Our current social isolation, global pandemic circumstances are causing confusion for more than just the obvious (and most critical) reasons. After many marketers secured the essentials they personally needed, and established a safe work and living space for themselves and their families, their minds quickly turned to how their brands should respond and communicate at this unprecedented time.
It’s been a “mixed bag” for Marketers since, with uncertainty being a common thread. I hate to generalize, so I won’t say most panicked. Some did, of course. Others pivoted fast, and others have and are still taking a “wait and see” approach day by day. When there is no roadmap for this kind of crisis, it’s okay to have many reactions, but I would emphasize one guiding principle that often gets overlooked: Evaluate the Data…Check the Facts.
For your brand, your website, and your industry – what is happening? These details are likely one of your best sources of guidance for updating / adjusting your Digital Marketing Strategy. What can you look for? What should you know?
- Start with your own Analytics data:
- Has your website traffic changed in quantity, source, or kind of traffic (new vs. returning) – how?
- Has your website content consumption changed – in what way?
- Have your website engagement points (Goals / Conversions) changed – how?
Every business category has a different seasonality and natural cycle. When you review the metrics against like historical data is there a change? Period over Period or Year over Year or are the numbers aligned with historical increases and dips?
- Explore Query and Category Behavior with Google Trends
- Our Manager, Interactive Advertising, Jill Goldstein, outlined several very important resources in a recent blog post that may include some aggregate data benchmarks (as well as other helpful information)
- Revenue Tracking:
- How did March (and Q1) compare against your historical benchmarks and/or your projections?
- Look at April to date and do the same review.
The current COVID-19 is impacting businesses in so many diverse ways – there is no “one size fits all” Digital Marketing strategy that will fit at this time for all of us. In reviewing your data and analyzing where you are and why, you’ll be better equipped to determine where to focus, how to pivot, or what to double-down on that could shore up your company’s performance.
Check out our Digital Marketing Checklist Webinar for more insights and ideas for how to adjust your Digital Marketing