally shifted, and that Invisalign treatment or bouquet of flowers isn’t top-of-mind right now—that’s just the reality we’re in. Keep a close eye on your Google Analytics and Google Ads for any dips in traffic—both clicks and impressions. These dips usually signal a change and often result in fewer conversions.” Our recent article on Google Ads Benchmarks During COVID-19 can provide a clearer picture of where you stand metric-wise. We also encourage you to listen to our special COVID-19 episode of the Goal Talk Podcast to gain a deeper understanding of how search trends are evolving. “One of my clients, a streaming service, noticed an increase in queries like ‘wuhan live streaming.’ These searches aren’t beneficial during a pandemic,” points out Zina Kayyali, Director of Managed Services, “and they don’t benefit the account either, so we proactively added them as negative keywords.” You might also need to be more vigilant about monitoring comments. “When it comes to Facebook and Instagram,” explains Account Manager Tyler Ward, “keeping a close eye on post comments is crucial. There’s a lot of misinformation circulating, and certain fear-mongering comments can deter potential customers.”
Communication is Key
Maintaining open and effective communication is essential for nurturing customer relationships. “Across the board, advertisers should prioritize building trust with both existing and potential customers by proactively communicating through email and/or providing updates directly on their websites,” advises Tyler. “In situations where events or store locations need to temporarily halt operations, businesses should think long-term about their customer relationships and recognize that offering refunds or reschedulings can provide much-needed relief for those grappling with stress or hardship during these challenging times.” Account Manager Holly Niemiec also underscores the importance of swiftly communicating changes online. “If your business is affected, Google suggests updating your business hours and description within your Google My Business profile. This allows you to not only keep customers informed about your business hours but also update your description to provide details about any extra safety measures you’re taking or changes to your services. These updates will ensure your business information is current on Google Search and Maps.”
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s GMB reflects its closure for the week. In addition to updating your profile, Holly suggests making corresponding adjustments to your ad copy and extensions to reflect any changes (refer to our Guide to Copywriting During COVID-19 for helpful tips). This is especially critical for callout extensions that display your business hours.
Adapt Your Strategy
COVID-19 has led to numerous direct and indirect consequences. As people are urged to wash their hands frequently to curb the spread of germs, shortages of hand sanitizer, bleach, cleaning wipes, and similar products have become commonplace. Work culture is undergoing temporary shifts as companies implement mandatory work-from-home policies, and the travel and tourism sectors are feeling the impact as governments temporarily restrict travel to areas with a high number of cases. While these changes can understandably be stressful, our primary responsibility as marketers is to focus on the future and alleviate consumer anxiety as much as possible by providing clear, concise, and accurate messaging. Holly emphasizes that it’s critical to ensure your ads align with your inventory. “If your business sells products that are in high demand and selling out quickly, it’s crucial to pause ads for any items that are temporarily out of stock. To avoid this, you can temporarily exclude those specific products from your shopping campaigns to prevent showing ads for items you can’t currently fulfill.” For businesses with physical locations, adapting your strategy might involve reducing budgets or temporarily pausing specific campaigns. “Understandably, some clients are concerned about the dip in leads or foot traffic they’re experiencing,” notes Tyler. “Right now, my recommendation for certain industries is to either reduce budgets or hit pause on non-essential campaigns and redirect ad spend towards branded terms, which tend to attract higher-quality traffic. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) operating within strict annual budgets, reallocating ad spend to more opportune marketing periods could be crucial for their success.” For more in-depth guidance, explore our article: 6 Strategies for Facebook and Instagram Advertising During COVID-19.
Spotlight on the Travel Industry
For those in the travel and tourism sector, the situation is rapidly evolving. The U.S. has implemented travel bans to high-risk nations, and other countries have imposed similar restrictions on non-essential travel. Interestingly, searches for “cheap flights right now” have jumped by 90% over the past month, while “cheap flights due to coronavirus” have surged by a staggering 2,450%.
So, what does this tell us? “Even though many people are unable to travel at the moment,” says Holly, “there’s a growing interest in future travel, especially while flight prices are low. With that in mind, it’s smart to focus your strategy on the long game. Consider promoting trips or activities in low-risk areas and provide additional content that highlights safe travel and activity options.” Tyler agrees that shifting your messaging towards long-term travel can be effective. “One of my clients in the travel industry mentioned a significant shift in their customer base from 2020 travel bookings to 2021,” Tyler shared. “In response, we’re revising some of the messaging on their website and in their ads to reflect this trend, using phrases like ‘Book Your 2021 Travel Today’ or ‘2021 Travel Options Available.’” Delve deeper into this topic by reading: [How COVID-19 Has Impacted Google Ads Results for 21 Industries [Data]]
Stay Informed
Tragically, COVID-19 has impacted the health and well-being of communities around the globe, and prioritizing community safety should be paramount. A large number of businesses, if not the majority, are already feeling the effects of this virus, and staying informed about developments (like the CARES Act) is essential. Here at nexus-security, our top priority is people. As we continue to monitor the situation and market trends, you can anticipate more data-driven insights, analysis, and resources from us in the coming days and weeks. Post-COVID-19 update: Although the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, we appear to have moved beyond its peak. For guidance on re-engaging customers as your business reopens, explore these effective strategies to reconnect with your post-COVID-19 audience. This post was a collaborative effort involving insights from Holly Niemiec, Ceillie Clark-Keane, Elisa Gabbert, Tyler Ward, Mike Emilliani, and Zina Kayyali.