If you’re sick and tired of hearing about the coronavirus, I’ve got good news and bad news for you. Below, you’ll find a news roundup of some marketing and SEO articles I’ve found interesting and helpful.

The bad news: some of them are focused on marketing in a time of COVID-19.

The good news: some of them are not. And even those that are, probably have some ideas you can use even when this is over.

But you’ll be the best judge of that. Read on and decide for yourself!

Don’t Abandon Marketing During the Economic Downturn

There’s almost no industry that hasn’t been affected by the response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. While some have profited (hello, grocery stores and Amazon), others have been nearly crippled (travel and event planning).

As more companies are adjusting their budgets in response to economic difficulties, it might be tempting to cut out all marketing efforts. However, some experts warn against a “knee-jerk” response and recommend that companies maintain their marketing efforts. While this may be difficult now, and may require cutting fees and tightening budgets, being proactive with clients can yield greater success in the long run.

How to Build Your SEO Strategy During COVID-19

While COVID-19 has devastated the economy, this is an opportunity for marketers to refresh and adjust their strategies. For example, this is a perfect time for businesses to give more attention to their SEO. Some suggestions:

• Keep your website, social media, and Google Business accounts updated.
• Reach out to clients and customers and let them know how your business operations have been affected.
• If you have more downtime, use it to learn more about SEO and other ways you can improve your business and come back stronger.

Status of Marketing Agencies in 2020

Chicago-based Digital Third Coast recently conducted an analysis of more than 6,000 U.S. marketing agency business listings. The analysis looked at the business statistics of both traditional marketing/advertising agencies and digital agencies. Some of their findings, as described in Digital Information World, include:

• 77 percent currently employ 10-40 employees
• More than half of agencies are 5-19 years old
• Marketing agencies offer an average of 5 services each
• 60% of marketing agencies charge between $100-149 per hour

Be sure to check out their list of some of the most amusing taglines they included in the analysis. I think “BREEDING HUMANLIKE IDEAS” is my favorite.

Persistent SEO Myths You Can Ignore

In a recent article on Forbes, Damon Burton, founder of SEO National, listed eight SEO myths that should be abandoned. Is your business holding on to some of these unnecessary beliefs?

• You have to submit your website to Google to show up on search rankings.
• Quantity, not quality, is most important for backlinks.
• Meta keywords are a ranking factor for Google.
• You don’t need unique content; you can republish the same content found on other sites.

Check out the article to learn about the rest of the myths.

Need help developing quality marketing content?

That’s what I’m here for! If you’re struggling with your content marketing strategy, let’s talk. I help healthcare organizations and medical marketing professionals develop quality content that increases traffic, leads, and revenue.

Check out my content marketing ebook, “Essential Tips for a Powerful Content Marketing Strategy.” After that, feel free to connect on LinkedIn, as well!