23 March 2020
Social Media Marketing & Coronavirus: How Is COVID-19 Affecting Our Industry?
Coronavirus is all over the news these days, and rightly so. As we write this the UK is bracing itself for the thick of our country’s outbreak. Of course, we all know that China, Iran, and Italy have individually been the worst-hit countries. However, in global industries like social media marketing and search engine optimization borders and physical distance mean little. We in the I.T. sector are more used to dealing with computer viruses, but coronavirus shows that a biological one can still have a massive impact on our lives. Today the Seek Social blog analyses the impact of COVID-19 on search engine optimization, social media marketing, even digital marketing and business as a whole… So join us today as Seek Social and our SEO expert team take stock of the situation.
SEO Concerns:
COVID-19 is the big news story right now, and quite understandably it’s on people’s minds a lot. This is showing in their search trends, and indeed the search engine optimization industry. In general search volume is down across the board. However, our SEO expert team note that the only terms bucking this trend are ones relevant to COVID-19. Data from Uberall shows that non-branded searches related to either coronavirus or associated medical products are experiencing a major upturn, something which has been the case since mid-February.
Social Media Marketing & Ecommerce Concerns:
Social distancing and self-isolation measures are now in place in many countries across the world. These measures mean that even something as mundane as doing the weekly shopping can become challenging. An abundance of caution will lead a lot of people to stay at home and do their shopping online. Our digital marketing, Ecommerce and SEO expert team therefore make the following recommendation… Moving resources away from your brick-and-mortar store and into social media marketing and online sales could help you get through the offline downturn.
Despite our comments in the SEO section above, increasing your search engine optimization budget is also a good idea. If online storefronts are set for a boom, our SEO expert team know that to benefit from that boom your storefront needs to be ranking as well as possible. The only way to ensure that happens is by spending on search engine optimization. Also important is finding an SEO expert company like Seek Social to work on your behalf… That way you can be sure that you’re using your money wisely and getting the best return-on-investment.
Business-To-Business Concerns:
The social distancing, self-isolation and abundance of caution that we mentioned above are also having an impact on the B2B market. People are cancelling face-to-face meetings, and many exhibitions and networking events are being cancelled or moved online for the foreseeable future. Businesses often allocate a large chunk of their budget to attending such events – and if these events aren’t happening, you could use that money online too.
How can Ecommerce Help?
COVID-19 is already a part of life, and sadly it should be around for several weeks (if not months). Businesses need to adapt to keep trading, not only for themselves and their employees but for the world economy too. Take it from the SEO expert team at Seek Social… If coronavirus is threatening your traditional methods of business, taking things online and making the most of things like online meeting rooms and social media marketing is your best option in times like these.
We’re not saying that doing business online can completely replace the income you’d see from your traditional methods… Nevertheless, right here right now it’s the best, most reliable, and safest alternative we have. Coronavirus doesn’t really affect the internet as a place of business… The internet isn’t subject to quarantine, social distancing, or travel bans… It cannot catch or transmit COVID-19, and by-and-large the pandemic has not had an effect on internet access.
So, what do you need to do to make the switch to online?
The first thing is to set yourself up with some way of making sales online… For example: a webstore on your own website, or your social media page. Then, you need to perform good search engine optimization to ensure that you’re as visible as possible online. Social media marketing and increasing social content engagement can help you stay in touch with your customers, while instant messaging services like WhatsApp and video conferencing platforms like Zoom stand in for your networking events and face-to-face meeting facilities.
We can do this, folks – the tools to keep going are out there. And if you need some help getting your online presence, social media marketing or search engine optimization ready, call the digital marketing and SEO expert team at Seek Social, on 0161 761 1800. Alternatively, you can also reach out to us via Facebook or Twitter.
