The post-pandemic era is dawning, an era rich in opportunities. Despite the many complex challenges which we have faced over the past eighteen months, we have also been able to innovate and create in ways which we wouldn’t have dreamt of before, this has often enriched our approach to business.
For those brands seeking to endure, our response to the economic downturn we experienced and the restrictions placed upon how we worked and how we interacted with our customers during COVID-19 will have a lasting legacy. During the pandemic, survival tactics that were adopted caused brands to sink or swim. Some of the hard-learned lessons include the importance of community, lateral market positioning and solution-orientated strategy reorganisation.
Strong business leaders need to reinvent their cultures to adjust to the new post-pandemic reality, necessity is the mother of invention. By targeting a defensible market segment, a business model can be tailored to capture and dominate that specific market share. Defined as the largest wealth transfer in human history, huge profits have been achieved in the face of Covid's repressive conditions, dramatically accelerating market fragmentation and demanding segment-specific targeting as a response.
Successful businesses choose to either focus on customer value or aim to reduce costs to appeal to wider audiences. So many industries have been marginalised throughout the global lockdown, from live events, hospitality, travel and film, and for them, conceptualising pivotal and progressive opportunities is essential if they are to survive. Method asks ‘how can your brand cater to a post-pandemic society and where can it add value?’
The Zoom Economy
Before the pandemic, the value of online versus in-person customer contact was significantly undervalued. With the post-Covid shift now levelling the value of online, virtualising, digitising and dematerialising has become the new marketing mantra all brands must adopt if they are to thrive. The focus on managing social content effectively is of increased importance. Social media has become critical to effective marketing during the pandemic.
Successful businesses must ensure social media strategies are integrated into their overarching marketing strategy. Be familiar with new features available on each socials platform. From Instagram Reels to TikTok business, familiarising yourself with these features and remaining at the forefront of change will elevate your brand. Communicate your brand story at every opportunity so that the experience of your business can still feel familiar, intimate and identifiable to your customer rather than remote and unengaged.
Aspire to communicate and offer opportunities to your audiences that feel wide-ranging yet targeted. Continually refine processes by which your product or service can be effectively communicated to remote clients, investors and audiences. Your social platforms are public spaces representing your brand 24/7 so make sure your content is informed and on point. Zoom, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram in truth, any online meeting place offers unique opportunities to increase followers, make sales and forge partnerships.
Start your own company vlogs or podcast.
Did you know podcasts and vlogs are the fastest and easiest way to increase SEO? An organic strategy to help build clients and bolster content, podcasts and vlogs can attract thousands of followers, led to your brand through shared interests, both professional and informal. If you haven't yet checked out Method's podcast series 'Behind the Madness' you simply must. We enjoy creating conversions based on our passion, graphic design and marketing.
The opportunity to contribute to wider cultural conversations is integral to post-pandemic survival. iTunes, YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, or whichever podcast or vlog platform you choose, remember that today so many teams are working remotely, opting to maximise productivity by digesting background content while working. Whichever format you choose, ensure your set-up looks, sounds and feels high spec. From recording software to ring lights and cameras, build a studio with an unforgettable and impactful jingle or branded background.
Embrace the opportunities virtual reality can offer.
Over the past ten years, technology’s accelerated integration into society has been facilitated through an obsessive dependence on handheld devices and remote socialising platforms. Much of business is now conducted in the virtual realm. Pair this with the pandemics drive for brands to build remote immersive experiences, brands are constantly looking for opportunities to connect with clients and audiences beyond social media platforms, and strides are already notable in the world of real estate and music, virtual viewings and concerts now commonplace. The brands not offering these opportunities within these industries will potentially lose out on sales.
Virtual conferences, tourism and healthcare consultations are rapidly developing, with the virtual reality market predicting growth from $6.1 billion in 2020 to $20.9 billion by 2025. Both intimate and immersive, VR will place your brand front and centre of your audience.
Embrace Cryptocurrency
A configuration of payment that can be exchanged online for goods and services, Cryptocurrency takes the form of a technology called blockchain. Part of the appeal of this technology is its security. Bitcoin value recently increased by more than 40%. Corporate enterprise giants like AT&T, Overstock, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Twitch now accept Bitcoin as a payment system. PayPal and Stripe began supporting crypto this year.
Today more than ever, the physical has been entirely replaced by virtual options. Cash is vanishing and being replaced by digital transactions. The impossibilities of 2020 broke through the boundaries of normality. Money has been reinvented, the potential of Cryptocurrency has never been more expansive.
