The move towards a more adaptable, more responsive marketing strategy didn’t start with the pandemic but it has definitely highlighted the importance and the need for an agile marketing approach across all industries. The last couple of years showed that customer experience has been a key point of differentiation as consumers increasingly expect personalised communications from brands in real-time, delivered via their preferred channel of the moment - an article by The Drum explains. Digital marketing provides the solution for the demand of real-time personalised communication but agility is still needed to ensure the strategy can be implemented (and adapted) seamlessly. 

While marketers have access to unprecedented levels of data and analytics to deliver against these expectations, traditional marketing procedures move too slowly to take full advantage. Marketing consultant and former Global Head of Digital Marketing at Nivea - Rob Lawrence says: “To do anything meaningful with data, you have to be able to move fast.” most especially in a South African environment where things change rapidly. South African consumers are facing disruptions, strikes, change of lock-down regulations, looting, and a fragile economic climate daily and marketers should take that into consideration when running campaigns.  

As a South African business, do you feel confident that your content plan, marketing tactics, and business are agile enough to be paused or change direction if needed? 

Although research and insights can guide the direction of a strategy, it’s important to understand that marketing to people means that not everything is predictable and black on white. People can’t be controlled, and people sometimes take different paths than what we anticipated. If a campaign is not delivering results, does the strategy allow changing direction? The global senior digital marketing manager at Vodafone Group, Sinem Soydar Günal, summarises the importance of agility when he says: “Agile is becoming the new normal.”

The issue with most digital marketing strategies is that it doesn’t allow for the unforeseen and there is no place for an agile approach. Marketing teams in South Africa especially, needs to be cognizant of the change factors.  

Here are the top reasons why an agile approach can benefit your business: 

Social Sensitivity 

The best marketing strategy is to care. Care about staff, employees, and the customer, and everything else will follow. A business that truly focuses on how to solve the problems of consumers will not be socially deaf during unprecedented times. For example: If there are lootings in an area that your business provides a product or service, think of innovative ways to assist and help to meet the customer’s needs. Don’t be socially deaf and publish “normal” content and try to push sales. If customers feel that they’ve been taken care of, the loyalty and sales will follow.  

Gain the competitive edge 

Agility allows you to change course quickly, and thus stay innovative and top of consumers’ minds. Your business will gain the competitive edge by being sensitive and agile.  

Enjoy a strategy that is scalable to fit your needs 

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all strategy. An agile approach allows you to use a blend of approaches to fit the specific needs and demands of your industry. Using an agile approach to implement a digital marketing strategy allows for adaptability and to change priorities when needed. 

Staying current, fostering innovation, and being able to adapt are among the top reasons why we believe in agility for marketing success. If your strategy doesn’t give you the same flexibility and room for creativity – contact us for a non-obligatory quote for a digital marketing strategy. 

Sources: 

https://uplandsoftware.com/kapost/resources/blog/agile-marketing-benefits/ 

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/11/24/why-agility-the-future-marketing-not-just-its-present