At Trilogi we’ve helped more than 500 companies grow their business over our 20 years in eCommerce. We could hardly have imagined that in 2020 the COVID-19 crisis would shake up the online store landscape worldwide like this. Although some sectors have taken off since lockdown, many are asking themselves: should I keep investing in online ads on Google Ads and other platforms during the coronavirus crisis? Our answer is clear: yes.
In these difficult times, your customers expect you to rise to the occasion. Google itself has already highlighted some considerations for managing campaigns during the COVID-19 crisis, but at Trilogi we want to give you 5 compelling reasons why pausing your ads isn’t a good idea.
Take note! Here are the 5 reasons not to stop running online ads during the coronavirus crisis:
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Paid online presence and your branding actions can be decisive for your future.
Many brick-and-mortar businesses will survive if they also have an online presence and boost it with ads. For those who have been putting off digitalization for years, this is their moment. Consumer habits in some sectors have forced this digitalization. If you gain visibility now, when you recover from the crisis your online channel will be strong and become another revenue stream for your business.
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Staying top-of-mind with your potential customers is essential. It will help you recover faster after the crisis. This isn’t the time for sweeping changes or experiments, but it is the time to stay visible.
Obviously, if we were planning major changes to our advertising strategy or an increase in spend, everything is on hold. For example, if we had been optimizing the Google Ads account to automate bidding with a Smart Bidding strategy, now isn’t the time to do it. Google’s Machine Learning needs historical data and a pattern of user behavior that is completely unstable right now. But it is the time to keep branding campaigns running and carry out retargeting to our customers to keep them informed at all times and make sure they keep us in mind for the future.
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It’s your chance to gain more visibility for less in highly competitive sectors where CPCs were sky-high just days ago. What’s more, industry giants like Amazon are barely investing in Google Ads.
As you know, both Google Ads and Social Ads work on bidding systems. In this context, many of your competitors have probably pulled out or cut their spend to a minimum. Since January, when the first coronavirus cases were recorded, Amazon has even been reducing its Google Ads spend to the point of almost stopping it.
You certainly shouldn’t rush to chase sales with an aggressive message, but it’s your chance to raise awareness of your brand, or even your big opportunity to capture leads. When better times come, you can focus your campaigns on the bottom of the funnel to turn those leads into sales.
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When people are at home, statistics show that online searches increase because they have more leisure time.
That’s why Google Ads search campaigns are becoming more important. With more time on their hands, users have “more time” to research products or services. If we think about the buyer persona and put ourselves in their shoes, we can reach them effectively. And as if that weren’t enough, last March we already saw CPA drop by up to 30% in some of our active prospecting campaigns, which means the cost per new customer is much lower now than in normal times. All this, of course, setting aside sectors that are suffering a major drop in sales, such as tourism or fashion, among others.
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You have a unique opportunity to create quality content and generate leads through Social Paid campaigns.
As we mentioned earlier, this is a good time to grow your database of future potential customers. People spend the most time on social media when they’re at home. Set aside part of your budget to promote quality content and use this moment to capture leads. Some ideas include creating ebooks, tips and recommendations for getting through these days as well as possible, or even showing your social responsibility through charitable initiatives.
Another example is the campaign being run by one of our clients. Tea Shop is offering exclusive digital content to its customers. A great way to build loyalty and help them get through these days of lockdown.
In short, stopping your ad spend dead in its tracks isn’t the best move. However, these days we must be very responsible with the message we send. Playing on your customers’ fears or being too aggressive in your messaging can damage your brand’s reputation and, most importantly, it’s simply unethical.
And if you can’t grow your sales or you’re thinking of switching platforms, at Trilogi we build your eCommerce in 7 days or help you sell more with your current one through a tailored marketing strategy. We’re experts in online stores, strategy and marketing for B2B / B2C eCommerce. We’re here to help you get the most out of the online channel in these difficult times for everyone.
