Strategies for Advertising and Marketing on Social Media During COVID-19

How COVID-19 is Impacting Social Media Advertising and Marketing
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Advertising and Marketing Strategies for Construction Businesses

With more people being forced to stay at home, they are trying to keep themselves engaged and entertained. And one of the places they are spending more time on, is social media. Which means that you should be there too! Have a look at several different platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and RedditYou should do advertising and marketing on social media during COVID-19 wherever your target audience and customers are most active. 

Your business’s priorities will definitely change, and you will have to consider the things that your consumers are looking for, over what your business wants. It is imperative to look at helpful and creative ways to help your consumers, business partners and stakeholders. In parallel to this, you will also need to adjust all your existing campaigns and reassess your timelines. 

So far, the impact of COVID-19 on construction marketing and construction advertising has been a combination of good and bad. 

Social Media Advertising Strategies for Construction Companies during COVID-19

Social media advertising rates have dropped around the world, with a decline in engagement with campaigns. But by adjusting parts of your construction advertising strategy, you can still achieve positive results. 

Last month, Facebook even published a guide on how businesses should adapt the way they measure ad performance during this time. 

Re-align your ad messages

Advertisers should use appropriate messaging, taking into consideration the current COVID-19 situation. All messaging should read as informative, helpful and empathetic. Any communication that reads as opportunistic and exploitive will have negative ramifications from people. The new core consumer values right now are safety, security, and health. So, realign your ad messaging around these values.  

Spend less to advertise to a wider audience

Many businesses have paused their campaigns or stopped advertising. So, there is less competition for keywords, which has brought down the cost per click (CPC) for ads. With so many more eyes on social media than ever before, construction businesses have the opportunity to reach more people at a lower cost. With the lower costs, it is also possible to advertise to more people by optimizing for reach, even if some of them don’t convert. This is a great opportunity to increase brand awareness. 

Take advantage of low CPMs

Cost per thousand or cost per mille is the price of 1,000 advertisement impressions. It is calculated by dividing the cost of advertising and dividing it by the total number of impressions, then multiplying by 1000. Beginning in mid-March, CPMs across industries began to drop in North America. This is due to a drop in demand for social network ad inventory. This may create an opportunity for marketers to reach customers who are increasingly spending more time on these platforms. 

High performing ads should be extended

Facebook recently let advertisers know that there will likely be delays and errors in their approval process for ads. As they move to automated systemsads will be subjected to a new review policy whenever they are submitted or edited. Facebook’s Director of Product Management Rob Leathern, recommended that brands extend high performing ads and avoid creating new ads.

Rob Leathern

Social Media Marketing Strategies for Construction Companies during COVID-19

If you are not seeing much success with your advertising campaigns, you can tweak your marketing strategy instead, for better results. COVID-19 has opened up new avenues for brands to connect with their followers. Below are some of the changes you can make to your construction marketing plan: 

Create content that connects

People prefer ads that are COVID-19-sensitive, according to ClickZ. They also favor companies that have responded to the outbreak with flexible payments and remote work. According to Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer at System1, some of the ads that are connecting best with audiences today, are the ones that show human connection and “betweenness,” ads set in the past, and ads with a connection to place and community. Ads that focus on things over people, price, and promotions, have not been performing as well. 

Plan and stream live videos

Social media marketers crowned 2016 the year of the live video. Businesses scrambled to capitalize on the trend, but like most internet trends, it didn’t last very long. Now, in the wake of COVID-19live video has seen a resurgence. Government agencies, celebrities and businesses alike have been using platforms like Facebook Live and Instagram Live to connect with their followers. Construction businesses can partner with industry experts for the streams, host webinars and how-to guides. It is also an economical marketing option since it is free and does not require fancy equipment to produce. 

Give back to other businesses and followers

Re-tweets (Twitter), re-shares (Facebook), re-posts (Instagram), and sharing content is popular across social media platforms. You can share content from your competitors and followers. It’s a great way to help them and also reach new audiences. Plus, it’s free! In addition to sharing content from others, you can create and share informative and educational content of your own. This can be as simple as construction repair DIYs and how-to-guides or videos. 

Redefine customer experience

Your business has built relationships with your customers over time. Experiences both online and physical have probably helped to build these relationships. But with lockdowns in place, people are craving more human connection to deal with their stress and fear. So, it is not enough for you to have the best product, service or marketing campaignInstead, brands that display care, honesty and empathy will build more trust with people. And these actions will carry on, long after the pandemic ends. 

In these uncertain times, you should have an active social media presence and continue to do advertising and marketing on social media during COVID-19Be sensitive to the COVID-19 situationgo above and beyond with customer service, and try to communicate more with your followers.  

CMGurus is here to aid construction businesses that are facing the consequences of COVID-19. We offer social media marketing for construction companies so that they can reach their audiences better. We also have a team of PPC experts who do pay-per-click management for construction companies.