It’s been a tough year for many businesses. It doesn’t matter whether you are a large multinational, a high street name or a small, local business; virtually everyone has been impacted by the pandemic.
But it’s not all been bad news – and there are good reasons to be cheerful about the rest of 2021.
OnBrand have been gathering inspiring survival stories of local businesses from the past year that have all demonstrated resilience and used both strategic and opportunist marketing to their advantage.
The home and garden sector has thrived during Covid. Hot tub sales in particular have seen a rise by 1,000% and suppliers have struggled to keep up with demand. Daniel Goodchild, owner of Wicked Tubs always had a multi channel marketing approach, but his focus around outstanding customer service has created positive word of mouth around his particular offering which has proven to be a winning combination.
Other businesses have cleverly adapted, listening to what their customers wanted during lockdown and tweaking their business model to keep trading.
Adam Nathan Catering was originally an event catering business. But after events were cancelled across the board, Adam turned his attention back to the kitchen to develop a cost-effective home delivery service to his already loyal catering client base.
To support Adam’s new direction, the OnBrand social media team created ownable and disruptive content to drive engagement and reach, a social media strategy to grow his customer base beyond existing customers, and launched a paid advertising campaign.
The results already speak for themselves: a return on advertising investment of £15 revenue for every £1 spent with new orders, new customers, increased turnover and a massive increased reach and audience.
Giles Fry, owner of Snug Bar told us about how he has been using customer insight to adapt to what his clients need. Through listening to customers via their social media feedback channels as well as regular team meetings, he realised that bar food has become a huge consideration. As part of their planning for opening from end April, they have created regional and bespoke cocktail and food solutions, all managed via QR codes.
Ruffwood Pizza is another example of a business cleverly adapting to the ‘new normal’. He saw all of his corporate and wedding bookings disappear, so he adapted to create ‘pizza take away in the street’. Through the positive impact of word of mouth marketing and existing brand loyalty, the business was adapted with great success.
These are just a few of the heartening business stories we’ve been part of during the past year. And there’s more good news on the way.
Economists predict up to 50% footfall across the entire retail sector from April 2021 and UK brands such as Next, are reinvesting almost £30m into digital marketing. 2021 also sees ad spend set to be 16.6% higher than 2020 across the board, meaning market confidence is there.
There are plenty of opportunities up for the taking as we emerge from lockdown this year, and we’d love to help you make the most of them. The five keys to thriving in a rapidly changing market are:
- Brand loyalty and reputation is still a key driver for small businesses
- Find ways to listen to and stay engaged with your customers
- Think creatively, competition is harder now than ever
- Make digital marketing work harder for you
- Put innovation at the heart of everything you do
And we can help you with all of them. So please get in touch to find out how we can help you join the ranks of the Covid success stories.
