McKenzie Partners is supporting clients as they navigate lockdown. Michelle Rowling, Group Account Director, shares the latest insights.

After a rocky 2020, the latest lockdowns in Australia have dealt businesses yet another blow. We’ve seen this impact first hand, with campaigns put on pause and clients experiencing hits to their revenue. That’s why McKenzie Partners is working with  all  our clients to ensure that their needs are met and exploring opportunities to pivot wherever possible. Across a variety of industries, we are seeing shifts, redirections and new ways of thinking.

We’ve seen one of our food delivery clients grow, reporting their second straight week in record sales. They are using the time to reach new customers, re-engage previous customers and acquire more sales than ever before.

Some businesses are thriving right now

We also have clients in industries that naturally thrive during lockdowns. For example,  we’ve seen one of our food delivery clients grow, reporting their second  straight week in record sales. They are  using the time to reach new customers, re-engage previous customers and acquire more sales than ever before. 

However, simply being in the right industry at the right time isn’t enough. We’ve supported this particular food delivery client with a carefully curated digital strategy, timely social media executions and an excessive level of detail and  personalisation  being integrated into direct customer communications. Leading their overall marketing strategy, McKenzie Partners  are  working with this client on a  minute-by-minute  basis to ensure they remain ahead of their competition and anticipate their  consumers’ next desire.

Take the time to enhance your offering

Some of our clients are using this unique window of time to enhance their offerings. One client, a  specialist cruise company,  is planning to renovate their boats  when construction works are permitted again. That way, the team will ensure that they can safely support trades and  help  other industries survive. It’s a rare opportunity as the works won’t impact bookings and take away from their own potential earnings. Plus, McKenzie Partners are right there with them, documenting progress on on their social channels  and ensuring we are across the details,  so  we’ll be  ready to broadcast the new and improved vessels when they are once again ready to cruise.   

Come out the other side, bigger and better!

We are also working with clients that are currently closed to plan for their future success. That could mean designing  a new menu,  finessing  a show-stopping events  brochure or even  crafting  their next big piece of content. From drafting scripts, editing footage and recording voiceovers – there’s so much that can be done virtually.  Our creative team can access all their resources  with ease  –  McKenzie  Partners has  long  been  a cloud-centric agency ready to pivot with the times.   

We are here to communicate, collaborate and support

At McKenzie Partners, our teams in every state  are meeting daily to talk through priorities, collaborate on ideas and, of course, support one another through  shifting deadlines and the harsh realities of being an incredibly agile support service to our clients  at  this time.   

So, what has this latest lockdown taught McKenzie Partners? We truly are a versatile team who has one another’s support. Our clients might have a dedicated Account Director, but those  Account Directors  of ours are backed by a unified and collaborative bunch that are ready and willing to jump in and assist any of our clients. At this time, we’ve learned that small businesses across Australia, just like ours,  need to  work together and work harder than ever to  ensure that  the loudest story that comes out of 2021 is not the latest COVID wave, but rather a story of  business survival and success.