DIY improvements to your digital strategy: What you can learn from the Embryo index

A Spring clean is a great opportunity to reorganise your home and make those home improvements you’ve been thinking about for some time. This has been amplified during lockdown restrictions as reports show that 85% of UK residents have made changes to their home over the last 12 months. Stats like that can also be backed up by the latest data in the Embryo Retail Index. 

As many brands in the Home and Garden sector have seen positive movements as they take advantage of consumers improving their homes and gardens as restrictions continue to lift. So let’s have a closer look at the strategies brands are implementing to compete within the competitive industry. 

The Range

The Range has seen a big improvement in the social score, meaning the brand is increasing its social audience by sharing more creative and engaging content. Shopping features on Instagram, with the brand regularly sharing their products that Instagram users can then purchase straight from the app. They’ve also managed to increase their keyword reach and links, which isn’t too surprising as demand for their products increases, as will sources talking about and linking to them online. 

What can you learn from the range – Ensure you think about your social strategy and use all the tools the different platforms offer you to your business’ advantage. 

B&Q

The DIY giant B&Q is our top Home & Garden brand in our index, jumping up three places to number 15 out of 100. The biggest cause for this change is their links score increasing 29%. Despite the brand decreasing their media spend by 52.2% last year (probably a smart move as the demand for their products was already high), the brand is clearly making other decisions that show they are thinking about their long-term digital strategy. 

What can you learn from B&Q – Understand your market and invest strategically. B&Q realised that demand for their products was already high so made a cost-effective move to reduce their media spend, whilst still achieving high sales and staying dominant in their industry. 

Screwfix

Part of the same group as B&Q (Kingfisher group), Screwfix has also seen their links and social scores increase, but this growth is smaller than the other brands showing that the trade industry has been impacted by the DIY boom. However, as research also found that 44% of people who made home improvements during lockdown aren’t happy with the results, which could perhaps lead to professionals seeing an increase in demand to fix those DIY disasters. 

What can you learn from Screwfix – Being part of a group is benefitting the brand as they regularly are mentioned alongside B&Q in news articles. Are there brands you could be partnering with for PR and social campaigns, that could help you reach a different audience?

Wickes

Wickes is another brand that has benefited from the surge in DIY projects and it looks like the benefits are leading to big changes, recently Travis Perkins announced the demerger of Wickes (something that first was initiated in 2019) and to float the business on the London Stock Exchange. In the index they’ve jumped up 6 positions by improving their SEO strategy, it will be interesting to see how successful their attempt to launch on the Stock Exchange will be and what changes that will mean for their position on the Embryo index. 

What can you learn from Wickes – Sometimes the timing isn’t right. Wickes initially looked to float in 2019, but due to the increase in demand for their products over the last 12 months, this attempt might guarantee more success for the retailer. It’s often important to remember that timing can be key and rushing campaigns or strategies won’t always get you the results you want. 

Overall all of the brands have seen increases in their links score, and there have been many other retailers (mostly those online) in the index who have seen this. Interestingly this comes as Google makes more changes and understands ‘other noise’ about brands which can help contribute to their SEO strategy and results. For us, at Embryo this proves the importance of Digital PR and why more businesses need to be implementing it into their digital strategies. If you’d like to find out more about Digital PR, the Index or how to improve your digital strategy then please get in touch.