With 2021 around the corner it’s time to look back at the past year and boy, what a journey it has been! 

2020 was for sure not an easy one, one thing is certain, uncertainty marked the agenda for 2020 the whole year-round. Business models that were once profitable were all of a sudden put to the test. As the rest of the world, we ourselves as young entrepreneurs imagined 2020 to be quite different, leaving us with a lot of plans and strategies that all of a sudden became abundant. As a first reaction, we saw most of our clients going into defence mode, meaning freezing all of their efforts and campaigns as nobody knew what the future would bring. With the days passing by it quickly became clear we were set for a whole longer journey than we initially expected, what was unimaginable just a few days earlier quickly became the new normal. 

As this ‘new reality’ slowly synced in, we started spotting opportunities for our clients. Screen Time was soaring like never before, with everyone being at home. If there was a time to strengthen the relationship with your client, the time was now. Fewer distractions led to a more engaged audience. Next to that consumer habits were slowly but surely shifting, with shops being closed, more and more people found their way online. New habits in buying behaviour were shaped and are here to stay. The new reality also caused a shift in our buying behaviour, where previously we would spend a part of our monthly income on hospitality, restaurants, and travelling these activities all of a sudden stopped leaving us with more money to spend on other things: like self-care, the interior of our homes, clothes and everything that made us feel good. 

Brands that we’re able to show their vulnerability but also managed to turn their business model around and create value for the customer in any kind of way, functional but also emotional (ease the pain of the current situation) were the ones that managed to get through this year successfully. 

Our clients being active in a variety of sectors raining from fashion, beauty, interior but also hospitality, luxury, and food & drinks all faced different challenges that were marked by one constant being; uncertainty. The ride wasn’t easy but as business partners, we firmly stood by our clients, challenged their offering, and supported their new ideas and innovations with a strategic digital framework. 

Next to this external uncertainty we as a young growing company also faced some challenges internally. With some uncertainty about further revenue streams, we decided to expand our team. Leading us to the next challenge: How to onboard, train and manage a team from long-distance. Existing processes and structures were firmly disrupted, however, we managed to get through all of that successfully. And we are super proud of the young entrepreneurial team and culture we’ve been able to create. 

Even though results are different than what we’ve forecasted at the beginning of 2020, we for sure are super proud of the growth we’ve managed to accomplish for all of our clients during this uncertain year. We as founders of the Dot Society may say we feel super fortunate to be able to be a part of our client’s growth journey the past year. Also, our own growth journey was different than expected but absolutely worth it!  We are so ready to turn the next page and realize the next successes together. 

We firmly believe that expertise, passion, a critical mind and agility will be the cornerstones of 2021 successes, and may that exactly be what you can expect from us as your digital performance marketing team. 

Buckle up, 2021 incoming and we are so ready! 

This post is also available in: Dutch