What Marketing Items to Put on Hold — and What to Keep — During Coronavirus Closures

Coronavirus has gotten real for a lot of business really fast. A few weeks ago, we were joking about an ad campaign. But now, businesses are temporarily closing their doors to help stop the spread. Economically, hard times are ahead for many, especially those who have lost their jobs. Things are only getting worse, as North Carolina put a stay-at-home order into effect. 

In an effort to cut costs while they’re closed, many business owners are “pressing pause” on their marketing efforts. We understand completely. Why spend money on marketing when you’re not even open? 

But in some cases, pausing your marketing will cause more problems. When everything reopens, you want to hit the ground running. So as you review your marketing efforts, here are some things you should absolutely cancel or pause, and some others you should continue. 

Pause

• Pay-Per-Click Ads – If you’re closed for a few weeks, go ahead and stop advertising your services. You won’t see a massive impact from pausing your ad campaigns, and of course, advertising right now may feel wrong to you.

On the other hand, some marketers are pointing out that low times are often the best times to take advantage if you can, advice Warren Buffet has offered in the past. PPC prices are dropping — unless you sell hand sanitizer, wipes, or toilet paper — which means your restaurant, brewery, or shop offering curbside pickup might benefit from some inexpensive ads.

Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.

Warren Buffet

Keep

Every business owner has to consider the situation, the budget, and their business. But here are a few marketing items we’d urge you to continue through this crisis, if possible and applicable. 

• Social media – Social media is a useful way to keep your name in people’s heads, even if your doors are closed. You can post updates about your team and let people know if something changes. Don’t post as often, and don’t push sales-type posts. Share useful facts about the situation if warranted. 
• Newsletters – If you send a monthly newsletter, you should still send one with any updates or news about your company related to the situation. Skip the articles and extras, and focus on what matters. 
• Website Renovation – If you’re in the middle of building a new website, try to keep that momentum going. The construction of a website is like the construction of almost anything; if you pause halfway, you’ll end up redoing a lot of the work when you return. Plus, if you’re overdue for a new website, you can continue this work and look better than ever when business returns. 

It Depends

• SEO – Ask your marketing team what type of hit you’ll take if you pause this one. In some cases, the momentum lost by pausing will hurt you later. But for some businesses, it’s going to be OK if you halt the effort for a few weeks. 
• Content – If you have content related to Coronavirus or important messages to share, you might continue this work. But often your blog posts, videos, and infographics are focused on the services you provide. It’s OK to skip a few posts and come back. On the other hand, you might want to keep your momentum and schedule as well as the keywords. Exception: If you host a podcast, keep it going on the same release schedule if you can. 

We realize the impact this is having on our community here in Raleigh, and we’re hoping the storm passes soon! Check out some of the business relief funds for the Raleigh area and support if you can.