Our landlines have been ringing off the hook for over a week. Everyone has been feeling the effects of the astronomical phenomenon called Mercury retrograde, which started March 22 and runs through April 15, 2018. This three-and-a-half-week period takes place three times per year. During Mercury retrograde the planet closest to the sun appears to us earthlings to be moving backwards (though this is an illusion caused by the fact that Mercury moves much faster in its orbit around the sun than the earth). Many people feel that this phenomenon causes challenges around clear communication, especially in relationships and travel plans. But did you know that it should also completely alter how you approach your digital marketing strategy?
From social media feeds rolling backwards to spam blockers rejecting all newsletters, people want to know How will Mercury retrograde and the full moon affect my digital marketing strategies and what can I do?
We’re here to tell you! Here are our top five pieces of advice for your digital marketing strategies to have a fighting chance of success during Mercury retrograde.
- Pause your shop. Are you running an e-commerce site? We suggest avoiding any sales during this time. Reject the impulse to take your store offline. Instead, set up an automated response letting potential customers know that you would love to sell them your product, but you have to wait until April 16 to do so. It’s a two-way street—they’ll really appreciate you watching out for them and you’ll avoid mistakes that might damage your online reputation.
- Invest in neon. Local SEO is critical, especially if you have a brick and mortar shop and foot traffic encompasses a large section of your business. (We even wrote a blog about it.) During this time, people will not be able to find you. They could be looking straight into your window, phone in hand, and they will not know it is your place of business. They’ll circle the block for hours, asking other shop owners where you’re located. No one will be able to tell them. Amp up the signage surrounding your store or office. We’re talking neon, a Tube Man, and at least a dozen sandwich boards. It won’t work, of course, but at least you’ve done all you can.
- “Likes” a-plenty. Since Mercury retrograde is a time to take stock of past experiences, you’ll find yourself going down the rabbit hole of social media. If you are already looking up former coworkers from years ago to see what they’re up to now, investigating the musical interests of friends from elementary school, and re-engaging with anyone you’ve ever met—you might as well invite them to “like” your business page.
- Ask at least ten people to edit your content calendar and then hit delete. Once you develop your content calendar for your blog, social media, and newsletter (and we do hope this kind of calendar is part of your process), have at least ten people from various backgrounds meticulously edit it and infuse longform personal opinions into the content. You want to be 100% sure that there can be no two ways to read any of your messages. We don’t want your brand identity to suffer one bit. Then delete it all. It’s good practice, but it will most likely come off the wrong way. And it’s better to have no content than content that doesn’t get across your message.
- Throw your keyword research out the window. It’s the beginning of spring and you’ll likely want to give your website content an SEO refresh. Content optimization is typically very important, but not now. No keyword will feel quite right and all of the data in your Keyword Planner will appear to be crawling around, like roaches, every which way. You’ll find anomalies in your Google AdWords Search Terms Report, such as visitors spending more than 12 seconds on your company history page. So strange.
Phew. There you have it. Just a few tips to get you and your digital marketing efforts through another Mercury retrograde.
Also keep in mind that the next full moon is March 31. While Mercury retrograde causes us to feel nostalgia, a full moon reinvigorates us to start anew with a clean slate. So go ahead—clear your browser cache. You’ve been holding onto downloaded elements for far too long. It’s time to let go.
We wish you the best for your digital marketing during Mercury retrograde. Take things slow and remember that wires can easily get crossed. But, then again, who uses wires much these days?
Happy April 1st!
