Almost two-thirds of US workers have switched to working from home because of COVID-19. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only about 10% were already working from home or had a flexible schedule. Many corporations have found that this trend is saving them money and improving employee productivity in a bunch of ways, so it will probably continue or become the new normal.
New Marketing Trends Present New Opportunities
This recent work-from-home trend presents a huge opportunity for specialty retailers. There are ways that you can expand into the commercial or B2B space or improve your consumer offerings, all tailored to fit the home office.
Taking advantage of these new marketing trends is not something that should be looked at in a negative light. The simple truth is that the market is changing, and businesses need to change, too. Let’s take a look at some ways you can capture more revenue from this evolving business landscape.
Commercial/B2B
This is probably the most significant opportunity for specialty retailers that are typically dealing only with consumers, such as furniture and electronics stores. Business buyers are more like consumers because they also demand a compelling experience. Research is finding that shifting marketing activities toward B2B audiences simply means changing the messaging a bit and investing in new marketing touchpoints.
Account-based marketing (ABM) is one of the best ways to hone your message and interact with potential B2B customers. A clear strategy is necessary for ABM to work because it focuses on how you will market to these customers and eventually convert them. You don’t have to have a dedicated salesperson because everyone works as a team to represent your brand.
Inbound Marketing
Creating valuable content attracts more customers through targeted messaging. That’s what inbound marketing does. It has taken over traditional outbound methods that act more like a bullhorn than an arrow. You can target work-from-home employees by making deeper connections through relevant content that solves their everyday problems.
The key to inbound marketing is to engage with the at-home workforce in ways they would not have thought possible or feasible. The pandemic caught most of us unaware, so we had to react in order to adjust. People working from home still need some insight into how they can make their workspaces more ergonomic and pleasant. By showing customers the value of your brand, you are attracting them regardless of how many impressions you’ve made.
Marketing Automation
Another significant opportunity that’s often forgotten is the customer you already have. Many of them are now working from home. It’s time to set up your automated marketing to improve your customer retention and expand into this new market.
Mobile marketing has all of the best tools for automation:
- Two Way Text Messaging
- QR Codes
- Bulk SMS
- Surveys
- Keywords
- Social Media
- Analytics
Each of these activities has a specific goal to engage with customers on their terms. Again, capturing the attention of the work-from-home crowd is the message, helping them solve problems to make their lives better. Plus, with automation, you just set it up and let it go, saving you and your team time and resources.
Adapting to Evolving Markets
You can adapt to evolving markets and new marketing trends by finding creative ways of getting your message to the right people. Some of these marketing strategies require trial and error, while others take a little more time than what you may have done in the past. Just remember to be patient and follow what your data tells you; otherwise, you’ll waste more time and resources getting your message to the people that matter.