As both a consumer and a strategist for a leading digital marketing agency, I have been fortunate to look at this Covid-19 pandemic from two very different views.
The world as we know it has changed and to say that everything will go back to the way it once was, is a fairy tale. Never-before in our generation have we been forced to completely rethink our daily routines, spending habits, and social interactions, which have up until now, required little thought.
Covid-19 has made us re-evaluate the importance of most things in our lives. It’s encouraged us to become more aware of the things that we feel are necessary to survive, in order-to get through this extremely difficult time. Consumer discretionary spending has either slowed down or for a lot of people, has come to a complete and abrupt halt, and as-a-result has caused a significant down-turn in the economy.
Social distancing laws have meant that businesses have either shut down completely or have been forced to operate remotely and in doing so, has meant that most businesses have seen sharp declines in sales and business enquiries. These swift reductions in sales and enquiries have seen businesses take drastic steps to save whatever little they have left to keep their businesses afloat.
For most businesses, when panic sets in, it’s usually advertising and marketing budgets that are most likely to be impacted. Businesses often think that by reducing or even cutting their advertising and marketing budgets, will save them money and help their businesses survive. Unfortunately, this way of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth. When a digital media agency is advised to pause all advertising and marketing, it stops a businesses’ ability to secure new sales enquiries, and you are potentially cutting off its pipeline of opportunity. But what is most damaging for businesses who adopt this approach, is that the longer they implement this cost-cutting method, the longer their business will take to recover, once this Covid-19 pandemic subsides.
What the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us, is that due to isolation laws, there are more and more people searching for products and services online. And our digital agency in Sydney has been able to highlight these tremendous increases in search volumes to our clients, across a wide range of industry sectors. Our digital agency has identified that the consumer appetite for a variety of products and services, is still very much alive, but more importantly our digital advertising agency has seen our clients’ online sales increase by as much as 300% in this time.
This type of online growth has seen many businesses change the way they do business. From typically selling their products through bricks and mortar stores, to selling their products online. For service based businesses, people have been presenting and doing business via video meeting platforms like Zoom, and as-a-consequence have still managed to keep providing quotes in the hope to secure new business. Although the streets have been quiet and a lot of businesses across the board have and are still struggling, there is a certain need and opportunity at-the-moment to capitalise on this new norm of doing business.
As a digital marketing agency in Sydney, we have a tremendous cross-section of clients, and although there was panic in the first week or so of the lock-down, we have been able to quickly adapt and implement digital marketing services, which are able to take full advantage of the crisis. In some cases, we have increased client advertising budgets, because of the type of products they sell online, and they have seen tremendous increases in revenue. In other instances, we have reduced online advertising budgets to focus more on online marketing services which will meet their long-term brand awareness objectives. Our marketing agency in Sydney, has been able to apply various marketing techniques to ensure every-one of our clients have been able to adjust their digital marketing approach to suit this new environment.
Our team of designers, marketers and developers have been very busy helping our clients take full advantage of the opportunities which lay ahead. And you might be wondering, what are the opportunities for businesses which have come out of the Covid-19 pandemic:
- We have created virtual meeting enquiry forms to still capture potential enquiries for our clients who are not able to meet on site to provide quotes, but are still able to produce quotes remotely
- Created additional content for client websites, to improve their search engine ranking results, through SEO services.
- Redefied our clients online advertising budgets to focus on audience building, to ensure our clients’ brands are top of mind with their customers, which is important for maintaining awareness in the marketplace
Our online marketing agency is lucky to positioned at the forefront of this pandemic, when it comes to evaluating consumer sentiment and spending habits. The digital marketing results and data we have collected during this time, has enabled us to understand how brands can effectively connect with their audiences, not just for now, but for long after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides.
We have noticed some very interesting trends during this time, but what is most exciting to see, is how we as consumers have banded together and have now re-evaluated what is truly important to us and what we genuinely need in our lives. If anything, this virus has encouraged us to get back to basics and this has been evident in how we consume content online. Do we want to see celebrities telling us that we are all in this together, from their luxurious homes? No, we don’t! Do we want to be bombarded with advertising from influencers who are out of touch with their audience and are more interested in how many fans they have? Certainly not!
But what is truly interesting during this time of uncertainty, is that people are still happy to spend money on items which they may not necessarily need but will make them happy. These little luxuries or items which can put a smile peoples’ faces, demonstrates that we have not lost hope, and although the bulk of our spending will be directed towards essential items, there is still an appetite for items which provide pleasure and can give us something to look forward to.
As being a content marketing agency, we can deduce that our audiences are reacting very positively to our marketing content, which is beneficial to their lives, and not just an ideology of something which doesn’t matter or has no substance. Now, I am not saying that we as consumers don’t want to see any advertising which may be quite aspirational, but what we have noticed across the board, is that if a product or service offers true value, then it will be welcomed by consumers.
What does this mean for digital marketing services after COVID-19?
- Our messaging needs to be more targeted now than ever before
- We need to understand the persona of the new consumer post Covid-19
- The content we deliver needs to have substance and provide true value
- We still need to focus our efforts on long-term growth strategies
- Building trust & recognition between brands and consumers is critical
- Brands have now realised there are new ways to operate their businesses
- Innovation should now be front and centre in any business operation
- SEO services are absolutely-vital post Covid-19 for long-term growth
- Digital marketing services like Google Advertising should complement SEO not dominate advertising budgets
- Websites are more important now than ever before, as this is the first touch point
RGC Digital Marketing is a digital marketing agency in Sydney, who has been delivering online marketing services to brands since 1998. We have seen many advancements over the years, and with these advancements have come an overload in how we consume content. However, what is extremely exciting is how the basics haven’t and will not change post Covid-19, and that consumers will want to continue to rely on brands whom they trust, with products and services which are reliable and can add tremendous value to their lives as-a-whole.
Consumers don’t want to listen to influencers who don’t share their sentiments and they certainly don’t want to continually see the same brands advertising the same things on the same channels, with little thought for their audiences, just because they have money to throw at it.
The brands that will adopt this simple approach and keep their audiences top of mind will certainly be rewarded for years to come!
