2020 – a year that will definitely stick in our minds for a long time. We should probably start our annual recap from January and February but, who even remembers the beginning of this year? It seems like what has happened afterward overshadowed everything. The advent of Covid-19 caused a stir and plunged the global economy into a serious recession. Due to consecutive lockdowns, a lot of industries found themselves on the slippery slope and haunted by the specter of bankruptcy.
At first glance, digital marketing seemed to be one of those untouched sectors that would not be affected. However, the entire economy is a system of interconnected vessels. Therefore, a breakdown of companies from tourism, automotive, transport, event, and many other industries, entails a loss of customers for digital agencies all over the world. Fortunately, along with problems, some new opportunities emerged. Inability to shop traditionally made a lot of businesses to reinvent themselves and completely switch to online. We could also observe a change in online shopping behaviors from panic buying to “retail therapy”. Those and many other factors caused an e-commerce boom.
“The perspective of 2020 made a lot of humans rethink their attitude so far. It is a clear global message to change the behavior, to slow down, and to search for joy in small things and moments. In fact, we need very little to be happy, again it is just enough to be in good health. Spectacular achievements make us more proficient but are not mandatory. We proved that we are able to adapt. Digital played and will take part in further transformation” – says Zbigniew Nowicki from Bluerank
All Dall partner agencies admit that this year was a whole new ballgame that has impeded a lot of their plans for the close future. But to sit around and just wait was not an option. First and foremost, we have all gone an extra mile to provide additional support and consultancy for our existing clients, especially those who experienced major revenue drops.
We have all switched to remote work and faced new challenges such as maintaining the company spirit and carrying out the recruitment and onboarding processes. Preventive and cost-cutting measures were also taken to ensure the safety of all employees.
In the face of crisis, we have all moved into a higher gear and realized that we need to keep abreast of any changes and the new situation. We have moved the majority of planned events online, for example, Blueeffect (a Google & Bluerank’s event), SEO Next Gem (an SEO webinar hosted by Universem), or Virtually Perfect organized by Sleeping Giant Media. We have also come up with new ways of both staying in touch with our partners and keeping up with trends in digital. Peak Acers, for instance, initiated Peak Ace on Air; although it started with Covid-19 issues only, you can currently hear about useful tips and interesting news from the industry. A very similar formula came from Bluerank with a series of successful webinars for partners but also a broader audience. Rich Clicks, on the other hand, put forth a digital magazine with all coronavirus-related data in the form of reports, analyses, and predictions.
This year also mobilized us to look into projects that had been put on the back burner. We focused on refreshing our websites (Attacat or Traffic Builders) as well as our credentials. Some of our Dall members used this time to focus on innovations that could facilitate their clients’ needs, like “Aviou.io” – an online catalog by Web2Media which bridges the gap on the digital market.
Surrounded by negative news, we managed to find some positivity and succeed in numerous industry competitions, proving that even in uncertain times we still put our clients first and deliver campaigns of the highest quality. Hats off to Traffic Builders, Peak Ace, Bluerank, and Sleeping Giant Media for scooping awards and nominations for contests such as European Search Awards, Global Search Awards, or GDXA Awards.
These past few months made us appreciate our alliance even more. Knowing that we are all in the same boat and that we can share advice and provide each other with support proved to have great value. We are very happy that we managed to have two members’ meetings during which we could map out the key objectives for our organization. The increasing cooperation between our partners is another aspect that we are extremely proud of. As a result, we start the new year with a silver lining and a lot of ideas for the future. The new website is only the beginning.
