With the unprecedented shift to remote work across multiple industries and many roles, how should we, as marketers, update how we speak to our existing and potential audiences?
To find out how businesses are answering this question, we interviewed WFH solutions providers for their tips and tricks to successfully navigating this newly remote marketing realm.
Re-evaluating the Market
We first need to understand how the needs of our prospects have changed. Bay Leaf Digital’s survey of newly remote employees at all levels of the enterprise established that
- Most managers do not recognize the communication and collaboration issues and distractions that are causing mental stress on their employees.
- Trying to solve these issues while maintaining productivity is driving both employees and managers to work harder for longer hours.
- Executives are using older measures of productivity and are not quite sure how to address the problems they sense are occurring.
- Senior managers need to be informed of the challenges employees are facing and led toward the right solutions.
Now we come to issues of efficacy. As you’d expect, our marketing contacts reported that their mix of channel tactics has shifted due to new economic realities as well as the critical need to “reach prospects where they are.” Efficient use of money and time has also been re-emphasized and clarified.
What’s Not Working (and One Interesting Pivot)
Marketers reported sharp declines in the effectiveness of both email marketing and cold calling. Event-based programs are also completely out of the mix for the time being.
One respondent, however, has found a way to keep working with geolocation even in a time when public gatherings are vastly limited. Robert Brill, CEO of BrillMedia, reports shifting from using location behavior data to using look-back data – targeting prospects who have attended an event in the past and contacting them based on that interest.
Quick Tips and Tricks for What’s Working
Video
Several respondents reported tremendous growth in viewership on their YouTube channels and website resource pages. YouTube pre-roll ads are also driving high conversion rates.
Virtual Events
Other respondents reported that the success of virtual events is surpassing the success they had with in-person events.
Direct Mail
While direct mail wasn’t a commonly mentioned tactic, it is working for certain industries. For instance, Judson Hill, VP of business development for Bespoke Financial, reported that clients are responding well to letters reminding them of the commercial lender’s support in difficult economic times.
Social Media
Several marketers reported putting a stronger focus on social media marketing in an effort to reach prospects where they are. They’re achieving solid results, particularly with targeted LinkedIn marketing.
PPC Advertising
Google Ads was also recognized by several respondents as a currently effective tactic.
The Heavy Hitter: Content Marketing
Most of our respondents reported a renewed appreciation for the cost-effectiveness and tight targeting of content marketing. Tactics in use include SEO, backlinks and PR placements in industry publications; types of content mentioned included webinars, blog posts and e-newsletters. Several respondents stressed the need to let current events and constantly evolving search terms dictate content.
Carrie McKeegan, MBA, CEO & co-founder of Greenback Expat Tax Services, outlined the importance of a content strategy that provides current and potential clients overseas with the information they need to feel secure and educated on current tax-related topics at home. It also allows the company to showcase their expertise and to build trust.
Blake Sutton, marketing strategist for Electrical Knowledge, provided practical tips for the best results. “Content marketing is your best bet to rank high on search engine results and exhibit professionalism, but it’s imperative that you keep up-to-date with what’s currently trending. And always be willing to take the extra step like adding another link, including additional research, and breaking up your text with high-quality, condensed images.”
Our Recent Experience
At Bay Leaf Digital, we also have changed how we serve our clients, relate to our employees, and market ourselves.
Our international employee base is facing different types of challenges caused by the same pandemic. This has increased our need to really talk to individual employees about their personal situations, providing empathy and even more flexibility around work scheduling. We have also made a more concerted effort to socialize virtually as a team.
In marketing to our prospects, we have added more flexible contracting options including short-term and single-project capabilities. As other marketing professionals have mentioned, we have also recommitted to taking advantage of content marketing.
For our clients, we keep close tabs on the changing business landscape and act quickly to capitalize on opportunities. For example, one client, a workforce analytics company, is uniquely positioned to offer expertise in today’s remote environment; we’ve launched numerous campaigns promoting their remote-management solutions as well as their data-driven knowledge of employee productivity. For other clients, we implemented public health and safety campaigns targeting restaurants as they reopened and initiated a campaign to provide school administrators with ideas for outdoor classrooms when districts committed to reopening under pandemic restrictions.
Putting It All Together
Armed with all the tips and ideas above, you can act today to reconnect with your prospects and customers in more effective ways. Our quick recommendations are to:
- Use personas and vertical markets to identify mid-management targets
- Use the metrics that matter to your managerial prospects
- Make sure your message is highly relevant
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- Open with a problem statement that managers can identify with
- Show how your product or service offers the strongest solution
For more information on how Bay Leaf Digital will use these quick keys to unlock opportunities for your business, contact us.
