The COVID-19 social media marketing trends from March to April 2020 we reveal below will show exactly why people are saying there is no better time to advertise your business. A combination of reduced competition with increased active social media users is leading to some of the best results ever seen for many industries.
So you can take advantage of this, we have shown you exactly what is trending in the world of social media marketing and how to optimise Facebook, Instagram and Messenger ads to suit the current climate.
Feature image credit: dole777 on Unsplash
5 Key COVID-19 Social Media Marketing Trends from March–April 2020
1. Cost Per Mile has halved in many industries.
What is Cost Per Mile?
Cost Per Mile, or CPM, is a social media marketing metric to tell you what your ads are costing you per thousand impressions. A CPM campaign is designed for those looking for a lot of reach, allowing you to pay per impression (view of your ad).
As the goal of a CPM campaign is to get in front of more people, the cost per impression is very low.
How has COVID-19 impacted CPM social media marketing?
Social media marketing results from our work with businesses in March showed Cost Per Mile was steadily reducing, returning a better return on investment for the month. In April, the average CPM has halved.
While COVID-19 unfortunately meant a temporary or permanent closure for many businesses, those who found a way to remain open reaped the benefits. The reduction in competition, combined with an increase in user screen time (see below) has allowed businesses to access more people for less.
2. Cost Per Click has improved between 20% to 200%.
What is Cost Per Click social media marketing?
While CPM campaigns are created for reach with a pay-per-impression model, Cost Per Click, or CPC, encourages engagement, normally with a click through to a landing page. However, instead of paying per impression, you only pay if someone clicks on the ad through to the desired destination.
What impact has COVID-19 had on CPC social media marketing?
In March 2020, some industries running social media marketing with Localsearch returned CPC of as low as $0.10 per click — 10 cents PER click! On average across all industries, we have reported CPC reduction of between 20% to 200%.
For those following COVID-19 social media marketing best practices (see below), the reduced competition and increase in active users has triggered a positive result for their ads.
3. Click-Through Rates have gone through the roof.
What is a Click-Through Rate?
Click-Through Rate, or CTR, is the percentage of people who saw your ad and clicked through to your landing page, enquiry form or intended destination. So, if 500 people saw your ad and 50 people clicked on it, your CTR would be 10%.
Why have Click-Through Rates improved during COVID-19?
Social media marketing is what’s known as disruption marketing. It’s purpose is generally to get people who may be interested in a product or service like yours familiar and comfortable with your brand. This is one of the reasons it’s critically important to run branding campaigns, not lead generation, in the first few months of starting to run social media ads.
However, COVID-19 social media marketing has seen an increase in click-through rates. One of our clients, a solar business, saw 76 clicks in less than 24 hours of launching an ad on social media. But why?
The success we have had with COVID-19 social ads in the past month or so is largely contributed to a change in messaging. We are working with businesses to find out how they are adapting their products and services, what pain points their customers are facing and the solutions they can provide. By focusing on a we-can-fix-that-problem-you-have strategy, along with the current market conditions, it’s driving more enquiries.
4. Many industries are seeing their best results to date.
COVID-19 has meant a lifestyle change for the majority of Australians. The sudden nature of the changes has seen a surge in consumerism in some industries. Businesses who have been able to adapt to meet the demands and run the appropriate marketing to showcase this have been able to support their business during the difficult times.
One such industry seeing a shift in demand is steel fabrication. The increase in demand from people completing DIY projects and businesses needing steel for their changing services and products has triggered increased impressions and decreased CPC.
An increase in working from home arrangements has also caused an increased demand for electricians and IT professionals. Our clients in these areas have reported constant requests for data cabling, powerpoint installations, how to improve internet connectivity and similar services.
We also have to mention the success of pubs and taverns who have adapted to takeaway and/or delivery. On average, those who have adjusted their ads to showcase their changes have seen CPC as low as 10 cents per click with a surge in impressions.
Various reports of app and social media usage are starting to appear, revealing an increase of screen time between 20% to 31%. As the effects of sudden isolation begin to wear off, people will be seeking ways to kill their boredom, with the easiest solution being some mindless scrolling on social media or random research online.
There really is no better time to be marketing on social media. The reduction in competition from businesses not able to adapt or continue operating, combined with the increase of people being online makes it prime picking. You will be able to get in front of more people for less, so if you’re able to put your name out there, even if it’s to take bookings for the future, now is the time to do it.
5 Best Practices for COVID-19 Social Media Marketing
1. Display your trading hours.
Are you open now? What about weekends? Will you take a booking for 3 months from now? Save both yourself and consumers the hassle of contacting you or probing for the answer and simply put your availability in your ad.
Remember the solar company we mentioned earlier with the 76 leads in less than 24 hours? In their first ad version, they did not mention they aren’t open on a particular day and they ended up with a lot of calls, instead of emails, on said day.
Not only this, but consumers will know you’re open and ready for business and haven’t simply forgotten to turn off your ad.
2. Optimise your ads for your target metric.
What is it you want your COVID-19 social media marketing to do for your business? By knowing if your focus is on clicks or views, you’ll be able to make your marketing more effective and receive a better return on investment.
If you’re not sure what you actually need, or why someone would pick one option over the other, have a chat with a social media specialist.
3. Refine your target audience.
Would you rather fish for tuna in a place known for the occasional yellowfin but is full of barramundi, or would you rather throw your rod straight into tuna central? Like this analogy, you always want to be sending your ad out to people who are as similar as possible to your current customers or clients.
If you don’t have a customer relationship management (CRM) system, but you know the average demographic of your customers, you can manually enter the details. You can also use something called re-marketing to target people who have already interacted with your website and social media accounts.
4. Use relevant content and imagery.
Using the fish analogy again; to fish for the tuna, would you use a lure preferred by brim or tuna? Again, you want to be using what is attractive to your target right now to make them take notice and hopefully take a bite.
The copy and images you use will depend on your industry, product, service and target audience, but regardless, should always be A/B tested. A/B testing is when you have two variations of the same ad to see which will be most successful. By continually doing this, you’ll always be improving your results over time.
However, you only want to test one aspect at a time so you know exactly what it is people like or don’t like. For example, you may test an image of your team against an image of your product, or opening your copy with a question versus a price.
5. Have an optimised website and/or landing page.
When someone clicks on your Facebook ad, where do they go? For optimal chance of conversion, you probably want to take them to an enquiry form or a landing page, depending on your ad.
To increase your chances of converting these users even further, you want to build a landing page that converts. Things like using too many colours, not placing your enquiry form in the right place, using the wrong type of copy and having links on your page may all lead to less enquiries. Lucky there are experts to do this for you, right?
How much does COVID-19 social media marketing cost?
Social media marketing from $59 a week.
The cost of social media marketing will depend on what it is you want to achieve. However, the Localsearch COVID-19 Savings Package allows you to access professional social media marketing services from only $59 a week + gst.
With the Localsearch Social Saver Package, you’ll receive:
- 1 campaign a month displayed on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
- 2 variations of your ads.
- Group account management.
- Professional content and imagery assistance.
- A/B testing.
And more.
For more information, visit our Localsearch COVID-19 Savings Package Page.
