It’s been a long time coming. Remove COVID-19 from the equation, and a financial recession was always a major threat to the economic market. However, as businesses across the UK come to terms with the ‘new normal’ following a devastating pandemic, UK businesses are now facing their biggest financial challenge in almost 100 years.
It would be difficult to place a positive spin on a recession. We’re not here to turn every negative into a positive. Instead, let’s take a step back, reassess the situation and place resources into areas that will not only assist with survival, but help your business thrive.
How can businesses utilise digital marketing during the recession to pull through the other side stronger than ever? Digital content will always be key for any modern-day business. So, ask yourself a simple question. If your customers can’t find you and your content, how can they buy from you?
Content will always be key, but what exactly do we mean by that? Content ranges from blog posts, articles to images, video, and just about anything else that could be seen, consumed, and digested by people potentially interested in your product or service.
The challenge is maintaining a consistent content stream across your channels – ensuring that your brand and your business are regularly in the consumer’s eye. Why is this important during a recession? It keeps the customer informed, it highlights the strength of your business and demonstrates an active, engaging role in the market.
Double down on social
Social media seems to be the answer to every question in digital marketing. Since the introduction of lockdown, social media usage has been extensively monitored by tech companies around the globe – giving us an accurate picture of social media trends.
Statistics concerning screen time have shown some really interesting findings, namely in the amount of time spent staring at devices. With plenty of people stuck either working or isolating at home, there’s been a spike in the amount of time spent on social apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
The trend of more people staying at home is set to stay throughout the start of the recession, with more people staying at home with both remote work and redundancies beginning to creep in. With so many people staring at their phones, doubling down, or at the very least, turning attention to any business’s social channels is a marketing hack that all will benefit from. It pays to pay attention to social apps.
Customers are people too
It’s all too common that brands judge success by a spike in social media numbers and a short-term rise in sales. Yet businesses would do well to recognize that their customers will be affected by the recession. Medium to long-term digital solutions are needed to survive and ultimately prosper later down the line.
With digital marketing as a tool, your business can empathise with your customers. Whether they’re down on their luck, or looking to build in a shrinking economy, businesses regularly benefit from returning customers due to reliable, trustworthy and human content.
The formula to online success? Stay empathetic, stay social, and keep interacting with your potential clients and existing customers. Demonstrate that your business is the certain, reliable figure that can help them during such an unprecedented time.
Remember, a website works harder than any employee.
It’s not only a fun little tidbit to slip into a marketing conversation, but this figure of speech holds true and makes us think time and time again. However, the statement is only valid if your business website is of high quality. Yes granted, not all sectors have the same needs. What works for a retail and e-commerce site won’t be the same for hospitality and leisure. Regardless, whatever your business sector, a website needs to radiate with quality content, forward-thinking design and user functionality.
Everything from the user experience, mobile capability, images and fonts used should be carefully considered, ensuring that your website rises above competitors. A strong website, straightforward user journey, and intelligent call to action will illuminate your business apart.
Outsourcing digital marketing
A dedicated digital marketing team in place to help with everything on the web, such as Digital Allies, is often the ideal next step for businesses.
Outsourcing doesn’t just mean getting the outstanding work from industry experts in their field to maximise your business. Leading marketing teams, arrive with a wealth of benefits beyond the sales package and obvious benefits – meaning you can relax safely in the knowledge that your business is in the hands of an award-winning digital team.
The takeaway
It’s in these times, more than ever, that businesses must evaluate and adapt. While many will chase short-term solutions to stay alive, digital marketing is a solution that not only provides consistent results from the offset but increases your business’ longevity in that sector.
Enhancing your social media offering, focusing on engaging content creation and ensuring a strong web presence with a top-quality website and an SEO strategy in place will give any business a real fighting chance in the coming years.
There’s so much that digital marketing can do; all you have to do is start.
