Marketing Lessons From Lockdown
Lockdown has taught us all some new lessons in a very short space of time.We're all trying to make sense of the situation and how the changing rules affect us, especially when it comes to work. Many marketing agencies have been working effectively from home, and there is a lot of project management and team management software out there for us to use; by and large an agency can continue to operate as normal, just not from the same physical office. Digital marketing streams are best suited to the current situation as they are by nature remote – postal and outdoor advertising is less effective in the current climate because there isn't the footfall on the streets and many people are worried about the infection risk of posted items.
Digital marketing can be much more cost effective than other channels and is clearly the most effective at the moment. Businesses may divert some advertising budget away from more traditional channels and towards more digital activity, while agencies will be looking at how they can adapt their approach for each client.
Video calling and virtual events have quickly become the norm, and there's no reason why this trend won't continue even after lockdown ends.It is efficient, reduces the overheads associated with running a physical office, and provides a good level of interaction between agencies and clients. It's also a style of communication which businesses, such as consultancies and legal teams, can use to interact with their clients. This can be leveraged by having well thought out backgrounds for video calls – a whiteboard is ideal for allowing information sharing and brainstorming opportunities, and it can be used as a presentable background. A well-presented video call can have the same positive impact on your reputation as a good face to face meeting, while a call with no structure, or where people are obviously only half dressed could really damage your reputation and even drive potential customers elsewhere.
How a business looks after its customers at this time is a great marketing angle.We know that companies who have responded in a manner at odds with the national psyche may face boycotts in the future, and their competitors may well leverage those failings to promote themselves as a more ethical alternative. Similarly, companies who have handled the pandemic well can draw on that success for future marketing campaigns.
Some businesses have had to change their route to market quite significantly, especially food production. With low demand from the hospitality sector, wholesalers have had to divert their stock to a new customer base, and work out how to do that in the face of challenging circumstances. This means new advertising channels need to be used, new campaigns created quickly, and trying to do this alongside running your business is incredibly challenging. Using a marketing agency to take this project on for you frees up your time for the day to day running of your company while keeping your marketing running and managed by a single source.
Despite lockdown being eased, it could be many months before business gets back to something resembling normal and in the meantime a lot will change. We will develop and adapt to new ways of working which could be more beneficial all round than the way things were being done before. We might see a huge decline in outdoor advertising and a shift to online, mobile and social media marketing.Whatever the challenges, Parua will be at the front leading the way in the new normal.
