Are you wondering how COVID-19 is affecting PPC (pay per click) marketing campaign strategies? You are not alone! And the answer is: both negatively and positively.
On the one hand, people are home more and doing virtually everything online. On the other hand, many people are cutting back on what they spend since most of them have lost their jobs or are trying to save some money to get their family through the pandemic.
And while some businesses are seeing a surge of traffic during this time, others with products or services that are not in demand are seeing a dismal trickle of traffic or are having to pause or stop their paid search campaigns altogether.
How do you get started with PPC marketing during COVID-19? Listed below are some tips that might help:
1. Research Your Keywords
It is always important to research your keywords, and even more so now! You want to be looking at your target audience’s buying behaviour related to COVID-19. You might be surprised to learn that there is a new niche keyword that you could go after, or that your customers are using a different search term than you expected.
2. Revisit Your Value Propositions.
Many webmasters and online marketers are updating their value propositions to make their products and services attractive to customers. You too can increase the appeal of your ads and encourage more people to click with relevant value propositions, whether it is free shipping, home delivery options or a limited-time discount — just be sure you are not using anxiety or fear around the pandemic to sell.
3. Review Your Negative Keywords
You can use negative keywords when you want to make sure your ad does not show for a certain keyword. This will save you money on wasted clicks and keeps your ads more relevant, which increases your quality score (which lowers your cost-per-click). You might want to set certain keywords around in-person services to negative now, so you are not paying for clicks related to things you are not offering your customers at the moment.
4. Don’t Forget About the Future
Of course, it’s important that you are focused on the present and how you can best move your online business forward now. However, as you plan your PPC marketing strategy during COVID-19, don’t forget about the future! Use what you are learning how to drive your decisions. Look at your keyword data: what is resonating with your customers? What is driving traffic? What leads to customer conversions?
Now is a good time to think about how your online business is going to get through this pandemic, as far down the road as it may seem. Create an advertising plan now, so you are not left scrambling down the road. Sure, it may change, and you may have to pivot again, but at least you will have a marketing foundation to build upon.
PPC Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Online Business In Joliet, Illinois
While advertising during the coronavirus may be anything but “business as usual,” it is critical you have got the tools to face this new challenge head-on. The entrepreneurs who are going to be successful when all of this is over are the ones who embraced the unknown and kept going! The team of online marketing experts at Digital Destination can help you implement paid search strategies that will help your Joliet business thrive, even in times as uncertain as today. Contact us to learn more about our SEM services.