laptop on a desk in a home office
During 2020 our homes have become workplaces, shopping centres and entertainment venues, as well as being where we meet, share, eat and sleep. 
 
Many businesses have now discovered that it really is possible to operate remotely for at least part of the time. Now that all the technology and working practices are in place, many of us will continue with this new work-life pattern. 
 
When you’re planning your marketing strategy this change could make a big difference. You have an opportunity to make the most of this crossover between work and home life to engage your audience and optimise your results

New ways of thinking 

Taking advantage of this new stay-at-home lifestyle around the world there has been a significant increase in online streaming and gaming that is set to continue. 
 
Take a moment to think about how many more ways you can now reach your audience. 
 
When the workplace is at home and vice versa, traditional email marketing, direct mail and professional journals will now arrive at the same time as personal messages via social media, tempting entertainment offers and interesting lifestyle content. Instead of focussing attention on work-related content from nine to five, your audience will be receiving both personal and professional marketing at the same time and in the same environment. 
 

Creating opportunities 

You might find this a daunting trend, but it also presents opportunities to reach new people in new ways. 
 
For example, if you provide IT services you could share your cyber security advice and latest offers for docking stations or consumable items like printer cartridges straight to the home. But remember you could be competing with special offers for the latest gaming console, so your content will need to stand out. 
 
Careers advice through the letterbox could find people in exactly the right frame of mind to make a change to suit their new lifestyle. 
 
At the same time, people can now be more flexible, so you could promote your home-based fitness classes or stress-busting yoga to people who want to take a break in the middle of the day or before they start their work-related activities. The whole working day can be time-shifted to fit with family life, so online cookery courses or craft-based activities could be in great demand. 
 

Re-imagination 

Work isn’t limited to desktop computers and over 60% of business-to-business buyers use their mobile devices to research and purchase items for work – anywhere and at any time. 
 
Making sure all your marketing is mobile friendly and ready to respond to voice searches via Siri or Alexa will be important too. 
 
Thinking about how you can seamlessly deliver your messages to a customer’s phone, tablet, laptop, and TV, especially when they might be using them all at the same time, means you will need to create engaging multi-media experiences. Now voice activated assistants, smart home devices and chat bots are all part of the workspace as well as home life. 
 

Local touchpoints 

With work and home life based in the local neighbourhood, community-based products and services will also become more important. Community social-media pages and forums can connect people with local producers, experts, service providers and support groups. Giving your business an ultra-local feel could engage new audiences and create opportunities for new services. 
 

There’s another way 

While using technology and digital channels will certainly offer a lot of potential for your marketing, there’s another way to reach these audiences with your localised, targeted, and relevant messages. 
 
You can advertise and place feature articles in both business- and consumer-based printed magazines like Pulse, Business Times, and Business MK, that will literally be in the hands of your target audience at exactly the right moment. 
 
Please get in touch to find out how you can respond to global trends with local print advertising. 
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