Tow company online marketing in the midst of the uncertainties and unknowns of COVID-19 can seem insignificant. Business may be temporarily slowed, but it will bounce back and…
WE WILL RECOVER
All the while, you have to maintain the fundamentals of effective tow company online marketing to ensure you don’t lose your spot in “towing near me” searches. It can be easy to panic about the state of the economy, but now is the time to maintain and maximize your tow company online marketing. It will be a battle, but hold your ground, stick it out, and you will come out on top.
Below are several key aspects of effective online towing company marketing with insight into each as it relates to the coronavirus pandemic.
WEBSITE NOTIFICATIONS
Put a sentence or two in a prominent position on your towing website informing existing accounts and potential customers of your company’s status regarding COVID-19. People are likely wondering if your tow company is open or if you have put any preventative measures in place to address cleanliness and the spread of the virus.
LIFT MARKETING GROUP CLIENTS: If you want us to add a statement to your site, contact Dennis or Kevin and we’ll get it posted ASAP.
WEBSITE SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
It’s important to continue SEO best practices or even ramp up your SEO online marketing efforts during this time. This includes things like making sure your site if fast, mobile-responsive and mobile-friendly and is targeting the services and service area in which you hope to be found. There are two main reasons to prioritize this now:
1. It’s About The Long Haul – tow company SEO is still a long-term game and takes time to be at its most effective. Changes don’t happen overnight, so making these efforts now will ensure you maintain your online positions or jump ahead of your competition who might be lax about their SEO during these pandemic weeks and months.
2. It’s A Win-Lose Game – Unlike what Michael Scott learned in The Office, organic search is not a win-win-win On the contrary, the wins and losses you experience are balanced by the wins and losses of your competitors. Organic search is an active and competitive environment, so if you’re not moving ahead, you’re falling behind.
In 2009, in the wake of the financial crisis, we saw this principle to be the case – SEO marketing efforts made in a down economy paid off in the long run. The same is true now.
LIFT MARKETING GROUP CLIENTS: This is what our Full-Scale Fundamentals are all about. You’ve been investing in this since the day we started managing your online marketing, and we’re continually doing things behind the scenes to keep you ahead of the pack.
PAY-PER-CLICK (PPC)
If you’re spending a portion of your online marketing budget with Google Ads, Yelp Ads, or another PPC provider, make sure you keep a close eye on the overall performance. As indicated in the graphic below, we’re seeing swings in cost-per-click and overall click volume. This is always true, but is especially true now in this volatile and unpredictable market.
LIFT MARKETING GROUP CLIENTS: This is another element of your Full-Scale Fundamentals relationship. If you’ve got an Ads budget, we’re on it. If you’d like to discuss an adjustment to the value, please contact Dennis or Kevin to get the conversation started.
REVIEWS
As we detailed in a recent blog post, Google temporarily stopped posting new GMB reviews/replies/Q&A. This is a result of prioritizing health-related businesses and special hours/closures during the COVID-19 emergency. Users can post and see new reviews themselves, yet reviews posted on/after March 20 are not visible to the public.
For now direct customers to leave feedback in other important places like Facebook (or, dare we say, Yelp). This will round out overall review profiles and will continue to feed Google Search and Google Maps critical keyword phrases that will live on well beyond this virus.
LIFT MARKETING GROUP CLIENTS: Your Reviews page is already set up with links to these other platforms. If you’re a Level II or III partner, then know we’ve changed the review request flow. Instead of going directly to Google, folks are now directed to your website feedback widget and to Facebook.
SOCIAL MEDIA
In addition to your website, social media sites are great places to answer questions and inform the public of the efforts your towing company has made to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have created several graphics like the ones below that you can download and use on your social media sites.
LIFT MARKETING GROUP CLIENTS: If you’re a Level III partner, then know we’ve shifted your social media post tenor to match the current situation. In place of traditional promotional messages, you’ll see informative and community-focused posts.
KEEP ON KEEPING ON
Our current state of life and the towing industry will not stay this way. It will get better. People will get back on the road and the demand for tow trucks will go back up. There is a good chance people will initially fly less and drive more. There will be more older cars on the road as new cars sales will be slow to regain.
As we weather this storm for the next several weeks, it is important for towing companies to maintain and maximize online marketing efforts. Lay your groundwork now in order to reap the benefits at a time when we all give a collective sigh of relief that the worst is behind us.
