It’s November, and Christmas is almost upon us; if you haven’t started planning for the holidays, there’s no better time than right now. Today, we’ve compiled the views of industry experts to learn about media planning. How is the market recovering after the pandemic? How will media planning be different in 2022 from all other years? How has consumer behavior changed?
Developing a Flexible Advertising Strategy
If we’re going to take one lesson from the pandemic, it’s that flexibility is key. All over the country, different states and regions are dipping in and out of lockdowns. Many businesses have learned the hard way that you can’t have ads reaching the wrong audience because this wastes marketing dollars. What’s more, you can reach out with the wrong message.
With consumers happier to buy products and consume content online, it’s wise to switch to programmatic systems. As well as allowing for flexibility, programmatic solutions also bring efficiency and scaling. With this solution, it’s possible to act quicker than competitors as you access all sorts of media channels.
In recent years, you may have seen an emphasis on reaching out to the right people with the right message at the right time, and this is exactly what happens when you use programmatic advertising.
This year, don’t think that you need to spend more money than every other service in your niche. Instead, the secret is spending your money more effectively. By spending cleverly, your voice gets a higher share of the market, and the results should change accordingly.
Consumer Behaviors
As we all know, the pandemic has also shifted consumer behaviors since the beginning of 2020. We’ve recommended a flexible approach for marketers, but it’s hard not to also admire the flexibility of consumers. Above all else, the gap between offline and online closed somewhat. One of the biggest issues that marketers face this year is that the pandemic still lingers. Although we’re doing our best to move on and leave the pandemic in the past, it’s hard when news websites and TV stations are still reporting cases, deaths, and other COVID-related problems.
No matter how much we try to move on, the pandemic won’t completely disappear for some time. As a brand, the key is a presence at all the different touchpoints that consumers desire. If you want to encourage sales, you need to accommodate all the different ways that people like to shop these days. For example, this includes a large section who like to shop on their sofa with a warm cup of hot tea/coffee and a couple of cookies.
However, this isn’t to say that all shopping will occur on digital platforms. Some people will use the internet purely for research and information before then shopping in-store. Ultimately, every consumer is different. Some will order online, some will research online and then buy in-store, and others will only visit your store. As regulations change, make sure you accommodate ALL sales (otherwise, you’ll lose them to competitors).
Overcoming Marketing Nerves
Nerves aren’t uncommon in the market right now with fluctuations in consumer spending, lockdown regulations, media consumption trends, and more. Even as we edge closer to Christmas, you might feel nervous about settling on one idea over another. What if this idea doesn’t work? What if trends or lockdown rules change again in the coming weeks?
Although we don’t want to sound like a broken record, programmatic technology is the best solution for this very problem. Above all else, it means that you control media buying more closely while enjoying flexibility with media access, creative messaging, and targeting. While marketers previously felt locked into their options, this is no longer the case. Instead, you can adjust as quickly as you need.
Connected Shopping Experiences
Thankfully, consumers have taken to online shopping during the pandemic, and this has led to at least some income even for businesses that previously didn’t want to open an online store. Regardless of what happens with lockdowns and other restrictions, the fact that people can buy your products online is a huge bonus.
Yet, this doesn’t mean that you can forget the physical world. Likewise, those with a physical store cannot forget the online world (even if you only rely on local customers and don’t sell online). These days, consumers want one thing more than anything else: a connected shopping experience.
As mentioned earlier, even people who have no intention to order online still use the internet for research. They look for local services, compare companies, and read reviews. If your brand isn’t present online, these consumers will only discover your competitors.
If you’re to offer a connectedness between the offline and online worlds this year, we recommend loyalty programs, catalogs, and similar options for consumers. With a loyalty program, you encourage return visits in your customer base while also generating information about your customers. The more information you glean, the more this informs your marketing strategies. Suddenly, you get more for your marketing dollars.
With an online and offline combination, you push closer to the omnichannel experience consumers seek. You can use all information generated to provide personalized recommendations, new products, better in-store experiences, and more.
Managing Q4 in 2022
As a business, you probably keep getting told that Q4 this year will be incomparable with all other years. But this information is useless if it isn’t taken one step further. While consumers were hit by financial burdens in the early days of the pandemic, research now suggests that consumers were also unable to spend with nothing open; consumer spending fell during both 2020 and 2022. Now, as we face a ‘normal’ Christmas, experts are suggesting that these consumers want to get their own back and open their purses and wallets.
If you’re to get a good portion of this money, we recommend placing some emphasis on brand building this year. In a world where customers can find all your competitors with one Google search, you need to boost awareness as we head towards the end of 2022.
Recently, one solution that has arisen is Snapchat. By using video ads, Snap Ads, and AR Try-On Lenses, you can get your name in front of consumers while also allowing them to test your products using the cameras on their devices. If they like the product, they can even place an order without even closing Snapchat.
Regardless of your industry, we guarantee that it will have gone more digital since the start of the pandemic. With stores closed and in-person experiences impossible, brands had to go online to continue conversions with prospective leads. What both brands and consumers alike found with the internet is that they rather liked it. Consumers liked ordering products and having them delivered to the front door and brands liked generating sales online without a physical presence.
We’ve just mentioned it, but AR (artificial reality) could bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds this holiday season. With virtual store experiences, people can look at your products and test them in their lives without having to visit your physical store. Whether Snapchat or another platform, they see products in their lives and have no other alternative but to purchase (hopefully!).
In Q4 this year, shoppers of all ages (but especially Millennials and Gen Zs) want shopping experiences like AR. According to one survey, just under half of all Snapchat users head onto the app because they want to shop with AR. Meanwhile, just under four in every ten are testing products with AR.
As digital experiences have been prioritized through the pandemic, this has generated a new problem: returns. By encouraging people to use AR before they spend money, you’re less likely to generate returns. Research suggests that returns are one-quarter lower in AR-guided purchases.
Planning is Key
Although this isn’t a surprise, the best marketing technique that you can embrace this year is planning. Plan for the whole quarter rather than just Christmas; take advantage of Black Friday, Boxing Day, and all the other events that occur during the period. If one thing goes wrong - as it might do in the current environment - you can pivot and fall back on other options.
Also, offer offline and online experiences to encourage people to interact with your brand in different ways. As an example, more services are now accommodating customers with click-and-collect services. As the name suggests, customers that use this system order and pay online before collecting their product from your physical store. This accommodates those who want to shop online but need to collect the product the same day rather than waiting for delivery.
When planning, remember to consider the safety of your staff and customers too because this is important for both parties. In addition to click-and-collect, consumers also appreciate curbside collection so that they don’t need to go into your store to collect an item. Also, pay attention to sustainability and similar trends because they’re growing in importance for customers!