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Navigatingthe road aheadA guide to help businesses adapttheir digital marketing strategiesand prepare for what’s next
What’s inside01 Consumer insights to drive your approach5What we’ve seen in Search patterns5How consumer behaviors have shifted6Find insights to guide your marketing strategy1102 Assess the impact on your business1503 Take action now16Your business is experiencing new challenges17Your business is reassessing priorities20Your business is pivoting to adapt products and services23Your business is investing to meet increased demand26
Stay ahead of the changing landscapeCOVID-19 has changed life as we know it – and as we do everything we can to keep eachother safe, our routines have fundamentally shifted. The necessary measures takento manage the pandemic have disrupted the global economy and altered consumers’expectations, habits, and purchasing behavior. This has resulted in new challenges tosupply chains, fulfillment, physical stores, and for employees and customers.At Google, we’ve seen businesses around the globe – including our own – adapt to thesenew realities. While these are unprecedented times, we’ve seen businesses start to thinkabout the path to economic recovery in three stages – respond, rebuild, and reframe– each with distinct priorities. Businesses, industry verticals, and markets are affecteddifferently by each stage – with some moving faster than others – but we’ve observedthat the vast majority remain focused on responding.RespondRebuildRecoverWhat’s happening?Businesses are respondingand adapting to fast-changingconsumer behavior andfluctuations in demand.Businesses are planning forthe recovery and rebuildingtheir marketing fundamentals,with deeper insights, tools,and measurement.Businesses are reframingtheir business models anddigital marketing practicesto restart or maintain growth.What can you do?Economic recoverySolve what matters todayto get your business readyto rebuild.Prepare to capture dynamicdemand and position yourselfwell for the recovery.Implement marketing learningsfrom the crisis into your longterm business strategy to drivesustained growth.3
Stay ahead of the changing landscapeThe timeline of economic recovery remains fluid – but there are things you cando during each of these stages to act with more certainty. The intention of thisguide is to help you prioritize what to do next and take action. That includes waysto utilize the latest consumer and industry insights, how to evaluate the situationfacing your business, and next steps to shift your digital marketing strategies tomeet customer needs.The nature of this crisis requires us to go beyond business as usual. For marketers,it can be a chance to try new strategies, think outside of the box, and reinvent theway we connect with audiences. And when we get through this, the innovative andcompassionate approaches we put in place have the potential to bring us closerwith our customers and communities.Navigating your response01Base your approach on consumer insights02Understand the impact to your business03Develop a strategy and take action quickly4
01Consumer insightsto drive your approachWhat we’ve seen in Search patternsIf you want to engage your audience, meet them where they are. And with over fourbillion people staying home worldwide1, consumers’ behavior and media consumptionhabits are changing rapidly.While we don’t know how or when the crisis will resolve, we have early insight intohow people’s needs and behaviors may evolve as they seek to regain a sense ofbalance. To date, we’ve identified three search patterns since the onset of COVID-19:shock, step-change, and speed up. 2ShockStep-changeSpeed upSudden change in behavior,unlikely to sustainSudden change in behavior,may sustainAcceleration of existing behavior,may sustainQuick rise and fall in school-relatedsearches as quarantine orders wentinto effectQuick rise in exercise-relatedsearches showing signs ofstabilization at elevated levelsAcceleration in growth rate ofdelivery-related searches showingsigns of continued behavior for nowUSITESINTop SearchesUSITESINTop SearchesUSITESINCompound Annual Growth Rate (2017-19)US100th day of school ideasschool districts closingschools closingUSat home shoulder workoutat home back workoutresistance band workoutsUS7. 24%ITscuole chiuse coronaviruschiusura scuole coronavirusriapertura scuoleITtotal body workout a casastreet workout7 minuti workoutIT19.40%EScierre colegios coronaviruscierre colegios andaluciacierre colegios madridES7. 69 %IN0. 8 8%ejercicios para mayoresen casaESINnoida school closedbangalore schools closedup school closed news todayejercicios para haceren casa con niñosejercicios para haceren casa mujeres5
How consumer behaviors have shiftedAs you evolve your short and long-term digitalmarketing strategies, it’s important to understandnuances in consumer patterns so you’re in the bestposition to respond to this dynamic environment.How consumer behaviors have shiftedHere are five key consumer behaviors we’ve seenplaying out across industries, based on how peopleare interacting with technology.CO N S U M E R S A R EUsing multiple devices to go online atunprecedented levelsConnecting with the world online is more important thanever right now, with at-home media consumption increasingdramatically and permeating all aspects of life.In the US, staying home has led to a 60% increase in the 60%amount of content watched – Americans are watchingroughly 12 hours of media content a day, according toNielsen data.3Consumers across the globe are spending 20% more 20%time in apps than they did a year ago and app usage inChina grew to five hours/day ( 30% year over year),according to App Annie.46
How consumer behaviors have shiftedCO N S U M E R S A R ESearching for criticalinformation and contentto meet essential needsCOVID-19 has made life anything but normal.With retailers adapting to delivery or onlinemodels, people are looking for clear, specificinformation about where, how, and whenthey can get what they need.Search interest in “online grocery shopping”and “grocery delivery” grew 23% year overyear in the US.5Americans are watching videos related torecipes and cooking at a rate 31% higher thanthey did in March 2019.6We’ve seen search interest in telemedicineincrease 150% week-over-week in the US.77
How consumer behaviors have shiftedCO N S U M E R S A R EDiscovering new connections andnurturing relationships (virtually)Even as people physically distance themselves, they’reusing technology in a new way to connect with others.50%50% of US consumers said they usedvideo to communicate with familyand friends in March.8 And searchinterest for “virtual happy hour”is rising, especially in the US.9 54%On YouTube, we’ve seen a rise in“with me” videos, where people filmthemselves going about ordinarytasks like cleaning, shopping, orcooking. In the US, views of videoscontaining “study with me” in thetitle are 54% higher compared tothe same period last year.108
How consumer behaviors have shiftedCO N S U M E R S A R EAdjusting routines tobe internet-firstAs routines and schedules change to meetthe demands of isolation and new realities,so have online habits.Search interest for “telecommuting” inthe US reached an all-time high on Googleand YouTube11 in mid-March, and continueto grow with no sign of slowing down.Workout routines are getting an overhaul allover the world too. There’s growing searchinterest for “stationary bicycles” worldwide,especially in Spain and France,12 and“dumbbell set” in the UK, for example.139
How consumer behaviors have shiftedCO N S U M E R S A R EPracticing self-care – andbeing there for othersAs people stay home, they’re focusingon taking care of their own physical andpsychological needs – in addition to thoseof friends and loved ones.People are turning to online video for help incoping with anxiety and stress. So far in the USthis year, views of meditation-related videos are51% higher than the same period in 2019.14People are searching for things to do whenthey’re bored. Searches for “bored” have spikedsignificantly in the month of March, and searchesfor “games,” “puzzles,” and “coloring books”increased considerably during the same period.1510
Find insights to guide your marketing strategyInsights to guide your marketing strategyToday’s rapid market changes create a massive amount of data and insights, butit’s hard to find clarity in the noise and determine which trends will empower yourdecision-making.To identify real-time insights and trends that are relevant to your business, use thefour tools below. From there, you can reference this information to prioritize themost impactful digital marketing strategies based on your goals.11
Find insights to guide your marketing strategyGoogle TrendsStay on top of market trendsIn this dynamic environment, consumer behaviors are changing constantly.To meet their needs, consider using Google Trends – a tool that providesaccess to real-time search requests across Google Search, YouTube, Shopping,and Images based on a keyword or topic to ask the right questions to informbusiness decisions. For example:How is the customer demand in my industry changing right now?How is demand changing across my product assortment?Where can I find the most valuable customers?Here are five tips to help you find insights and get the most out of Google Trends.Filter across propertiesYou can now explore trends across Google Search, Image Search,News Search, Google Shopping, and YouTube Search.Compare your search terms and topicsYou can add topics for simultaneous comparison across languages,locations, and time periods.Explore by categoryWords often have multiple meanings, so make sure to find whatyou’re looking for on Trends. For instance, if you search for “mask,”you can add a category to indicate whether you mean protectivehealth equipment or a type of beauty product.Use Trends search tipsRefine trends with punctuation, group search terms, and filters.Understand the dataUnderstand exactly what data is in your results and how Trends datais pulled, including how it should be interpreted.Read more here about Google Trends for marketers in a dynamic environment.12
Find insights to guide your marketing strategyShopping InsightsKnow what shoppers wantShopping Insights helps you understand what shoppers are lookingfor across Google, compare competing products in your category,and discover local demand for your brands and products.Here are five useful tips for getting the most out of Shopping Insights.Compare products over timeAdd up to four products or product lines in a single reportto see their performance over a time period, popularlocations, and more.Understand device behaviorsSee how many searches came from mobile devicesduring a time period.Understand local demandFilter by geography to gauge local interest in your brandand products.Find results by categorySee how your brand stacks up against competitors inthe category.Subscribe to Shopping Insights and stay up to dateJust tell us which products and categories matter to you,and we’ll send all the relevant trends – with supportingdata – straight to your inbox weekly.13
Find insights to guide your marketing strategy!Google AlertsStay informed with the latest newsTo help you stay on top of shifts, use these curated global trends relatedto the pandemic with an option to dive more deeply into any of 24local markets.To set up your own custom Google Alerts on the latest information andnews, input the topics you’re interested in. You’ll get an email when newresults show up in Google Search.Find My AudienceUnderstand how to reach your audienceFind My Audience helps you understand who your most valuablecustomers are on YouTube – so you can discover new audiences andlearn how to reach them individually with relevant messages.Identify your audiencesDiscover new audiences based on their interestsand habits.Download your profileGet your audience profile, with insights to help informyour video ad strategy.Connect with your audienceUse your insights to start a YouTube campaign thatreaches the people who matter most to your business.14
02Assess the impacton your businessEach company has unique goals, so the Respond stage will be different for everyone.But overall, we’ve seen businesses’ marketing impacted in four distinct ways byCOVID-19 — and they don’t always progress directly from one to another.Identify which of these four situations relates most to your business, then considerthe corresponding digital marketing strategies. These recommendations should helpyou sustain your business in the short term while laying a foundation for recovery.Your businessis experiencingnew challengesYour businessis reassessingprioritiesYour businessis pivoting toadapt products& servicesYour businessis investing tomeet increaseddemandAre you experiencingsupply and demandAre you reassessing yourAre you quicklyAre you focused onapproach and focusingpivoting to createmeeting increasingdisruptions, as well ason mitigating risk untilnew offerings andcustomer demandlogistical disruptions?you settle on next steps?reach your customersacross productin new ways?categories or markets?Find strategiesFind strategiesFind strategiesFind strategiesto helpto helpto helpto help15
03Take action nowNo matter which situation your business is facing, determiningyour priorities is key. Use these curated strategies and tips toquickly identify the steps you can take today to adapt yourbusiness efficiently.16
YO U R B U S I N E S S I SExperiencingnew challengesCOVID-19 has created new challenges –and we’re here to help.The response to COVID-19 has changed the way peopleinteract with businesses, presenting supply-and-demanddisruptions, as well as logistical disruptions that havemade operations unpredictable.If your company is facing these challenges, you mightbe looking to invest in digital marketing only if it has apositive impact on your business in the next 30 days.You might also be contemplating pausing youradvertising campaigns if you’re experiencing severesupply-and-demand volatility.Amid these challenges, you can still be there for yourcustomers by adapting your approach and marketingobjectives. Below are some recommendations to helpyou rethink your advertising strategies as you navigatethis time of uncertainty.17
Your business is experiencing new challengesThree strategies to help shiftyour digital marketingHow to execute this strategy in Google AdsSwitch to a bidding strategy like Target Cost Per Action or TargetReturn On Ad Spend that makes conversions more cost-effective.Find ways to getbetter results fromyour digital adsSet more conservative targets (lowering target for Target Cost Per Actionbidding or raising target for Target Return On Ad Spend bidding).Pause ad groups and campaigns that aren’t cash-flow positive.Adjust audiences to prioritize people who are most likely to take action.Focus on your mostvaluable customersExclude geographies where you have paused or significantlyreduced operations.Adjust ad scheduling to reflect any recent changes to your operations.Use dynamic creative where applicable to drive performance with limitedbudgets (Dynamic Search Ads, Smart Shopping campaigns, responsivedisplay ads, universal App campaigns, and so on).Make sure yourupdated offerings showup in your creativeUpdate your ad extensions (Call, Location, Callout, Lead Form,Structured Snippets, Promotions) to reflect changes in your business.Update ad creatives to reflect changes in available products or services,limited hours, special terms or conditions like “senior hours,” etc.18
Your business is experiencing new challengesSee how other brands aremanaging new challengesSan Diego Teeth Whitening is a boutique dental service providerimpacted by nonessential business closures. To create demand for thebusiness post-pandemic, they launched a buy-one-get-one-free teethwhitening offer to create a “bank” of future business. This promotionwas complemented by a new search campaign focused on capturinginterested customers – resulting in a 600% return on ad spend. 600%return onad spendOrangetheory Fitness is a boutique fitness franchise operatingover 1,300 locations globally. After closing all brick-and-mortarstudios in accordance with applicable distancing and stay athome orders, the company shifted to posting free OrangetheoryAt Home virtual workouts promoted via branded and nonbranded Search. This approach has enabled Orangetheory to helpmembers and non-members stay active, energized, and healthywhile continuing to facilitate a strong sense of community.Next fine-tune your creative and media with these best practices19
YO U R B U S I N E S S I SReassessingprioritiesAre you reassessing your business’sapproach as a result of COVID-19?If your business is reassessing its approach, you may befocusing on mitigating risk until you settle on next steps.This can include thinking critically about how to be resilientthrough cash management challenges and fluctuations incustomers – or even scaling back efforts so you have moretime to make a decision.While you keep an eye on shifting trends, there are waysto alter your business plan and adapt to the current situationso you can be there for your customers.Below are some recommendations to help you change yourdigital marketing strategies and focus on optimization whileyou reassess your approach.20
Your business is reassessing prioritiesThree strategies to help shiftyour digital marketingHow to execute this strategy in Google AdsUtilize Smart Bidding (Target Cost Per Action/Target Return On Ad Spend)to adjust to changing auction dynamics and device trends.Remember to include your most important conversions in the conversioncolumn to maximize return on investment.Focus on your businessand let automation helpwith your digital adsUse shared budgets to automatically allocate budget across campaigns.This helps ensure that top-performing campaigns have adequate headroomand lower-performing ones are deprioritized.Utilize planning tools to optimize bids and budgets.Review your creative and extensions to make sure they reflect your currentbusiness operations.Use responsive display ads to gain access to the most inventory and quicklyfind the message that resonates.Make sure you’recommunicating your newpriorities to customersIf your business is in an industry like education, travel, or local services that havechanging availability, use feed campaigns to automatically keep up with anyproduct/inventory changes. Retailers should focus on Smart Shopping campaigns.Adjust video creative messages based on the situation and add sitelinks tocommunicate new messages to clients using TrueView for Action campaigns.Use Dynamic Search Ads to automatically capture new, relevant Searchqueries outside of your existing keyword list.Talk to your high-prioritycustomers where theyalready areReview keywords (look at new keywords and negative keywords, and pauseunderperforming keywords) and focus on optimization score recommendations.Adjust audiences to prioritize high-intent/high-converting groups and identifythe geographies that work best for you. Adjust your investment accordingly.21
Your business is reassessing prioritiesSee how other brands arereassessing prioritiesOwlet Baby Care creates smart monitor tools that allow parentsto better care for their baby in the home. They proactively shiftedtheir marketing mix to focus on agile, digital-first strategies, allowingthem to hero their digitally-savvy sleep training product, Dream Lab,to offset any potential supply chain delays with their other products.As part of this strategy, they utilized Display campaigns to createawareness and shifted Search Ad copy to capture demand.Hily, an online dating app that uses machine learning to matchprospective partners, wanted to raise awareness of its socialfeatures and promote connectivity during stay-at-home orderswhile users couldn’t meet in person. Their “Stay Safe, Date FromHome” campaign boosted installs 80% by using App Campaignsto reach users interested in video chats and “digital dating.” 80%increase ininstallsNext fine-tune your creative and media with these best practices22
YO U R B U S I N E S S I SPivoting to adaptproducts and servicesMarket changes due to COVID-19 maymean pivoting your business strategy.If your business is quickly pivoting to adapt yourproducts and services, create new offerings, or reachyour customers in new ways due to new consumertrends, you may want to focus on understanding howto shift your strategy and investment accordingly.By moving your products and services online and takingadvantage of technology tools, your business can bediscovered online and be present for your customers.Below are some recommendations to help move yourdigital marketing strategies toward new objectives.23
Your business is pivoting to adapt products and servicesThree strategies to help shiftyour digital marketingHow to execute this strategy in Google AdsUpdate creative to reflect business priorities. Highlight critical products/services and align ad formats with your priorities by implementingrelevant new formats, and pausing irrelevant ad formats.Keep your creativeupdated based on yourcurrent business strategySee Creative Sectionfor more helpful tipsReview and update extensions to reflect any changes in your marketingstrategy or opening hours.Implement automated ad formats to test and iterate on the best possiblecombinations based on changing consumer trends (responsive searchads, responsive display ads, Dynamic Search Ads, universal Appcampaigns, etc).Implement the Smart Bidding strategy most aligned with your marketingobjective to stay on top of changing auction dynamics and device trends.Use automation tomatch your approach withchanging customer behaviorCreate a Dynamic Search Ads campaign or ad group to automatecapturing new, relevant Search queries outside of your existing keyword list.Apply keyword recommendations from optimization score to stay ontop of search trends.To reflect business priorities, update which conversions are included inthe conversion column and ensure that credit is given across customertouchpoints with data-driven attribution or non-last-click attribution.Use Performance Planner to understand and adjust your targets andbudgets based on changing auction trends.Align your campaigns toyour goals and prioritiesImplement the budget reallocation recommendation in optimization scorefor more control or shared budgets to meet changing consumer trends.If your hours of operation have changed, for example, update yourcustomer-facing sites and Business Profile on Search and Maps.24
Your business is pivoting to adapt products and servicesSee how other brands are pivotingto adapt products and servicesHuda Beauty, a global beauty brand, saw demand shift from makeup(historically their most popular category) to skin-care. To adapt, theyreallocated search budgets to bolster skin-care ad groups. Ad copywas also tailored to focus on self-care, directing audiences to a new,sitewide “Self-Love Sale.” Through this tailored ad messaging andresponding to the increase in skin-care demand, Huda Beauty sawa 75% increase in search traffic and 262% sales revenue increasefrom Search Ads when compared to the prior period. 75%increase insearch traffic 262%increase insales revenuePilot Flying J is the largest travel center operator in North Americawith over 750 locations. They serve professional drivers andmotorists, selling gas, diesel, convenience store goods, and fast food.While stay at home orders have decreased the number of motoristsutilizing their locations, they remain open to providing services andfood to essential workers, such as professional truck drivers. PilotFlying J pivoted to focus on launching a loyalty program that rewardsessential drivers, so they can earn rewards while driving to keepNorth America moving. They promoted this “Thank you, drivers”message through universal App Campaigns and YouTube for Reach.Next fine-tune your creative and media with these best practices25
YO U R B U S I N E S S I SInvesting to meetincreased demandSeeing increased demand for yourproducts or services due to COVID-19?The moment we find ourselves in has brought a shiftin consumer behaviors, leading some businesses toexperience higher demand for their services and productsthan before. If your company is investing to meetincreases in customer demand, you may be in a positionto expand into new audiences, markets, and customers.By assessing your immediate and long-term marketingplans, you can find ways to invest in your businessto address your higher demand – and serve yourcustomers in the best way possible. Below are somerecommendations to help you evolve your digitalmarketing strategies and focus on operating efficientlyin times of uncertainty.26
Your business is investing to meet increased demandThree strategies to help shiftyour digital marketingHow to execute this strategy in Google AdsUtilize and expand Smart Bidding for all campaigns (Target Cost Per Action,Target Return On Ad Spend, Max Conversions, Max Conversion Value).Increase or reallocate budgets, and set more relaxed targets to drive moreconversions and expand capturability.Scale your bids andbudget to meet demandUse planning tools to optimize bids and budgets (Performance Planner,target simulators, Reach Planner with this Reach Planner Guide, etc).Expand creative formats and campaigns to maximize reach (Smart Shoppingcampaigns, Smart Display campaigns, Discovery campaigns, responsivesearch ads, responsive display ads, apps).Serve more people byusing a variety of formatand targeting approachesExpand coverage by adding Dynamic Search Ads and reviewing keywordlists to make sure match types are not too restrictive.Broaden reach by expanding targeted audiences across products.Implement Dynamic Search Ads and keyword optimization scoreopportunities and move to broad match for campaigns that are usingfully automated Smart Bidding.Make sure to use bestpractices and help yourads perform wellSee Creative sectionfor more helpful tips.Ensure that you’re following budget recommendation guidance.Your Display budget should be five times your tCPA, while your TrueViewfor Action campaign budget should be 20 times your tCPA. Apps budgetshould be 10 times your CPA and 50 times your CPI.Follow creative best practices to optimize performance.27
Your business is investing to meet increased demandSee how other brands are investingto meet increased demandMilk Bar, a quirky American cult-favorite bakery, temporarilyclosed the majority of their store locations across the US. UsingGoogle Trends, they chose to double down on delivery and theirecommerce presence, as there has been surging interest indessert delivery and gifting during quarantine. Milk Bar utilizedSmart Bidding and Smart Shopping to quickly meet demandand drove an increase of 20,000 sales ( 300% increase insales month-over-month). 300%increasein saleseSalon, a direct-to-consumer custom hair color company, respondedto increased demand by creating a comprehensive Search and Displaystrategy that uses automated bidding. With this approach in place,eSalon was able to automatically meet the surge in demand duringCOVID-19 while beating their CPA goals using Target CPA. This ledto 600% sales growth compared to the prior 2 week period. 600%increasein salesNext fine-tune your creative and media with these best practices28
As you update your marketingstrategy, consider adapting yourcreative and media campaignsBest practices to make sure your video creative stays relevantWith an increasing number of consumers staying at home, YouTube is filling a vitalrole in entertaining and educating people. If Video makes sense for your marketingstrategy right now, here are a few tips to ensure your creative stays relevant.01Assess if it’s right for the current contextIf you’re already running videos, you may need to reassess campaigns,assets, and creative guidelines as market dynamics change.Here are a few things to keep in mind:Modify tone and situational creativeConsider the tone and whether your videos fit today’s context.For example, over-the-top humor or upbeat music might bepoorly received.Be sensitive to visual imageryBe cautious of imagery depicting large gatherings and socialinteractions – or calls to action that require in-person interactions.Include helpful and relevant messagingConsider what aspects of your brand might be the most helpful tocustomers during this time. For example, try reworking your creativeto highlight business changes you’ve recently made or productofferings that can help your customers and affected communities.29
Best practices to make sure your video creative stays relevant02Create video content from homeFor help with re-editing existing assets, fresh animation, or productshots from afar, check out our creative partners or find a pro onYouTube’s creative directory. You may be surprised by what youcan create from your laptop in a few short minutes with a fewcreative best practices.03Connect in helpful, human wayswith livestreamsLivestreams can be a great way to connect with your customers whenin-person meetings or events aren’t possible. If you’ve decided thathosting a virtual event is right for you, download this guide or readthis how-to article for making videos and hosting events on YouTube.30
A N I N S I D E LO O KHow we’re responding toCOVID-19 with our marketingGoogle has changed the way we approach our own media campaigns duringthis uncertain time – and it’s given us some insight into what’s resonating withcustomers and what isn’t.To solidify our approach, we’ve developed five principles to guide our mediacampaigns in the wake of COVID-19. Though we continue to tailor our approachto the ever-changing landscape, we hope these tips are as helpful for you asth
at home shoulder workout at home back workout resistance band workouts total body workout a casa workout 7 minuti workout ejercicios para mayores ejercicios para hacer en casa con niños ejercicios para hacer en casa mujeres Compound Annual Growth Rate (2017-19) US IT ES IN 7.24% 19.40% 7.69% 0.88%
