4 ways Covid-19 is reshaping our industry

It’s hard to believe, but many of us have been working from home for four months already.  In that time, the world has changed beyond recognition.

The South African media landscape – especially the print media – has been rocked by the closure of some of our best-known media titles.

The way we work, and interact, has changed forever. It’s been a time of social distancing, masks, and everything smelling of hand sanitiser.  It’s enough to make one long for precedented times. Or maybe even some charted territory. 

Then again, without the pandemic, we would never have had the chance to test our resilience and step out of our comfort zone. Through the lockdown, we’ve learnt a few key lessons that are shaping our business, and our entire industry.

1. The importance of internal communications. Open, transparent communications with your own people is never more important than in a crisis. Talk to your people, and talk to them often.
2. We must make our stories and content work harder. More than ever, the content we produce, and the campaigns that we run, must lead to an action. A like. A recommendation. A purchase. A simple acknowledgement, or warm fuzzy feeling, is no longer enough.
3. Businesses must stamp their digital footprint. Fads will come and go (TikTok, anyone?). But a business’ professional reputation on platforms like LinkedIn is likely to stand the test of time. In fact, LinkedIn may be the most effective social media platform of our time.
4. We’re all doing things we weren’t doing yesterday as we adapt to a new way of operating. Who’d have thought that digital press conferences would ever be a thing – and work? Or virtual media training, with full video playback capabilities? And yet, here we are.  

Amidst the mayhem and change, some things remain constant. We’re telling great stories that support our clients. We’re getting smarter in areas like digital strategy, lead generation, and more effective audience targeting. Most of all, though, we’re seeing the power of enduring relationships at a time when we only see each other on a screen. What a time to be alive.

Kevin Welman

Director of ByDesign Communications