COVID-19 has shaken up a lot of things. And, when it comes to e-commerce digital marketing, things have certainly been changed with a policy of isolation and social distancing. In many infected countries, workers have been asked to work from home. Countries like the UK, Italy, and France have all been placed on lockdown and schools have been shuttered. Digital e-commerce has been on the rise because many stores have closed their shops, which forces them to turn to e-commerce and e-commerce online marketing.
However, because many schools are closed around the globe, homeschooling and school equipment queries are observing large spikes in demand. This is good news for retailers that sell B2C education equipment. Garden furniture gets many searches on weekends, but demand has been growing rapidly on weekdays, too, as policies of social distancing continue to be enforced. Additionally, when we talk about the impact of e-commerce, craft sites and crafting terms have seen a huge growth in interest because people are being forced to remain at home. Similarly, in terms of digital e-commerce and e-commerce digital marketing, companies like Xbox and Netflix have seen enormous spikes in search interest.
As with all e-commerce digital marketing, for every increasing search term, there are several terms and queries that are declining. Fashion and fashion retailers have lost a lot of visitors because no one is buying a new outfit just so they can stay inside their house. Travel, additionally, has nosedived. Ironically, though, traffic to lots of travel sites is up, but most of that traffic is related to customer service requests and cancellations.
While thinking of impact digital and the impact of e-commerce, it’s important to note that many businesses will be using now as a time to review their budgets. A digital marketing spend is obviously a clear target for businesses that need to make cuts. Though, in the long run, you may be better off by having your marketers adopt strategies for long-term profitability.
For starters, you can manage your PPC budget more efficiently. Use less non-essential upper-funnel keywords - especially ones that have lower conversion rates because that is where search-demand may be waning. Also, you can save reduced budgets for keywords that have a higher likelihood of generating conversions. Keep in mind, pausing a campaign and starting it again will lead to higher CPCs because campaigns will need to go through an initial learning phase again. At the moment, CPCs will probably be lower because businesses are generally scaling back. For clients that can continue to function, this should be capitalized on where possible. Think long-term, too. Quality score is based on your CTR relative to other people in the auction. If others cease all advertising, you can make CTR gains that will improve your QS and reduce your CPCs. However, the reverse is also true. Clients need to be aware that they can’t just switch off campaigns, only to resume them like nothing ever happened.
When it comes to e-commerce digital marketing, retaining organic visibility can also be helpful. SEO is a long-term strategy, and you shouldn’t switch the tap off like it’s a PPC. Now more than ever, Google is going to be tweaking their algorithm to ensure that people get the most accurate information. If you ignored the basics, that could reduce your organic visibility in the long term. Organic search is very valuable. People will always use search engines, but they are probably using them now more than ever before. Businesses that possess online selling capabilities will be in a better position than any to do business, despite the difficult period we are living in.
Digital PR should never be overlooked when we consider e-commerce online marketing. Digital PR activity should not stop, regardless of the global pandemic. There has never been a better opportunity to give journalists an interesting news or business story that can serve as a distraction from the regular news cycle. If your business can offer comments or helpful advice to help other people during this tough time, that is a wonderful thing and it should be encouraged. Along similar lines, it can help to be useful to others on social media. As people shelter in place, they will be spending more time logging onto various social and professional platforms. As such, now is a great time to re-imagine your social media strategy. Or, if you don’t have one, now is a great time to start thinking of one.
If you are looking for advice on devising or redirecting your digital e-commerce strategy, consider contacting KitelyTech today. KitelyTech is very experienced in finding technological solutions in the realms of e-commerce and SEO for enterprising entrepreneurs. Contact KitelyTech today on (800) 274 2908 to learn more.
