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Category: Industry Trends

  • 6 Internet Marketing Models

    6 Internet Marketing Models

    Internet marketing comprises different Internet models that you can use and convert them into a full-time occupation. Here are the six most important Internet marketing models that you must know about:

    Affiliate Marketing

    Affiliate marketing allows you to earn a commission through the promotion of products and services. That is, you get a share of each sale made through your links.

    Affiliate marketing works on the basis of revenue sharing. Businesses often have affiliate programs through which they supply financial incentives to Internet marketers for promoting their goods and services. So even if you have no products or services of your own, you need not worry. Just look out for an affiliate program that resonates with you and provides lucrative terms.

    To start affiliate marketing, you can start a review blog that provides details of the goods and services that you intend to promote. The idea is to educate people about these products so that they can make an informed purchase decision through your links.

    Ecommerce

    Ecommerce might sound quite advanced to the uninitiated but the truth is that it has much in common with conventional retail. That being said, there are important technological differences that pose their own unique set of costs and benefits.

    The most obvious advantage of ecommerce is that you do not need to be present at a physical store where you must welcome and serve customers. Customers can visit your online store from the comfort of their homes. This is what makes it so attractive for busy consumers. You can, thus, target a much wider geographical area by running your very own ecommerce platform.

    However, the ecommerce sphere is very competitive with big players like Amazon and Walmart. You will need a robust content strategy and ad campaign to start driving organic traffic to your ecommerce platform.

    To draw and engage customers, you should carry out comprehensive product reviews, provide full product details and use a secure payment mechanism.

    Local Business Consulting

    If you have SEO knowledge and can carry out keyword research to take small businesses to the top of Google search results, you can become an online business consultant. With solid and highly informative content, you can help local businesses to rank higher and get more clients.

    There is a strong demand for such consultants because many local business owners have neither the time nor knowledge to market their businesses online. Even if they are aware of Internet marketing principals, they cannot take time out from their core business activities to indulge in online marketing.

    This is where you come in. Not only do you have the skills, knowledge and expertise in online promotion, you are more than willing to put in the immense effort that will take your clients’ websites to the top of search results.

    As an online business consultant, you are offering a superlative value proposition since ranking at the top inevitably leads to more customers and revenue.

    Freelancing

    If you have a strong skillset like coding, writing or designing, you can sell your services on numerous gig platforms to earn money online. Many people turn to freelancing for earning extra money and even doing it full-time, especially if they need to work from home like mothers with young children for instance.

    If you are an experienced software developer, programmer or website developer, you can expect good pay. However, due to immense competition for designing and writing, you will have to make do with less pay for quite a while. You will need to work your way up and establish a stellar reputation before you can start earning lucrative amounts in these fields.

    Freelancing gives you plenty of freedom, but it is not going to be a cakewalk considering that many people are now already clamoring for online gigs due to COVID-19.

    With determination and a combination of smart and hard work, you will likely get there.

    Mobile Apps

    If you have coding skills, you can put them to good use by creating mobile apps. People are now increasingly using smartphones in lieu of laptops and PCs, thanks to their immense convenience and versatility. In fact, people now expect smartphones to do everything that computers can. This opens up endless possibilities for independent and small developers.

    You can design and sell mobile apps for both Android and Apple. Without a doubt, competition on these two fronts is intense and it might take you plenty of time and effort to make it to the top.

    Even if you cannot make it to the top, you need not worry. The apps that you develop can serve as a portfolio of what you can do. This will be very helpful for getting you a job if you cannot make enough through mobile apps.

    Besides Apple and Android stores, you can visit online gig platforms to create custom mobile apps for online employers willing to pay big.

    Information Products

    If you have good financial skills, investment skills, technical knowledge or any other expertise, why not create information products to capitalize on your knowledge?

    You can showcase your portfolio and promote your expertise to draw people to your information products that will include e-books and videos.

    You can design online courses based around health, personal development, Internet marketing and several other areas that have high demand and interest.

    There are so many Internet marketing models to choose from – including inbound marketing – that purvey endless possibilities, no matter what your skill set. All you need is determination, drive and a willingness to learn to make it work for you. You too can become a savvy Internet marketer by working smart and hard towards success.

  • 5 tips for a new website

    5 tips for a new website

    Getting started with a new website

    You’ve started your website from nothing and now you’re ready to get some traffic. Whether you want to make sales or to simply get views, there are certain things that you need to do to get your website ready for true customer interaction. Even if you have created a great new website with strong content, you need to take steps to make sure that it is reaching your target audience. Here are 5 tips for a newly launched website…

    Make sure that your site accomplishes its original goals

    If the goal of your website is to inform or promote certain things make sure that they are easily accessible. Make sure if there’s a blog that there is a way to navigate to the latest updates or view old posts.

    If the goal of your website is to sell a product, make sure you have software that was made for commerce like Shopify or Opencart.

    If the point of your website is a call to action make sure it is apparent when a user visits a site. It should be obvious what the point of your website is to the use.

    Make sure it’s mobile Accessible

    Having a site that people can have access to on their smart phones is becoming more and more important as the mobile market continues to grow. It may be necessary for you to have not only mobile accessibility, but also an app.

    Be Social Media Savvy

    Depending on your industry, it can be vital to bolster traffic from an outside source. Having Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts helps keep users updated. If you have a new blog post or a new product to sell you can keep your followers on Twitter and Facebook updated. Pinterest is also a good way marketing tool because it allows users to share items pictures. If you have a unique product it could be shared between friends on Pinterest.

    Utilize this opportunity to cultivate your brand image

    Having a website is a great opportunity to continue to establish your brand image. Make sure that you make good use of logos and color schemes. This is also a great opportunity to have an “about” page for your company to continue to cultivate your brand image.

    Be easy to contact

    Make sure it is easy for people to potentially contact you. If you have a store location consider having a Google maps plug-in for your location. Have an email address you set aside for people to contact you about your website.

    Taking these steps is a great way to make sure that the launch of your new website goes smoothly. If you need a little help or some ideas for a new website, check out DigitalParc’s web design services today!

  • Local SEO vs National SEO

    Local SEO vs National SEO

    The importance of Local SEO

    Depending on who you want to reach, there are different SEO strategies that you will want to use to get your website ranking. While the majority people are trying to promote their local businesses, there are times where you may want to use a national SEO strategy. A user could be searching “Philadelphia DVD” for the movie Philadelphia or a place to buy DVDs in Philadelphia.  Your target audience and SEO tactics will vary greatly depending on if you are using national or local SEO strategies.

    Sometimes the choice is simple. Local businesses looking to increase transactions with customers in a small radius of their location will demand local SEO. The fundamentals of local and national SEO are similar, but location tagging is a much bigger focus for a local SEO campaign. The focus of a local SEO strategy is to show up in searches by people in your area, increasing exposure for the business and eventually bringing in traffic to either the website or brick & mortar location. For local SEO there is a lot of focus on getting your business listed in as many places online as possible. Local businesses should also focus on using their city, zip code or any other indicators of their location in title tags and other keyword areas. Luckily for local businesses, it is usually a simpler task to rank locally than it is nationally.

    Why exactly is it harder to rank nationally?

    The answer is competition. You are trying to reach a larger audience with broader keywords. There is a lot of competition for these keywords, but the payoff can be huge. Ranking nationally for specific keywords can lead to greatly increased traffic to a website and profits for a business.

    If you are trying to sell books online, you have to compete with some companies who are already well established and already have aggressive SEO campaigns. With national SEO, it is important to have separate landing pages for different locations that would appear in searches in that area. Google Trends is a program that will allow you to see how key phrases that could be useful to your business are ranking. This program allows you to utilize its massive amount of regional and national data.

    There can be a fine line between local and national SEO strategies, so it makes sense to understand what you want to accomplish with your SEO campaign. Local SEO certainly will find a place in a national SEO campaign but the world of Search Engines is constantly changing. Everything is becoming more personalized and more localized. With these changes, it is vital to integrate local SEO strategies into your online marketing, no matter what size and market your company serves.

  • Web Vitals: Demystifying Google’s New Initiative

    Web Vitals: Demystifying Google’s New Initiative

    What’s the Background?

    Google enjoys more than 90 percent of the global search engine market share. All kinds of companies—SMEs and large firms—put in their best efforts to rank high on Google. Over the years, Google has released a wide range of tools online that marketers can use to evaluate their performance. While some people bocame proficient with these tools, numerous others struggle to adapt.

    Google reached a consensus that site owners should have more convenience in ascertaining user experience. To simplify this process, Google came up with a crucial initiative this month, Web Vitals.

    What Are Web Vitals?

    Web Vitals are a group of metrics. Google aims to provide website owners with quality signals that allow them to deliver a high-quality user experience across the Web.

    What Are Core Web Vitals?

    Core Web Vitals are the primary metrics that are generated for all the web pages. They reflect a unique characteristic of the user experience. These include:

    • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – It shows the time taken by your website to load.
    • First Input Delay (FID) – It measures your website’s interactivity.
    • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – It calculates your website’s visual stability.

    What Scores Do You Need to Aim for?

    If you are an online marketer, create a positive user experience by comparing your Core Vitals with the following scores.

    Core Web Vital Good Needs Improvement Poor
    LCP (seconds) Less than 2.5 seconds 2.5-4.0 seconds More than 4.0 seconds
    FIP(milliseconds) Less than 100 ms 100-300 ms More than 300 ms
    CLS Less than 0.1 0.1-0.25 More than 0.25

     

    How to Measure Core Web Vitals

    All major Google tools support Core Web Vitals. You can view it in the Chrome User Experience Report, Search Console’s Web Vitals report, and PageSpeed Insights. Although these tools can offer a quick glimpse of your site’s performance, you need to configure real-time monitoring for detailed insights of Core Web Vitals.

    How to Measure Core Web Vitals in JavaScript

    If you work as a front-end developer, you can use standard web APIs to measure Core Web Vitals in JavaScript. The best method is to utilize this JavaScript library.

    If you don’t want to write code, you can work with the Web Vitals Chrome Extension.

    What Are the Other Web Vitals?

    There are other important metrics other than the Core Vitals. These help with diagnosing a specific issue or present a more comprehensive user experience. For instance, Time to First Byte (TTFB) is used to diagnose LCP issues, such as why you are getting a slow server response time.

    Final Thoughts

    Keep up with Web Vitals to improve your brand’s reputation and user experience. In this way, your customer engagement and customer satisfaction will experience greater heights.

  • How to Comply With the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA)

    How to Comply With the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA)

    As a business owner, how do you react when a disgruntled consumer posts a negative review about your product or service online? Do you have an established framework in place that placates angry customers?

    Digital feedback exists on a broad spectrum. It comprises an entrepreneur’s right to protect their reputation and the consumer’s right to be informed.

    According to a survey, 84 percent of the people put their trust in an online review as much as they do in a personal recommendation. Businesses now realize the importance of this fact. While some try to improve their handling of online reviews, several others resort to shady practices, influencing what their consumers say online.

    Consumer Review Fairness Act

    Why Was the CRFA Compliance Needed?

    In 2012, a real estate firm imposed penalties on guests who left negative online reviews. In 2014, a hotel adopted a similar move as their guests were forced to pay $500 fine. In the same year, an online retailer issued fines of more than $3,000 for negative reviews.

    Other cases of the same nature followed. Several courts ruled these claims as invalid. By 2016, lawmakers took note, and many states passed legislation that put bans on contracts that comprised anti-review clauses. Soon, Congress came into action and passed the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA). It emerged as a watershed moment in the history of consumer rights.

    What Is the Consumer Review Fairness Act?

    The CRFA provides protection to the assessments made by consumers that relate to a business’ customer service, services, and product. The legislation is applicable to all mediums: written reviews, oral appraisals, photos, videos, and social media posts. It particularly puts restrictions on businesses when they enter into form contracts with their clients. They are prohibited from adding clauses that appear like the following:

    • Charges or penalties for giving reviews.
    • Limitations on the ability of a customer to evaluate conduct, services, and products of the company.
    • Requirements that force customers to withdraw copyright for their reviews.
    • Prevent businesses from adding provisions that transfer a consumer’s intellectual property rights to the business. This means that the consumer doesn’t have any obligation to give away the ownership of a review.

    You Can Still Remove Certain Reviews

    As a business owner, it is crucial to understand that the CRFA does not altogether eliminate your right to remove a review. You can still delete a review that contains:

    • Private information
    • Abusive, harassing, vulgar, sexually explicit, and inappropriate information aimed at any ethnicity, gender, or race.
    • Irrelevant, misleading, or false comments on your company’s products and services.

    How Can Businesses Comply with the CRFA?

    The CRFA has expanded the rights of consumers. It has resulted in them becoming bolder as they don’t face harsher retaliation for posting negative reviews.

    CRFA compliance should not be viewed negatively. Instead, it can be taken as an opportunity that can improve your user experience and customer engagement. Studies show that 46 percent of the customers that leave online reviews or comments expect to receive a reply in less than 6 hours. Here are the best practices to comply with the CRFA:

    Issue a Cease and Desist Letter

    If a customer review is an exaggeration, then you can take legal action against the concerned individual to protect your online reputation. This can be done by issuing a cease and desist letter. However, expert guidance is required for this step.

    Review Form Contracts

    Make sure that your form contracts don’t prohibit consumers from writing a negative review online. Additionally, there should be no provisions that allow you to invoke a penalty against a customer who left a negative review.

    Improve Your Brand

    Threatening a client can be counterproductive. Instead, spend your time and money in enhancing your products and services—it will pay dividends in the long run. Hold surveys and try to find out what your target audience likes/dislikes about your goods, services, and products. In most cases, customers write negative reviews because they believed that the company was not attentive to their needs. They think that posting a negative review can convey their frustration to the company. Therefore, as soon as you identify a negative experience with a vendor or client, respond to it before it can blow out of proportions. In this way, you can ensure that their concerns are duly addressed, and they are less driven to get back at your company with a negative review. Here are some tips for dealing with the client effectively.

    • In some cases, negative reviews can provide useful insights—even more than the positive ones. Thank them for the review and apologize properly for any inconvenience caused. You can then utilize that feedback to limit future complaints.
    • Regardless of how rude your customer is, you should refrain from blaming them directly.
    • Don’t explain yourself on a public website. Request them to contact you via email or phone, where your friendly customer service agents can assuage their worries.
    • Responses work best when they are concise and clear.

    Seek Legal Help

    Actively take help from the law. Enforce your legal rights against the opposing party if the language used by them goes well and above ‘commercial disparagement.’ The CRFA has not suppressed your right to sue for invasion of privacy, libel, etc. In some cases, consumers exploit the law to gain leverage so they can get away with a monetary settlement. Options such as injunctions and restraining orders can protect your business and financial interests.

    Around 33 percent of consumers update their negative review to a positive one after their complaint is resolved. Similarly, 34 percent of them will remove it.

    CRFA compliance might seem like a tough nut to crack. However, if you have a proper framework in place, then you can easily manage negative customer reviews. For this purpose, consider hiring an online reputation management firm or a law agency.

    References:

    Consumer Review Fairness Act: What Businesses Need to Know. (2017, May 31). Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/consumer-review-fairness-act-what-businesses-need-know

     

  • How Corporations Should Adapt to COVID-19

    How Corporations Should Adapt to COVID-19

    At the moment, the world is struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19. However, even if somehow, the deadliest virus outbreak in modern times comes under control, then large corporations fear that their operations will be affected for three to six months, at the least.

    How Corporations Should Adapt to COVID-19

    Travel and hospitality sectors have borne the brunt of the ongoing pandemic as circumstances, such as travel restrictions and cancellations, bar and restaurant closures, and event delays, inflict heavy damage and deplete the cash reserves of these businesses. Construction and manufacturing industry is trying their level best to avoid layoffs, but the loss of consumer demand is likely to hit these sectors with a serious setback as time goes by.

    Let’s see how large corporations are adapting to COVID-19.

    Think Like a Customer

    It is not only your business that is going through a change during these testing times. Based on your industry, your target audience is also struggling. Relate to them and identify what pain points have emerged amidst the pandemic. Next, you can modify your sales campaigns and weave your marketing campaign tactically to resolve these newly-formed worries. For instance, are your customers…

    • Stressed out due to travel restrictions?
    • Concerned on how to allocate their cash flows?
    • Dealing with a shortage of important supplies or inventory, triggered by the panic-buying habits of the general public?

    As a business owner, it is imperative that you re-adjust your product and services and offer assistance to your customers. For instance, if you provide a video-conferencing product, then there was never a better time to ramp your customer service game and facilitate your customers, such that their remote workflows become more efficient than ever. Similarly, if you belong to the logistics sector, it is an ideal time for contacting your clients with productive and effective solutions to revive their local and global supply chain.

    Work on Productive Virtual Meetings

    If you were used to organizing off-site meetings for sharing findings and deciding the next strategy, then by now, you are most likely to repeat the same routine on Zoom. Don’t worry; all the big brands are making critical decisions on such software. But are real meetings and online meetings really the same? You need to follow these tips for the best output:

    • Divide the agenda into a list of fast-paced segments.
    • Use mechanisms, such as voting to attract more participation for ideas and comments via the “chatbox”.
    • Create long pauses so your workers can chime in.
    • Include a Q&A session after each segment.
    • To give a greater sense of accomplishment and co-creation, share a virtual whiteboard with your members.
    • Practice short-hand. Write quick notes so people can note the key points.

    Switch Sales Channels

    Once the lockdowns are finally lifted, the world is not going to be the same, at least for some time. Lockdown or no lockdown, one thing that a remains constant is the customer’s impulse to buy stuff, which in turn results in an influx of newer opportunities for you.

    You can serve your demographics by dedicating your efforts with alternative sales channels, particularly if you operated as a brick-and-mortar business in the pre-coronavirus days.

    For instance, if the current pandemic is discouraging your customers from coming out and visit your retail business, then brainstorm on how to widen your e-commerce offerings.

    Engage your potential client-base on LinkedIn and other social media platforms and attempt to initiate a greater number of discussions in the digital space. This will require a more in-depth and comprehensive social media strategy that can employ the latest trends (e.g., live streams) to engage your leads.

    Large companies that sell IT products and offer digital services are already well-positioned for this change, but non-tech businesses have to go through a massive digital transformation. If all of this feels Greek to you, then send us a message. We will ensure that you don’t fall behind your more tech-advanced competitors.

    Provide Greater Flexibility to Employees

    Prior to COVID-19, only 5% of Americans knew what it was like to work from home. Circumstances are not the same anymore—you cannot compare the traditional remote work with the pandemic-induced one. For instance, childcare and school closures have been a major change in these testing times as employees juggle between work-related tasks and personal responsibilities.

    Large companies should enable their managers to strike open conversations with their teams on when and how work can be completed.

    For workers who are working for the first time from their homes and live alone, there will be some negative emotions at play, particularly a depressing sense of social isolation. Daily chit-chats and conversations with colleagues are hard to replicate. Even those seemingly unimportant casual encounters during after-work drinks or by the water cooler will be missed badly. Research reveals supportive, reciprocal interactions with team members have a positive influence on the well being of your employees.

    You can encourage your employees to make time for virtual lunches and coffees. Managers could mark their birthdays and spread positivity by coordinating surprise birthday celebrations in online team meetings. Similarly, they can sponsor Wonder Polls, Water Cooler Trivia, Quiz Breaker, and other group games so employees can have a fun time.

    Recognize Your Best Ally in Crisis: SEO

    It goes without saying that large corporations must search for a route to survive the COVID-19 storm. It is necessary to stay visible and relevant more than ever. With your entire workforce caged, how can you approach this once-in-lifetime predicament?

    Luckily, there is no need to find a new solution—the answer has been right in front of you: SEO. Allocate more resources and budget to your SEO campaigns and ensure that your brand can be easily seen by the existing and new customers. As online traffic increase at a dramatic rate, this is an ideal time to optimize your blog posts, web pages, emails, social media posts, and paid ads.

    Get in touch with us to attract more traffic and implement the best SEO practices during coronavirus.

     

  • 7 Survival Tips for Small Businesses During the COVID-19 Crisis

    7 Survival Tips for Small Businesses During the COVID-19 Crisis

    The recession in 2008 led to the dismissal of millions of Americans who were employed by small businesses. Small businesses don’t have a lot of savings. According to a JP Morgan study, businesses with less than 500 employees have hardly one month of cash reserves.

    As the COVID-19 threat moves into full swing, small businesses are more vulnerable than ever. A survey by the National Small Business Association noted that three out of four small-business owners are worried due to the potential economic damage caused by the coronavirus. They are already noting a significant reduction in customer demand. Almost 38% of them are uncertain if their business can survive the pandemic.

    small business
    Despite the ongoing economic slump, you can use a number of strategies to prevent losing your money and business during the coronavirus period:

    Apply for Financing

    To begin with, you have to take a number of proactive steps to sustain your business operations. This tip can prove highly useful for your business. You can contact SBA (Small Business Association) for low-interest loans. Whether your work on behalf of a larger corporation or take pride in independent contracting services, a SBA loan can ensure that you can obtain all the required resources to take care of your employees and customers amidst the COVID-19 spread. For more details, visit this link to more information about Disaster Loan Assistance from the SBA.

    Similarly, Facebook has announced $100 million in ad credits and cash grants to over 30,000 small businesses in more than 30 countries. Just make sure that you can prove that you are eligible to receive these grants.

    Incorporate Relevant Hashtags

    The heightened use of social media offers you an excellent opportunity to maximize reach and use appropriate hashtags. Portray your brand in an authentic light, especially when many brands attempt to exploit their customer with dishonest marketing.

    You can keep your customers up to date with hashtags. Some of the most popular hashtags are #JOMO (the joy of missing out) and #StopTheSpread—referring to controlling the COVID-19 spread. #JOMO is a play on the popular financial term “FOMO” (fear of missing out). With #JOMO, people are terminating plans and staying indoors in the current situation.

    Moreover, you can also use #SocialDistancing to encourage your customers from taking a break from in-person socializing activities in a bid to reduce the proliferation of COVID-19.

    These hashtags can build a powerful brand image, which can have an indirect impact on your sales.

    Move to PPC Ads

    With more users glued to their phones and PCs, it is a wise strategy to run a PPC ad campaign to build meaningful connections with your users and outpace your competitors. What’s more tempting is that you can also save money if you invest in PPC ads right now. This is because CPC (cost-per-clicks) charges have gone down for all verticals. Therefore, as an advertiser, you can pay less to the publishers for ad clicks.

    Industry analysts explain that many businesses might press the panic button and go offline during the pandemic period. Hence, if you can continue with your digital marketing campaigns, such as PPC ads, it can help you in capturing traffic and earn conversions that were not possible before.

    Use Local SEO

    Local SEO is gaining steam. As social distancing exiles people to their homes; they are constantly looking for nearby services and supplies on the Web. Hence, it is absolutely essential to implement local SEO at this stage.

    Optimize your web pages, so users can find you while entering “near me” queries on the search engines. As the cloud of uncertainty overtakes the country, all people want at the moment is convenience. Local SEO can do wonders for your brand reputation as your business becomes recognizable for lending assistance during a critical time.

    Install Modern Analytics Options

    The Facebook pixel is an analytics tool that facilitates brands to assess the success of their advertising by tracking user actions. Install a Facebook tracking pixel for your web page to transform a small audience to a larger client base. All you need to do is to install some code on your website. Expect your reach to multiply by around 5-6 times with this correct implementation of this step.

    Live Streaming Via YouTube

    Video marketing is a fantastic method to grab the attention of at-home workers. Small businesses are yet to take full advantage of YouTube as a marketing channel. A strategic and well-executed video can pay dividends. Additionally, re-upload the video on your social media pages, such as on Facebook and Instagram pages for broader access to your target audiences.

    Enforce Work from Home

    If your business did not allow employees to work remotely, now is the right time to enforce a work from home policy. Due to lockdowns, small businesses are coming to terms with alternative work arrangements to sustain their business operations.

    Make sure to include remote procedures and guidelines in the policy for each department and their job roles.

    Final Thoughts

    2020 has just started and it seems like the worst year for several people around the globe. From looking for ways to earn greater profits, it has now become a survival game for small businesses. As small businesses struggle in the COVID-19 frenzy, digital marketing holds the key to prevent your business from going broke. If you want to keep your business afloat, then employ every tool at your disposal.

    If you own a small business and your business is feeling the brunt of coronavirus, then get in touch with us. We cannot only ensure that your financial performance is revived, but we will also enable you to beat your competitors.

  • Here Is How COVID-19 Is Affecting Marketers

    Here Is How COVID-19 Is Affecting Marketers

    COVID-19 has brought operations in many industries to a standstill as various countries continue to ban non-essential businesses from operating during this pandemic.

    A large number of industries have witnessed the demand for their goods and services plummet as we head towards a global recession. Several manufacturing industries are suffering, and border closures in many countries have led to the largest drop in tourism ever witnessed in the modern era.

    How COVID-19 Is Affecting Marketers
    One industry that hasn’t been hit as badly by the COVID-19 pandemic is marketing. It’s true that the lower demand for goods and services could force some companies to reduce their marketing budgets. However, other companies could be utilizing this pandemic to market their products in a different way.

    COVID-19’s impact on marketing

    It is believed that COVID-19 could cost the global economy $2.7 trillion. The drop in retail sales and increase in unemployment will likely lead to the marketing industry being impacted too.

    Marketers need to focus on businesses in industries that are seeing upticks in demand during this period, and tone down their marketing activities for businesses in industries that are suffering.

    Marketing for businesses that are booming

    Some industries have seen an uptick in demand following the onset of the pandemic. Web searches for “non-perishable food” have skyrocketed over the past few weeks, and e-commerce sites that sell essential goods are surging in sales.

    Manufacturers of exercise equipment are also seeing a rise in sales as people spend more time exercising at home during the pandemic. Marketers should focus on effective marketing tactics for businesses in these surging industries.

    Paid ads have become more affordable since the onset of coronavirus. This fall in price is due to the lack of ad demand from small businesses who have scaled back on their marketing activities.

    It’s been found that the return on investment (ROI) for paid ads has jumped significantly since COVID-19 became a pandemic, so marketers should seize this opportunity and focus their efforts on paid marketing.

    Marketing for businesses with lower demand

    Buyers have less income to spend during this time due to pay-cuts and layoffs, so B2B services that sell primarily non-essential goods are likely to suffer as consumers shift their lower-income spending habits towards essential goods.

    It may be tempting for these companies to continue advertising and marketing their non-essential products in an attempt to woo consumers back into purchasing them. However, a more sound strategy for these B2B sellers would be to cut back on marketing temporarily and divert their resources towards keeping their businesses afloat during this troubling time.

    Changes in marketing strategies

    It could also be beneficial for marketers to utilize different marketing methods during this time to better target consumers. Consumers are spending more time browsing the web and using streaming services than ever before, so marketers should focus on marketing through these mediums, given their recent rise in popularity.

    Remote working softwares have also seen a sharp rise in popularity as employees are increasingly asked to work from home. Marketers who promote these softwares could also promote other softwares that could be of use to people working from home.

    Many B2B sectors have seen a decline in B2B keyword searches over the past month, so marketers may have to scale back on promotional ads, and instead focus on publishing educational content such as guides and webinars.

    This could also serve as an opportunity for marketers to revise their current marketing plans.

    Marketing strategies for the Coronavirus era.

    Many marketing plans that were created during the early onset of COVID-19 used language that treated the pandemic as a short term inconvenience that would blow over in a few weeks. Many of these companies have since revised their messages and are being more cautious with their statements.

    New marketing plans should be adapted to the current situation and provide customers with the answers they are seeking. Many customers are unaware of which online businesses are still selling goods during this time, so it may be helpful for businesses to clearly state if they are still operating.

    Consumers may also be hesitant to order products without knowing when they’ll be delivered. So businesses should also communicate any changes in their delivery times or schedules. Businesses that used to offer same day delivery may have to inform customers of their slower delivery times.

    Consumers are more likely to understand and be more forgiving towards these changes given the extreme circumstances surrounding COVID-19.

    E-commerce sites should make sure these changes are easy to see and read for site visitors. A vague delivery schedule is likely to turn off customers and cause them to shop elsewhere.

    Marketers should also make sure to adopt a tone that fits with the rest of the brand when addressing COVID-19 in front of customers. Their message should focus on the consumer and their well-being during this troubling time.

    The future of marketing

    Nobody knows when this COVID-19 pandemic will be resolved, however, marketers should be prepared to deal with a future where e-commerce retail giants enjoy even greater market dominance than before.

    These marketers should focus on competing using better quality content that features SEO optimized titles and informative bullet points.

    As industry trends continue to shift, marketers need to keep an eye out for businesses that are seeing unexpected booms. They should also observe changes in consumer behavior so they can better predict which industries are likely to surge next.

    It’s always difficult to assess a situation while it is still on-going, but we should have a better understanding of the pandemic the longer it persists. Marketers will eventually adapt and be able to target consumers better under these new conditions.

    It’s evident that businesses are going to continue to struggle for a while. These businesses will likely have to spend time recouping their losses after COVID-19 passes, especially if they’re providing their employees with paid leave during this time.

  • Google is Building a Nationwide Coronavirus Info Site

    Google is Building a Nationwide Coronavirus Info Site

    The US government is working closely with Google to develop a new website that informs people about Coronavirus, in addition to other measures such as screening locations. This project is entirely different than the one announced on Friday, which was being developed by Verily, a sister company to Google. While Verily’s website is designed to only serve two counties in the Bay Area and San Francisco, Google’s new website is planned to work nationwide.

    google

    The Google Hype Train Caused Confusion

    Tremendous confusion spread as President Trump announced with growing enthusiasm that Google was racing to build a site to help all Americans, declaring that over 1700 engineers were working on the website. But neither Google nor its sister company were prepared for the announcement. Verily’s solution was designed to work for only two counties at best, and that too in limited capacities.

    Other limitations of the new website include being only available in English and to people over 18 years old. Only a few hours after going live, Verily’s servers got overwhelmed with requests and was unable to process too many users at once.

    When it does seem to work, Verily’s survey starts by asking users about commonly reported COVID-19 symptoms such as severe cough, fever, shortness of breath, and others. When people answer ‘yes’ to their question, they are asked to receive medical attention instead of visiting testing centers – not exactly the kind of advice they were looking for.

    Verily’s answer is not a bug – although it may seem at first. That’s because users with severe symptoms are past the point of testing and need to seek urgent medical care. A spokesperson for Verily said that the new website is still learning more to identify COVID-19 risk screening and testing.

    Privacy and Data Concerns

    The new website has raised concerns about privacy and data use. Verily’s tool was made using their Project Baseline Platform, a product that lets patients participate in clinical studies. This requires users to login with their Google account, which means they either need to create a new one or use an existing one.

    In a lengthy written interview with the Guardian, Verily said that users of the COVID-19 tool will not be automatically signed up for the program. They will be given the option to participate in Project Baseline once they have their test results. If they decline the use of their data, it will not be used for research other than by the “California Public Health authorities for this public health emergency”.

    Moreover, Verily reassured that none of the data will be used for advertising purposes, and that no data will be stored without the user’s explicit permission. The information entered into Verily’s website may be shared with third parties. This includes Verily’s own staff as well as volunteers from Google who are collaborating on the new tool.

    These individuals will have access to data to quickly schedule tests and get quick results. Verily did not make it clear who the third party authorities are and how they plan on sharing the information.

    It remains to be seen how the now-rushed Verily website and similar projects will work to combat the spread of COVID-19.

  • How to Promote Your Business on Social Media This Year

    How to Promote Your Business on Social Media This Year

    At present, there are almost 3.5 billion users on social media from around the world. This figure represents an increase of 9% from the last year. According to recent statistics, 45% of the global population maintains a presence on social media. With social media, even though businesses have a better opportunity to reach a broader audience, social media marketing is a different ball game altogether. This is why 47% of businesses refer to social media as the most difficult marketing channel. However, with some tips and tricks on social media marketing, you can increase your following instantly and gain brand recognition.

    Gain Traffic via Organic Methods

    Recently, Instagram is considering disabling likes from the public count and test its correlation on the user experience. The social media giant believes that they need to “depressurize” their platform. Rather than turning it into a fiercely competitive platform, they want people to have a breathing space. In this way, they can concentrate more on connecting with people that inspire them.

    Furthermore, without likes, people would be unable to use the money to commit fraud and purchase likes. Two years ago, a study revealed that 64% of influencers confessed that they bought likes. This means that going into 2020, businesses should think twice before acquiring likes via money. As social media platforms aim to place a higher emphasis on quality over quantity, brands should use this opportunity to build effective and eye-catching copy—one that can compels the buyers to think and ponder and brings them closer to your brand.

    Diversify Your Marketing on More Platforms

    Emma Franks—Senior Account Manager—believes that diversification is going to be a dominating trend in social media, particularly from the advertising perspective. It allows businesses to benefit from risk mitigation by becoming less dependent on major platforms, such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

    Franks explained that Facebook’s glorious days are a thing of the past. The younger demographics prefer Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. This means that you have a chance to make use of these smaller networks along with Quora and Reddit. With these platforms, you don’t only face considerably lower competition, but you also save yourself from paying exorbitant prices for marketing campaigns.

    Meanwhile, some experts opine that the organic reach on TikTok is greater than the organic reach on Facebook. Thus, the use of targeted content with frequent testing on TikTok can reap impressive rewards. Despite having a relatively new ad platform, TikTok offers a terrific ROI.

    Unlike TikTok, Reddit is not a new player. But, many companies have strayed away from marketing on Reddit. This is because marketers find it intimidating and difficult. So, why should you enter this tricky territory?

    Well, because the number of consumers who use Reddit is increasing at a staggering rate. When these users see a brand on Reddit, they often view it as credible. With 32% of Americans using the platform each month and 430 million monthly active users, you need to consider investing your marketing budget on Reddi.

    Incorporate Video to Attract More Users

    Those who use videos for marketing grow revenue 49% quicker than their non-video counterparts. Without videos, your social advertising campaigns in 2020 would remain bland, incomplete and soulless. Videos are simply more attention-grabbing and engaging when compared to other marketing channels.

    In addition, videos are also an effective tool to target your market on Facebook. Facebook allows you to create an engagement Custom Audience. This audience comprises users who watched a specific number of your videos. Facebook also has a Lookalike Audience feature, through which you can find users who might be interested in your videos.

    For starters, you can use the lightweight and easy-to-use tools provided by Facebook to create a video. After gaining some experience and getting a taste of success, you can move to high-quality and advanced video campaigns.

    Pro tip: Try to use captions in your videos. Many users cannot turn on the volume while watching a video due to their personal circumstances. Hence, it is better to give both options.

    Provide Customer Service

    Early adopters of social media marketing succeeded when they used social media to provide a rich experience to consumers. Brands like Dominos facilitated their customers and encouraged them to order by tagging their online profiles. These customers used contemporary digital media elements such as the pizza slice emoji to launch their pizza orders.

    In the last year, 28% of customers used social media as a communication medium to converse with a brand. Customers believe that communicating with companies on social media is convenient, especially as they can avail 24-hour services. However, this also translates to higher expectations. More than 37% of the users want a response to their query within 30 minutes. Moreover, 31% of users want a response in two hours, while 26% want it within four hours.

    All of this indicates that businesses should not take social media for granted as a customer service tool. They have to maintain more active social accounts. Make sure that you are always active on your brand’s social media pages to interact and communicate with your audience. More importantly, resolve their issues in a timely manner. Answering these complaints properly can turn angry clients into loyal clients.

    Lately, the online marketing landscape has been overcrowded. Embracing these social media opportunities in 2020 can form a higher number of genuine connections for your brand and can lead to greater marketing success.

    Just remember that once you promote your business on social media, you will have to constantly adapt your marketing strategy to keep up with the increasing demand. To know more about social media marketing and how you can use it to enhance sales and improve brand trust, get in touch with us!