Five Lessons Businesses Can Learn About Lockdowns

In the past few weeks, we were faced with the threat of the Covid-19 and various lockdowns across Australia. Admittedly, these restrictions have forced some businesses to close or creatively adapt to changing times temporarily. Marketers have been quick to rethink their strategies to keep up and thrive despite the ongoing situation. What are the lessons businesses have learned from these ongoing lockdowns?

Learn To Adapt

When the pandemic hit, everyone struggled. Suppose there is one major lesson in this ongoing situation of seemingly endless lockdowns. One of them is that businesses can be flexible, and there are creative ways to market products and services amid the restrictions. One proof of successful business adaptation is the thriving of digital marketing, particularly on e-commerce and social media.

Think Online and Offline

While some businesses have struggled in their transition to digital, some have flourished online. According to Australia Post - Inside Australian Online Shopping - eCommerce Industry Report 2021, 1.36 million Aussie households shopped online for the first time in 2020, and it is projected to grow in the future. But remember that these restrictions are not forever, and thus keeping an equilibrium between your online and offline strategies must be kept in place.

Be Even More Relatable

With the movement restrictions and stay-at-home orders, most consumers have resorted to social media sharing their stories and pouring their emotions. When consumers are feeling the most vulnerable and fragile, being emphatic and relatable is very important. According to a research report conducted by Integral Ad Science (IAS) citing ‘The Impact of Stay-at-Home Behaviours on CTV,’ it is mentioned that ‘almost 6 out of 10 Australian respondents said they prefer high-quality ads that are relatable to them.

Humanise Your Approach

Speaking of being more relatable, it is also important to tap your customer’s inner core. It may be cliche, but tapping emotions has become one of the strategies the brands have been utilising since the rise of social media platforms. This pandemic has taught marketers to have a humanised approach in creating content and focus more on the behaviours, goals, and needs of their target audience first and foremost. Humanising your content is key.

Go Where The Customers Are

In the same report from Integral Ad Science (IAS), it is reported that 78% of consumers mentioned they have increased their consumption of streaming content at the onset of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend means that to get more customers towards your brand, go where they are. Advertising in the digital realm hit a big-time high as the pandemic situation goes on. In Australia, digital advertising leads the recovery of the Australian advertising market with recorded a growth of 24.2%, the strongest since 2016, according to an article from thedrum.com.

References:

https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/ecommerce-industry-report-2021.pdf

https://blog.ultimate-uk.com/the-top-3-digital-marketing-lessons-we-learned-from-lockdown

https://www.yellow.com.au/business-hub/6-marketing-lessons-we-can-take-away-from-lockdowns

https://auspost.com.au/business/business-ideas/business-stories/cue-fashion-styling-online

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/08/23/digital-advertising-leading-the-recovery-the-australian-advertising-market