Human Nature and Why Free Covid Tests Went Viral

This week the US government launched the website to order free at-home COVID tests, and it was basically impossible to not hear about it. Someone shared it on the EMBA WhatsApp class of 2022 chat and immediately many students chimed in with a note of thanks. After placing my own order, in under a minute, I quickly passed it onto my husband, to tell him to share it with his uncle. He had just complained he was having trouble finding tests after an exposure. It’s easy to see why and how so many folks wanted to share this link with friends and family. In a time when there isn’t a lot we can do to support one another on the logistics of the pandemic, this feels like an easy win. NYTimes journalist Shira Ovide shares that human behaviorists believe “the test kit website may have gone viral for some of the same reasons that a Black Friday sale can spread quickly: It makes us feel good to tell others something that may be helpful — especially if the information feels like secret knowledge — and we tend to trust people we know more than experts.” The virality of help is addicting – it feels good to share good or helpful news, especially with those of whom we care most deeply. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/technology/free-covid-tests.html?searchResultPosition=1

Has the Pandemic Really Accelerated Digital Marketing Trends?

Jessica Hawthorne-Castro of Adweek argues that not only has the pandemic accelerated remote work and our adoption of delivery and home-based services, it has also accelerated digital marketing trends by up to a decade.

Her belief is that although millennials and younger generations were already online and using mobile to high degree, the experience of being homebound for months pushed older generations online to a greater degree for entertainment, work and social interactions. "Favorite engagement points included online video, pay-per-click advertising, social, CTV/OTT, sponsored content, mobile and email," she says.

Though she provides no evidence for this hypothesis, this is not an unreasonable supposition. More people at home means more people online. However, Hawthorne-Castro does not acknowledge the impact of the Apple's recent privacy changes and the threat of regulation from government.  Apple's changes alone significantly impacted Snapchat's reported earnings and share price, taking other social media giants with it.  

But Facebook and Google and resting on their laurels, and are beginning to develop alternative approaches to reaching targeted audiences without relying on cookies and targeting individuals.

However, in my opinion, this could actually drive up barriers to entry into offering digital marketing solutions, removing new entrants, and thus creating a situation where there is less innovation, because there is less competition. So my counter question is, have trends been accelerated, or have privacy changes and the threat of regulation entrenched a duopoly that might result in a decline in innovation in digital marketing overall?  

Time will tell.

How to increase the value exchange of email marketing in covid-19?

In my opinion, SEM is using the appropriate keywords to increase CTR when people’s intent is high. By contrast, display ads is delivering more interesting and nice-to-know information to increase CTR when people’s intent is low. Apart from them, email is to building the value exchange of subscription. Therefore, in covid-19, when people‘s values change drastically from emphasizing appearance to focusing on comfortability, what can email marketing do to keep engaging the customers?

Firstly, we need to catch the most important change - people pay more attention to their internal and try best to feel comfortable. Therefore, exclusive contents, such as how to organize the room, how to recycle the outdated goods and what is needed to make WFH more efficient, are indeed good information to deliver.

Secondly, reminder emails are more needed than before. Personalized reminders responding to “life cycle” can be more frequent. As people are trapped at home and have lost a lot of contacts with the outside world, they are more likely to forget to buy the goods in one specific point of “life cycle”. For example, when a moisturizer runs out they are more likely to find a substitute nearby instead of buying new. Therefore, a reminder to use coupons triggering customers buying new one is more necessary.

On the whole, in order to increase the value exchange of email marketing in covid-19, the content of email marketing should focus more on comfortability and the reminding points along “life cycle” should be more frequent.

Marketers Helping Small Business in a Time of Need

As a small business owner that had to suspend operations and lay off my entire staff, I can attest that these are trying times--the likes of which I have never seen.  In such a difficult time each and every dollar that a small business owner spends is agonized over, and unfortunately, marketing is often the first casualty as it is by its very essence, a bet placed on the future.  Right now, I'm not willing to bet on the (immediate) future.

Yet even in this gloomy time there are rays of sunshine peaking through the clouds.  Search Engine Land reported on digital marketers and consultants offering their services to small businesses for free.  A couple of the offerings they highlighted:

Lily Ray is serving as a matchmaker for digital marketing professionals and small business owners here - https://lilyray.nyc/seo-and-digital-marketing-support-for-coronavirus/

Footprint Digital's Chris green has a similar setup focused on helping non-digital small businesses get online here - https://helpingsmallbiz.co.uk/.

Joe Youngblood, a marketing consultant established
https://gainlocal.net/small-business-coronavirus-relief-program/

Somewhat surprisingly, demand for these free services seems to be lagging behind supply and willingness to help.   My guess is that small business owners are simply not aware of the free offerings and helping hands standing by.  So if you know anyone that needs any help, please spread the good news!

We're all in this together.  Stay calm and keep marketing my friends.

Full article from Search Engine Land below.
https://searchengineland.com/search-marketers-are-volunteering-services-support-to-help-small-businesses-get-through-covid-19-331722