It’s May 20 as I write this blog and to be honest, I’ve been Googling and writing coronavirus-content since March… I miss writing about legal practices that have nothing to do with the “global health crisis” or this “fear of the unknown”. But, as you can tell from the title of this blog, I’m going to keep talking and writing about COVID-19.
I’ve dubbed myself the Corona Content Queen here at ENX2 Marketing because I have been writing about the novel coronavirus for an array of clients for months now. You may be asking yourself, “But Sarah, why do law firms need to write about coronavirus?” or “Sarah, coronavirus has impacted more than the healthcare industry and businesses being opened?” Yes, dear reader. Coronavirus has taken over just about everything about business practice. Even content marketing.
If you’re like me, you let out an audible groan at the sight of a headline that uses terms like, “chaos” and “devastation,” or even fear tactics of calling out pre-existing conditions to make some of us, *cough ME cough*, worry about things we’ve already been worrying about. (I’m looking at you, Guardian.) And why do we despise it so? Because it doesn’t help solve anything!
And while we live in this fake news era, it’s not only important that we are mindful of the headlines we share across social media, but we as lawyers, small business owners, restaurateurs, etc. must be mindful of our marketing practices.
So what do we do? For our team at ENX2 Marketing, we’re constantly brainstorming ways we can help clients through this time without mistakenly capitalizing on fear. Because organizations are doing it. (How many ads for $100+ face masks and hand sanitizer have you seen on social media?) And while it’s our job to be sensitive to the current situation, Google has also been looking out for consumers by prohibiting certain types of ads.
According to Google Advertising Policies, there are categories of content that have been deemed inappropriate by the powers that be in the Google Headquarters. This includes content like:
- Dangerous or derogatory content
- Shocking content
- Sensitive events
- Animal cruelty
COVID-19 falls in that sensitive events category. So what does that mean for your content? Quite a bit, actually.
Google is constantly updating who can make ads that are relevant to COVID-19 and use those related terms. Right now, the only entities eligible for such ads include:
- Government organizations
- Healthcare providers
- Non-governmental organizations
- Intergovernmental organizations
- Verified election ads advertisers
- Managed private sector accounts with a history of policy compliance
So, for example, a law firm who specializes in wrongful death, maybe wanting to make an ad on Google or even social media where similar rules apply, saying: “Has Your Loved One Died As a Result of Inadequate COVID-19 Testing? You May Have a Claim.”
Chances are they can’t do that.
But, what they can do is write a blog about wrongful death claims. Or, they can start using organic social media posts to share practice pages from their firm. They can make videos about how to file a claim.
They just can’t use the words coronavirus.
Granted, I can use coronavirus, COVID-19, global health crisis, etc. in a blog that won’t be attached to an ad. But as soon as you slap a dollar amount on it, things get sticky.
But, don’t fret! Your content marketing doesn’t have to shift focus because of these restrictions–which truly are changing all the time.
Organic traffic, utilizing SEO, posting organic content on social media– that all can be just as impactful and important to your content marketing strategy, even without the ads.
And, when the restrictions are lifted on ads, you can soon let people know that you are here for their COVID-19 claims, needs, questions, etc. in the ad form.
And I, the self-proclaimed Corona Content Queen, will be here to assist you in all of your content marketing needs during this uneasy, uncertain, tumultuous, time.
Contact the content marketing experts at ENX2 Marketing if you have questions on legal marketing at this time.
