New Mediums Emerging As Dark Horses During COVID-19 In the current situation, it is imperative for advertisers and publishers to understand changes in consumer habit and make strategies accordingly

The prolonged lockdown has resulted in reduced demand for products. This may perturb the brands as well as publishers, but a slight change in the strategy and willingness to try new mediums can give great results.

Where are consumers?

In the current situation, it is imperative for advertisers and publishers to understand changes in consumer habits and make strategies accordingly. The latest data analyzed by Admitad suggests that the traffic channels that drive most sales during the lockdown are: blogs, online forms, messengers, and social media groups. These new-age mediums have garnered a huge pie of consumer traffic, driving over 300 percent growth in the number of orders.

Time to partner with new channels

In the current scenario, advertisers can rely on new traffic platforms to maximize their target reach. These new-age bloggers are actively using content options for advertisers right from the review sites to offering discounts on particular services or products. Data and statistics of the quarantine period show a clear emergence of new mediums.

New media owners are monetizing their online platforms by working with affiliate networks to access the pool of advertisers' offers. The growing popularity of these channels can be attributed to the increased volume of the target audience on digital platforms that allow brands and publishers to boost sales. While affiliate networks provide various technical tools—chrome extension, telegram chatbots, etc.—to monetize their audience, brands can use exclusive coupons, promotional codes to keep their customers engaged via these mediums.

Brands can also partner with an affiliate network to cash in on various new publisher categories and increase their overall engagement and return on investment. A key advantage of partnering with affiliate networks is that advertisers have to pay for actual conversions and do not have to worry about their budget.

New traffic sources can help businesses sustain growth in various forms, they also offer lucrative opportunities to reach out to existing and potential customers.

Mobile apps have made life easy for consumers in the lockdown period along with social media groups and messengers. In sharp contrast, traditional affiliate channels such as mass mailers, coupons, cashback, price comparisons, and loyalty programs have seen a significant decline in orders during the same period.

What gives a boost to new-age mediums

New-age mediums offer opportunities for brands to engage with the new and existing customers as they spend more time on digital mediums. Traditional publishers, as well as individuals with followers on social networks, can partner with brands via affiliate networks to continue benefiting in the long term. Affiliate platforms make it easy for beginners by allowing them to avoid getting into a complex process of registration and contracts.

In a crisis situation like this, it is vital for advertisers as well as publishers to stay connected with their target audience. The target audience is spending more time and money on new mediums than ever before and is expected to use these channels more often even after the lockdown is lifted. Hence, advertisers need to tweak their strategy and partner with new channels to sustain growth and benefit in the long term.