Pro Tips
How to Run Your Business Online During the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Attack?
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has rapidly become a global pandemic. Other than taking away lives, it also has a deadly effect on businesses. Many businesses are forced to close down as economies and cities come to a halt.
So as a business owner, what can you do to keep your business up and running? Before we start, let’s get straight to the point.
The word “advertise” according to the Cambridge dictionary is “to make something known generally or in public, especially in order to sell it:”. Simple as that.
Whether you are providing plumbing services or trying to sell homemade cookies, you won’t get any business if people don’t even know about you. Yes, you can have the best plumbing skills or use the best organic ingredients in your cookies. But it’s pointless if no one even knows about it especially during a pandemic where the streets are empty.
This is where the magic of advertising comes in. You run a few campaigns, distribute flyers and even build a website. They all serve the same purpose – to bring in more business. Running ads is all about maximizing your returns and exposure. Running ads on the biggest internet platform in the world is a definite no-brainer.
Google introduced paid ads all the way back in 2000. Since then, it has only expanded and it is now the largest source of revenue for the tech giants. So, do you want to tap into a market consisting of literally everyone in the world with internet access? If so, do continue to read on.
Why should you use Google Ads?
When governments impose movement restrictions or even citywide lockdowns, people are forced to stay at home. And who do they do? They go online. This is where digital marketing comes in.
Did you know that there are more than 63,000 searches on Google every second? EVERY SECOND! Being the undisputed king of search engines, Google commands a loyal user base consisting of 90.46% of all internet users. Running Google Ads gives you the biggest and widest reach among any other types of advertising.
Still not convinced? Read on.
We are only human. You cannot expect to hire employees that will distribute flyers on the street 24/7. However, running Google Ads gives you the ability to run your ads at all times. That itself is a massive advantage. Set up your campaign and let it run on its own even when you sleep.
In times of emergency, your ads will continue helping your business to grow. In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are forced to either shut down or have employees work from home. If you are still depending solely on traditional marketing, well then you’re out of luck. With digital marketing solutions such as Google Ads, you are effectively making sure that those leads keep pouring in.
TLDR; Running Google Ads is always a good thing.
Types of Google Ads:
Okay so now you have decided to give Google Ads a shot. Well before you start, you need to know the types of Ads that are available right now. We are not going to go through all of them, but here are the 3 most common types that businesses use.
1. Search Ads
Whenever someone keys in a query, they do so with a specific intent in mind. They are trying to find a solution or an answer. Search Ads are potent because they are targeting active searchers, meaning that these are people that are looking for something. This makes Google a powerful platform in marketing your business to those looking for it.
Some might argue that websites still can get listed through organic rankings. However organic rankings take a while to show results and some business just simply cannot afford to wait.
Being the most widely used and seen, search ads appear in the results page whenever users key in a relevant query. To keep things clear, Google will highlight that this is a paid ad by having a little “Ad” icon beside it.
Who is this for? If you are in the business of selling products or providing services, then you can definitely benefit from running Search Ads. If you are looking for ads that bring an instant impact, then yes, Search Ads are also for you.
2. Google Display Network (GDN)
Do you know the reason why Google is still unbeatable by other search engines? One of it is because Google has partnered with more than 2 million websites on the internet. This means that Google is actively placing their paid ads on some of the most popular websites out there.
Compared to Search Ads, the GDN is reaching to a much wider audience. Users that are simply browsing on the internet might be able to see your ads. However, one thing to note that these individuals might not necessarily be in shopping mode. But don’t write it off just yet.
Your ads should be able to attract the attention of users. Even if people are not in the mood for shopping, you just need to tip them in the right direction. There are many ways to do it such as putting attractive pictures or taglines to entice them.
Other than that, GDN ads also help to market your brand. When your ads keep on popping up everywhere on the internet, people are going to know about you and get familiar with your products or services. Another bonus is that the network has even included more than half a million popular mobile apps in it!
It’s safe to say that you are effectively reaching out to almost 90% of all internet users with GDN ads.
3. Video ads
YouTube, which is also owned by Google, is currently the number 1 video streaming platform on the internet. With more than 6 billion hours’ worth of videos watched each month, YouTube is becoming one of the most popular places to run ads on.
Videos are definitely much more effective at conveying messages compare to traditional text. People nowadays are more likely to be attracted to moving images and captivating sound effects. This makes video ads perfect for keeping users engaged.
According to YouTube Insights, “66% of beauty product purchasers, 72% of auto-vehicle purchasers, and 62% of smartphone purchasers say YouTube influenced their purchases”. On a network that reaches out to more than 1 billion viewers each month, that is a lot of potential leads waiting to be captured.
Google allows you to place these ads on either YouTube or other GDN websites. Video ads also come in various formats such as skippable and non-skippable ones, and different lengths.
Click here to learn more about how YouTube Ads can help your business grow.
How to get started?
Alright, so you are ready to get your campaign up and running. Google literally has a guide for new users to run their first campaign. They do cover the fundamentals such as creating a Google Ads account, choosing the type of ads, and also how to set up one. Simple, right?
If it were that simple, digital marketing agencies would have gone bankrupt long ago. The truth is that there are a lot of contributing factors for running a successful campaign. You have to know important things such as audience demography, managing ad budgets, writing your own ad text and more.
Any mistakes will cause you to burn through your ad budget without any significant returns or worse – none at all.
For the average Joe, keeping your business running during a pandemic is hard enough. Don’t let running Google Ads be a chore to yourself. If you need assistance in running your own Google Ads, click here to get in touch with our digital marketing specialists!
