As social distancing continues, B2C consumer packaged goods brands must reach audiences online. Take a look at four best practices in media campaigns.

How to Attract More Customers Online | Union

How to Attract More Customers Online – and at Home

While states are beginning to lift restrictions on businesses across the country, social distancing is still in effect. Which means audiences can still largely be found in their homes – and spending time online.
For B2C <a href="https://cms.union.co/industries/food-beverage">consumer packaged goods brands</a>, we’ve already pointed out the importance of maintaining momentum with your social media campaigns (hint: people are spending more time online and may be <a href="https://union.co/articles/remote-digital-agency">viewing</a> up to 60% more content). But what about best practices while you’re reaching your audience on social and search? 
“What’s interesting right now in the whole marketing landscape is how quickly new best practices are emerging,” said Amanda Zwerin, Paid Search Specialist (formerly Paid Media Strategist). “And from an industry standpoint, how quickly everyone is pivoting and reacting.”
The number one goal for consumer packaged goods brands continues to be driving sales. But how to reach more customers online while they’re at home? From paid social to creative alignment with reality, here are four best practices for brands to keep in mind while they continue to roll out media campaigns.

Here’s your chance to <a href="https://union.co/services/performance-media/paid-social-media">target the audience</a> you want while you know they’re getting extra screen time in.
“While everyone’s at home and spending a lot of time online, it’s a good time to engage with those people and build brand awareness,” Zwerin said. “It’s about getting that mix of personalized engagement and reaching business goals.”
Other key business goals brands can focus on right now through paid social are website traffic and conversions. 
To accomplish that, Zwerin said, “It’s important to focus on providing value. Be sure to use less salesy language that only focuses on shopping online versus in-store. Instead, shift your messaging to emphasize the concept of taking care of yourself, or providing some other sort of personal value.”

Push paid social media posts

Focus on strategic creative that positions products in a thoughtful way, too. “Show ways people can incorporate your product into their new reality of life,” Zwerin said. “For example, a product that fits into a fitness lifestyle can be incorporated into messaging and creative emphasizing at-home workouts, rather than gym workouts.”Showcase your product in a way that matches people’s expectations of social distancing right now. In copy, that also includes offering options for shopping online. While businesses may be opening in phases, not every shopper will be willing to navigate the in-store experience for a while.Our Copy Supervisor John Pope pointed out how important a brand’s tone is lately. His current rule for promo copy: Be a little less.“Consumers across the board are projecting so much of their own life and feelings into what they are reading online, you don't need to overcompensate,” Pope said. “So, if you want your brand to sound sentimental, be a little less sentimental. If you want to sound clever, turn it down just a notch. Now is not the time for brands to be overdramatic online."

Align creative with your consumers’ reality

To drive your business goals, online deals can help boost sales. Discounts add that extra value for the consumer. Not only are they able to get this product online from the comfort and safety of their homes, but they can save at a time that consumers may be feeling tighter on cash. As of May 3,<a href="https://www.wjhg.com/content/news/570159022.html"> more than 30 million people</a> have filed for unemployment since businesses started cutting costs due to COVID-19.“Promotions allow brands to be relevant to a consumer who is price-conscious, shopping-adverse and philanthropically inclined,” said our Social Media Supervisor Elaina Moore. “Merging all those things into one promotion can allow a brand to impact their community, sales and brand awareness.”Advertising promotions can also help brands gain footing in a competitive, yet uncertain market.Moore said, “These promotions can showcase a brand’s mission in action, impact the community and allow them to be a part of a relevant topic that might otherwise leave them vulnerable to other brands taking the share of voice in their industry.”

Emphasize promotions and deals when possible

Are you answering the right queries through search engines lately? “Make sure you’re capturing terms that talk about how to buy online,” Zwerin said. “Start looking at keywords that might have previously not worked well, but that might work well in this new, more digital environment.” For example, a keyword like “best restaurant dining in Charlotte” may now be overshadowed in search volume by a term like “best restaurant takeout in Charlotte.”“This is an extreme example of seasonality, and seasonality is a huge thing in search terms,” Zwerin said. “This is a prolonged season that can impact search term trends and reveal new terms.”These are just a few of the best practices we’ve seen emerge from the marketing landscape. And we can expect so many more changes to come. Ready to go more in-depth with these best practices? <a href="https://union.co/contact">Contact us</a>.

Update paid search campaigns with relevant search terms

Valtech + Union is a creative &amp; performance marketing agency that creates omni-channel campaigns, unleashing creativity on a data-driven world, helping brands produce memorable, measurable and repeatable results. Obsessed with data-driven performance, we believe every marketing dollar should be viewed as an investment. Our clients expect a meaningful return and we prove the ROI of our work with quantifiable data.

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