The sad reality is that it is spreading quickly and will continue to

spread for a while.

No one really knows how many people will be infected (or will pass
away sadly), but it has caused the global stock markets to crash,
which means as a business (or even a marketer), you will be affected.

what does the Coronavirus mean for marketers?

1. Businesses are going to struggle for a while

Even if the virus slows down fast as the numbers have dropped
in China, businesses are going to struggle for well over a year
because they will have to make up for their losses.

For example, in China the virus caused retail sales to drop by

20.5% and the unemployment rate jumped to 6.2 in February.

2. Organic traffic is down in most industries

Before I dive into the data, note that we didn’t focus on any one
single country, we decide to look at the traffic stats from a global
perspective. We also didn’t include data from sites with less than
5000 visitors a month as they tend to have drastic swings from a
percentage perspective even when there are no global issues or
algorithm updates.
Now, from an SEO standpoint, last week we saw huge drops in
organic traffic for most industries we are tracking. Just look at the
chart below (compares last week to the previous week).

3. Conversions were also down for most industries

 From a conversion rate standpoint, we saw drops in most industries
as well. Even the financial sector, which had big traffic booms in
traffic, dropped in conversions.

4. Pay-per-click data

Even though we saw big dips in the number of people searching

for things like flights or hotels, we didn’t see a drastic drop in CPC
but we did see a big increase in cost per acquisition.

In other words, you can still roughly pay the same amount per
click, but the cost per conversion has been going up for most
industries… unless you are selling necessities like toilet paper.

How Will Marketing Strategies Evolve in Times of COVID-19?

 Anticipate Consumer Needs

Social distancing can lead to stress, boredom, anxiety, and a sense of

loneliness. This makes it crucial to identify individual consumer needs
and address them before it becomes a problem area.
For example, with schools and offices closed, it becomes difficult for
parents to work from home and engage their kids. So Audible, an
audiobook service by Amazon, is now offering free streaming of stories
to entertain, teach, and engage children while schools remain shut.

 Leverage Technology

It has become a challenge to meet customer needs, and you must think
about how best to serve customers with limited resources and social
distancing constraints. Organizations, especially e-commerce giants are
over-burdened with rising online orders, stocks running out, prioritizing
essentials, and ensuring the health of employees and customers.

Amazon has taken numerous measures to support customers, employees,

and communities. From ramping up fulfillment and delivery hiring to
ensuring fair pricing, adjusting shopping hours for senior customers, and
adjusting delivery

 Be Present in the Digital World

As people stay at home, time spent on their mobile devices, and online
platforms is already on the rise. They are spending more time on OTT
streaming platforms for entertainment, social media for connecting with
the outside world, e-commerce portals for shopping, and so on.
Although COVID-19 has disrupted marketing and advertising initiatives,
we can expect marketers to keep their plans fluid and tweak their ad-
spends to reach customers where they are.

 Focus on Customer Experience More Than Ever

In worrying time likes these, brands must focus on instilling confidence

in customers, by providing them with the means to cope with the
situation, furnishing the right information, and going beyond to help
customers. Being empathetic and prioritizing customer experience will
help your brand stand out and help you build a loyal customer base.