Coronavirus is changing everything about the way we live and the way we do business. This week we have seen the most drastic measures yet with the closure of pubs, gyms, cinemas, churches; restaurants and cafes are restricted to takeaways only. The sobering sight of hundreds of people queueing outside Centrelink offices across the country has a lot of people nervous. And understandably so.
Many businesses have probably seen changes in their ad campaign performance over the past couple of weeks and might be considering cutting their spending. However, change isn’t always a bad thing and although there will be tough times ahead, it doesn’t mean your business can’t survive the downturn and thrive in the recovery phase. Here’s why investing in search engine marketing now will put your business in the best position when the coronavirus crisis ends.
People Still Need Products and Services
Coronavirus is a global health challenge not seen since the 1918 flu pandemic (Spanish flu). But the world is not ending. People still need plumbers, electricians, builders, DIY materials, lawyers, takeaway food, clothing, beauty products, personal care items, educational materials and a host of other products and services.
Even areas you might not expect to thrive in the middle of a pandemic are booming. Take the greetings, gifts and flowers sector in the United States for example. B2C reports that in the past three weeks they have seen a
- 15% increase in conversion rates for cards and greetings searches
- 30% increase in conversion rates for gift basket searches
- 43% increase in conversion rates for floral arrangements searches
As social distancing measures continue to tighten, more people are at home searching for things. Forward-thinking businesses will try and capitalise on this and those that are brave enough to advertise on Google may just see some great results.
People Are At Home Searching
As each day passes, more and more people are working from home or in self-isolation. And they are searching online in greater volumes for the things they need. Search engine marketing is the only way to reach these people.
In the current climate, it’s cheaper than ever to reach people, so you don’t need a big ad budget. You just need to look for opportunity. For example, what goods or services are going to be hard to find or in high demand in the coming months? This is what people are going to be searching for and if your business appears in the search results you will benefit in the short-term and in the long-term.
The best thing about search engine marketing is that it’s easy to see if it is working. You can measure results and if they aren’t as expected, you can easily try something else instead of stopping your campaign entirely.
Webics can help you with your strategy and work with you during these difficult times. We will continue to operate and can offer all our services remotely if need be. The crisis will end and we want you to be in the best position when it does.
Financial Support For Businesses
No doubt it’s going to be a tough year for everyone but we will come out the other side. There is government assistance available for both individuals and businesses. The support available for companies is designed to provide relief from cash flow problems and help them retain their employees including:
