The show must go on but the game has changed

Watching google trends over the past few weeks has been fascinating. Let your imagination run wild for a moment, imagine what happens to commerce when people are stuck inside. We’ve seen digital content providers like Netflix reporting huge spikes in traffic. Youtube stars are being born every few minutes. The hunger for online entertainment is obvious, but it doesn’t stop there.

A quick glance at trend graphs shows a hockey stick curve around activities like Yoga. The need to exercise at home is an obvious driver, but Yoga’s steady rise on social media is an indication of a larger movement fuelled by the conditions of the moment. The LOHAS consumer demographic (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) is crystallizing out of a hyper-connected digital consumer base, with content creation a second nature, wrapped up in a desire to discover meaning and purpose in life. Perfect for a time when half the world has just had their daily routines disrupted, incomes lost. Soul searching is happening online, and brands who can authentically connect with these consumers right now will form strong bonds into the future.

Now is your chance to be discovered

Of course the opportunities extend beyond online yoga courses. Financial insecurity across the board is making it easier for new brands and marketplaces to be discovered. Consider a shopper with more time on her hands, a desire to research a little more, discover a better deal, or a producer with more aligned values. When before a top 5 google ranking was enough, consumers now have time to look a little further. They’re also spending way more time browsing editorial and social media, a perfect opportunity to show up and be found.

Consider how this will all affect longer term behavioural change. Being stuck inside for weeks has driven a rise in delivery services. Those who were already comfortable with the process of ordering online have increased the practice. While many are changing their behaviour for the first time. Some say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, others extend that figure to 2 months. Add the emotional impact of the past few weeks and most experts believe things will never quite go back to how they were.

Adapt and thrive

The great thing about growth marketing is that we don’t have to pretend we know things. It’s better to presume you know nothing, then do everything to learn and act on data and insight. In our world, presumption and ego is the enemy. Together we embark on a process of agility, lightly stepping and learning fast. Spending carefully, and scaling when we’ve tested and proven things are working. All of which is enabled by a billing model that rewards for dedication and a hunger to do better.

All eyes on growth

My fascination and compassion turns to businesses hit hard by this crisis. While some have been perfectly positioned to grow, others were less agile, have lost income, are now financially sensitive and not in the best position to play the cards being dealt right now. But this in itself is an opportunity.

What do I do as an online marketing professional when great businesses around me are unable to afford traditional marketing fee structures but are sitting on incredible opportunities to grow. I took these conditions as a chance to invent a new consultancy.

ResultWorks provides an experienced, digital growth marketing team with no upfront or fixed costs. Earning only from the profits we generate in sales. Our only condition is that your business is ready to scale. Because growth marketing does what it says on the box. It’s single function is to rapidly learn and optimise all aspects of your marketing environment in order to increase performance and drive sales. The quicker we do this, the quicker we start earning. You need to be ready.

Consumerism can change the world

My hope is that we empower a new wave of businesses. As the giants are stumbling from the weight of their corporations, lean and agile online businesses can rise. Backed by a marketing machine super-adapted for the times, carrying with them messages of sustainability and care for the world. And perhaps the rise of a new, slightly more conscious consumer..