Three Ways to Connect with Consumers at Home

As most of us know from experience, there has recently been a large shift in the way people communicate, socialize, and do business. (And we thought our screen-time was high before…) With more people working from home, traveling less, and overall embracing the hermit-lifestyle, companies have needed to adapt their marketing strategies to reach them.

But how do we get the attention of these now-housebound and hyperlocal consumers whose worlds have shrunk down to a few-mile radius, at best?

Here are three ways to get into their home (that I promise are much-less creepy than that sounds).

1. Go Digital

Thanks to previously-established virtual meeting platforms like Zoom and live-stream video options via Facebook and Instagram, many events and activities that were once in-person can still be accessed and enjoyed from home — even if they’re on a smaller scale.

From concerts to webinars, online courses, virtual tours, and even workout classes, now and in the future companies will need to go to their consumers digitally vs. asking them to come to you physically.

Taking your IRL ads online

Another way to help your marketing be seen is by reallocating funds that were previously dedicated to out of home (OOH) advertising and buying digital ad space. You can also spend that direct mail money to set up a highly targeted pay-per-click or email marketing campaign.

But just like any traditional ad, the first step is figuring out where your customers are online to determine the placement of your digital ads.

2. Be Social

As telecommuting leads to limited interactions with other people, there comes a greater need for personal connection. And although people aren’t hanging out as much in-person (or at all), social media platforms are seeing more activity than ever before. In fact, according to ExtremeReach, platforms Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram saw a 40 percent usage spike mid-March of 2020. HubSpot also reported that in 2020 nearly 50% of the world’s population is on social media, which equates to about 3 billion users.

However, what people are looking for within their social media has changed and adapting your profile, presence, and process is important to connecting with your consumers. How? Start by turning off the autopilot and going through these top tips.

Adapt your social media to work better for your brand

• Update your bios
  Make sure your social media bios are up-to-date with information about any changes to your sales process, online ordering, potential wait times, and procedures.
• Practice active listening
  Spend even more time reading (and responding) to comments and messages from your consumers while also paying close attention to your competitor’s posts and any influencers in your industry.
• Revisit your analytics
  Double check (and keep checking) your analytics to make sure your posting times and keywords are still on-point. Try out new types of content formats and engagement styles to see what works best for you in this new time.
• Be purposeful with your posts
  Don’t just post to check a box off your to-do list. Think about who you’re trying to target, how your information will be relevant to them, and focus on being helpful and providing resources or experiences that they care about.
• Revise your content and visuals
  I’ve seen a lot of “oops” moments on social media lately where companies have forgotten to redo their content to fit within the new social landscape. For example, showing a visual of a party or talking about vacations might not be the best idea right now. Make sure to update your content to match what’s going on IRL.

3. Send Snail Mail

Contrary to my above two tips, with so many interactions currently happening online there comes a point where shutting off the screen feels incredibly necessary — even for digital marketing specialists like me. But how do you reach your consumers offline?

Two thoughts are putting together a direct mail campaign and mailing a nice “just because” gift. But, here’s a snag: many companies don’t have their customers’ home address and sending anything to an empty office doesn’t sound like the best strategy. So my next question is:

How do you get your consumer’s home address in a respectful way?

Back online we go. Here are some suggestions from leading sending platform, Sendoso:

• Send a personalized email to your contacts to ask them how they’re doing. Mention that you’d like to send them a gift and ask them to confirm their shipping address.
• Make a landing page that invites visitors to sign up to receive your gift. Make sure it is clear, friendly, and transparent.

Conclusion

Even though it feels like more things have changed over the last few months than they have in the last few years, it’s incredible to see companies rising to the occasion and adapting their marketing strategies. By amplifying your digital and social presence and rethinking how best to interact with your audience, there’s more than enough ways to continue growing your business by connecting with your consumers at home.

Interested in learning more? Get in touch with us today and we’ll share all our secrets.