It’s no lie that COVID has forever changed our behaviour online.
With more and more people spending time online over the last year and a half, brands have had to adapt their business strategies to prioritise increasing their online presence to stay profitable.
As a London digital advertising agency, you may ask yourself “what do I need to do to adapt to this new consumer behaviour?”
While there is more opportunity to reach the consumer, the new challenge marketers face is getting them to take action.
As people become increasingly accustomed to these digital platforms, they may become disengaged from marketing campaigns and messages that previously grabbed their attention might not have the same pull.
For marketers, the plethora of data collected in the pandemic allows us to see the trends that emerged from both agency and consumer online habits. From this, we can see what needs to be the focus for the following stages of the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.
You Always Need SEO
In terms of clients behaviour, there was an increased demand for SEO services. In addition, most clients opted to increase expenditure as websites aimed to improve their search engine rankings to take full advantage of the increase in online shopping.
To keep up with the highly competitive SEO sector, businesses should emphasise long-tail keywords to target their niche market. When paired with high-quality content, this is a step away from the now generic “top tip guides” and “how-to” articles and a great way to differentiate from competitors.
The Power Of The Influencer
Surprisingly, influencers prevailed during the lockdown and have proven themselves to be highly resilient. Moreover, they are now even more vital to business due to the surge in online shopping.
However, you want to be careful to partner with individuals or organisations that will benefit your business.
We saw a range of influencers who flouted the rules during lockdown to promote products with no real integral value during this period. The unnecessary risks of these promotions were deemed silly and irresponsible, resulting in a poorer overall impression of the brand and, in turn, a poorer conversion rate.
When pairing with influencers, ensure they align with your brand values and that their fan base can relate to the products or services you provide. It’s also important to consider how they interact with their fans and how they’ve promoted business in the past.
Brand Affinity and Advocacy
Most businesses that were forced to shut down during the pandemic and could not deliver their regular services or products switched focus on their marketing efforts.
For some, this included providing helpful information that was not always directly related to their business but instead was integral to their target audience, e.g. clothing brands sharing information about working from home.
Brands that do this successfully can forge a connection with their customer, ultimately driving affinity, advocacy and building a lasting relationship rather than just a one-time purchase.
As some marketers return to their standard marketing strategies, it is essential not to forget about building this affinity with customers to retain their loyalty.
Demonstrating Your Worth
For digital marketers, it’s now more crucial than ever to stand out from the competition and demonstrate the value of the services or products you offer.
Digital marketing will likely become a more crowded space, so ensure that you position your agency as a strategic partner and show your potential clients that you are more than just another service provider.
The digital marketing space is ever-changing. No one knows what the next trend will be. However, the pandemic has granted marketers an opportunity to explore more avenues besides sales metrics.
Whilst marketers may feel required to up their game, clients are more open to new suggestions and strategies. So use this momentum to truly engage with your consumer in a new and innovative way.
