The team at Hydra Creative tell unLTD why marketers shouldn’t cut their budget during the pandemic – and explain why the benefits of ongoing marketing are ‘limitless’
As the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the UK, many marketers had the knee-jerk reaction of pausing all activity and cutting their budgets.
In principle, this seems like a wise move. Why try to sell if your doors are closed, or not legally permitted to sell?
But this was a short-term solution to what would soon become a long-term problem. Historically, recessionary periods actually provide ‘fertile ground to grow market share’. Why?
- With competitors pulling their spend, we have a bigger opportunity to gain market share
- We need to remind our clients, existing and prospective, that we are ‘still here’
- Statistically, companies that increased their advertising budget had a more successful ‘bounce back’ post-recession.
While some of these figures date back to as far as 100 years ago, the message still stands. Today, we have the power of digital marketing – removing barriers to market and providing a cost-effective, measurable alternative.
So, what techniques should we be using to survive during a pandemic?
Google Ads
In 2020, Google announced a $340 million grant for small businesses to use on Google Ads. While the deadline has passed now, the effects of COVID-19 on advertising spend remain positive. The same competitive keywords are now less expensive per click than they were before. For best results, try:
- Using Google’s extended features (which are expanding all the time), for example, targeting campaigns based on specific goals such as traffic, leads or app promotion
- Focusing on existing customers, getting their attention through remarketing display ads
- Reviewing your market share more often to check how consumer habits are changing.
Social media marketing
Like Google Ads, social media pay-per-click advertising has fallen to record lows. For best results, you should combine both ads and organic posts into your messaging.
For example:
- Regular updates on the company for the ‘personal touch’, plus information on how you’ve ‘pivoted’, if appropriate
- Paid ads with a sympathetic tone of voice – acknowledging the crisis but changing the message to reflect how you can help the customer
- Facebook ads can be combined with Instagram to provide a cost-effective insight into your customers.
Strategise your content
Content without a purpose is simply content for content’s sake.Everything you produce should have a goal in mind, thinking about the customer funnel. For example:
- It’s not always about the sell – your content could inspire or show empathy, provoking discussion and increasing your reach
- Content needs to help people. Look for ‘newsjacking’ opportunities – for example, an accountant might write a guide to COVID-19 small business grants
- Distribute! B2B content should be shared on LinkedIn, for example, while B2C infographics might serve better on Instagram.
Continue with your email marketing
With more time on their hands, your customers will engage with your emails more than ever before. In fact, email marketing increased by 44 per cent during 2020, with many businesses taking to newsletters to keep customers updated. Remember:
- Clean your data regularly and segment based on the intention of the campaign
- Use a mixture of promotional and informative content
- Promote the newsletter through other channels to gain new subscribers.
Above all – stay connected!
The pandemic has given us all a chance to be more ‘personal’, with the prevalence of Zoom and new channels such as TikTok. Video marketing does not have to be expensive, and can provide a much more human experience if possible.
Talk to your customers. They’re going through it, too, and would sooner speak to a human than a faceless brand. The pandemic may be short-term, but the benefits of ongoing marketing are limitless.
Talk to Hydra Creative today to discuss your marketing strategy.
