Mediaboss Marketing

OPINION: Its fair to say the game has changed. As we emerge from lockdown, businesses at all levels are reeling from the economic shockwaves, with many industries still deep in the tunnel, where they may not see light for some time.

So what does marketing in a post-Covid world look like?

Due to the forced digitalisation, innovation and adaptation of many businesses and brands, we arent going back to normal as we know it. This shift in consumer attention has been coming for quite some time, but has been rapidly sped up by the pandemic.

Digital and social media are now in a position that parallels the importance of traditional advertising. As Kiwis are demanding more transparency, honesty and authenticity than ever before, businesses and brands need to step up to the mark. Were now entering an era of community-driven focus, that extends into an always-on approach to communication and content.

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An example of an extremely successful purpose-led business, that has capitalised on the growth of social media, is the UK-based retail brand Gymshark growing to a $500 million business in just seven years. Their strong, community-driven approach enables not just a business-to-consumer model of communication, but consumer-to-business as well. Over time, this has developed into an open two-way conservation with the brand engaging everyone from famous fitness influencers to casual joggers.

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Geoff Holmes is head of strategy at UNCO.

Social and digital media should be at the top of the marketing hierarchy.

Connection is king. The businesses and brands that can build an authentic relationship with their consumers will win the day. In a post-Covid world, Kiwis want to feel appreciated, respected and supported. Social media is the only place that offers this intimate space, where consumers can interact and feel part of a community social-first thinking should be front of mind.

At UNCO, wed implore all business owners and marketing managers to ask themselves this question: If you were your target consumer, would you follow and share your own social media content? And if so, why? This line of thinking is a great starting point to determine whether your strategy is ready for this new era of marketing. These three principals should remain at the core of your strategy: Value, authenticity, and community.

Once these principles are nailed, you will ensure a reliable source of revenue and conversions with your content and community initiatives.

Simply put, connection equals conversion.

Obviously this line of thinking impacts all aspects of marketing, from branding to customer service, but even more so how social media and content should be approached.

Over the last six months the social media landscape has changed so much. Facebook has just launched in-app shopping, rocketing the platform back to relevance when it was drifting towards mediocrity. Weve also recently seen a dethroning of the culture-defining Instagram platform, as users move on to the increasingly popular TikTok app now boasting more than 800 million users worldwide.

While all platforms are valuable to both businesses and brands to some degree. The decision to prioritise a certain direction over another, ultimately comes down to your consumer base.

Although TikTok is still relatively new and untested, it offers a real opportunity for those willing to innovate and think outside-of-the-box. It provides an opportunity to access popular culture and youth, ideal for those brands that desire to be iconic and future-proof themselves for the next few years as youd be right on the cutting edge of innovative marketing.

For retail, e-commerce and fast-moving consumer goods brands, utilising TikTok at this early stage could prove hugely beneficial given the rates of organic reach, brand awareness and cross-platform engagement. Consumer-facing export brands such as tourism would also be right at home, given its ability to market to both the eastern and western worlds whilst also taking advantage of our post-lockdown desire to get out and explore New Zealand, rather than heading to the islands for the 16th time.

Its fair to say there is an abundance of opportunity out there for those businesses and brands willing to be brave and try something new.

Geoff Holmes is head of strategy at UNCO, a market-leading social media agency that specialises in building loyal and profitable communities online. If you found this of some value, drop him a line.

More:
Businesses and brands will need to step up their social media strategy after Covid-19 - Stuff.co.nz