Marketing in the Age of Working Remotely

The following is republished with the permission of the Association of National Advertisers. Find this and similar articles on ANA Newsstand.

In 2020, brands and organizations overhauled their marketing strategies as a global pandemic upended consumer behavior. Likewise, they quickly adapted to a new normal fraught with uncertainty. Amid widespread shutdowns, companies embraced remote work. In-person meetings, office dress codes, and long commutes were eclipsed by video calls, digital communication, and virtual town halls. The typical nine-to-five-day suddenly looked very different, with Nielsen reporting that 66 percent of U.S. workers started working from home since the pandemic began.

The situation has led to several changes in employee expectations. First, employees’ personal health and safety has catapulted to the top priority. As offices start to reopen, workers will want their health and safety to be foremost among the minds of their employers.

Employees’ preference for remote work has increased exponentially throughout the pandemic and it isn’t expected to change. According to the Deloitte survey, 77 percent of employees said if given the choice to work from home or the office — even if precautions were implemented at the worksite — they would prefer to work from home. With a clear preference for remote work, face-to-face communications will continue to fade and companies will face a major challenge providing a human touch for their workers.”

Deloitte’s survey of 3,000 employees working in various economic sectors, titled, “Open for Business,” identified three key factors that are most important to employees as businesses transition to reopening: opportunities to work remotely, consistent communication, and open access to information.

Employees’ preference for remote work has increased exponentially throughout the pandemic and it isn’t expected to change. According to the Deloitte survey, 77 percent of employees said if given the choice to work from home or the office — even if precautions were implemented at the worksite — they would prefer to work from home.” Indeed, 65 percent of respondents prefer to work remotely full-time post-pandemic, while 31 percent would prefer a hybrid-work arrangement, according to a survey conducted by FlexJobs and released last year.

With a clear preference for remote work, face-to-face communications will continue to fade. Nevertheless, companies will face a major challenge to maintain a sense of community among their employees. Providing a human touch will be essential for a company’s ability to attract and retain new talent. In fact, Deloitte’s research revealed that employees are 1.8 times more likely to believe they have a “career” at their organization when they believe that their employers recognize their humanity. By embracing employees’ preference for work from home now and prioritizing their needs, companies can prepare themselves for what’s shaping up as a virtual workforce.

As remote work continues, companies will have to take pains to ensure employee’s well-being. Doing so will help prevent employee burnout, which, according to the Harvard Business Review, is at an all-time high these days. To mitigate burnout as well as pandemic-induced fatigue — which results in low productivity, stress, and anxiety — industry observers recommend employers:

    Check in with employees regularly and foster a work culture that encourages open communication.
    Offer flexible work hours to enable employees to juggle multiple responsibilities, both personal and work-related.
    Respect employees’ time off and encourage breaks so people can recharge energy.

During a recent ANA committee meeting, Maureen Boyle, senior director of creative services and events for Nordstrom Trunk Club, said that she has built connectivity with her team members working remotely by making sure everyone stays connected and communicates at a much more rapid pace than previously.

Her team uses Slack to ask questions and get quick answers, and in addition to team meetings three times a week she has organized virtual happy hours to connect people on a diff erent level. Boyle firmly believes that “it’s important to be really mindful of everyone’s personal situation,” she says. Understanding individual dynamics has allowed her to be empathetic, and in turn, it has allowed her team to succeed.

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Building a Positive Corporate Culture from Afar

Rishad Tobaccowala, author of Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in The Age of Data, and senior advisor at Publicis Groupe, discussed what’s top of mind among brand marketers as they brace for the future.

As a marketing industry leader, Rishad Tobaccowala’s key skill is getting people to see, think, and feel differently about how to grow themselves, their teams, and their company.

Tobaccowala has a clear focus: ensure brands and organizations hire the most qualified candidates and people well versed in the knowledge economy. He stresses that companies can be too obsessed with data and not enough with what motivates their employees. Having a diverse environment is not the same as encouraging a diverse set of voices; having a seat at the table doesn’t necessarily mean speaking freely.

While marketers spend an increasing amount of their time living in a data-driven world; they tend to forget that people are carbon-based creatures who make their choices based on emotion.

Tobaccowala shared a few key insights for marketers:

•     The future is global. “Globalization will only continue, largely because most people are in favor of being interconnected, whether via social media or e-commerce,” Tobaccowala said. “But technology marches along with the rise of AI (which is a data-riding software). The emergence of 5G will accelerate the trend, as well as the growing sophistication of cloud-based and voice technologies.”
•     Demographic shifts will become more profound. People are getting older, with the U.S. gradually morphing into a multiethnic society. “This will impact [everything from] culture to styles to food,” Tobaccowala said, adding that diversity is important for how “products are marketed and what products are relevant.”
•     Being a diverse organization is a start. Diversity of voice is critical, and people throughout the organization should be encouraged to speak up. “This starts with transforming work culture,” Tobaccowala said. “Trust is the one thing all society is challenged with — especially with data — and companies need to find ways to build trust with consumers, which involves prioritizing diverse viewpoints.”
•     Empathy is the ability to walk in other people’s shoes. With more and more people working from home — living at the office, in a sense — C-level executives must find ways to make remote work more flexible and balanced, leading with kindness and understanding. Making this a sustainable situation is crucial, as things are unlikely to change even after the pandemic ends.

Best Practices

The Rise of the Employer Brand

The idea of an employer brand takes on new meaning as working remotely becomes the norm for more and more people. While hiring was booming this time last year, the priorities of companies, employees, and candidates look very different as 2021 dawns.

In the face of myriad concerns, recruitment and retention may not be at the top of the business agenda. Despite these changes and an uncertain future, companies must stay open to the possibilities of hiring new employees and make sure they’re taking special care of existing ones. A strong employee value proposition aids not only in retention and satisfaction but can also impact business outcomes, in terms of higher quality of talent, lower hiring costs, and lower churn rates.

Below are three ways for companies to drive their employee value propositions, bolster internal communications, and improve outreach strategies.

1. Employee Value Proposition Is Mission-Critical

For more than 15 years, executive search firm Sullivan has helped a wide range of companies with their employer brand and recruitment marketing strategies. Regardless of the business sector, one thing stands out when it comes to retention: A compelling and differentiated employee value proposition (EVP) is fueled by the organization’s values and culture.

There are several ways for a company’s values to manifest, such as employees’ dedication to producing quality products and services or a companywide commitment to rigorous problem-solving. Once a company’s values have been distilled, they need to be communicated across the company and reinforced frequently.

And while they may be harder to see, these types of values won’t vanish as people work remotely. If companies value transparency, C-suite executives are most likely hosting live streams or town halls to engage employees.

For some companies, happy hours and spirit days have gone virtual. And those organizations that place a high value on collaboration have found new ways for colleagues to stay connected. For instance, creative teams are leveraging collaborative tools like Wake, product teams are meeting more frequently, and employees are joining chat rooms online or affinity groups (for example, working parents relying on instant messaging channels).

2. Centralized Communication Unifies the Entire Team

While video calls and communication tools like Slack are excellent for keeping colleagues connected, stopping by someone’s desk for a quick chat or grabbing lunch together should not be underestimated. One way that large companies have been able to maintain both productivity and culture is via their intranet. Not only does it provide a central repository of up-to-date information about teams and processes to ensure people can work effectively, but it’s also a living resource center for protocol and communications during the pandemic.

The intranet also provides management with a designated communication platform and creates an informal space for employees to share content (read: uploading photos of work from home setups, highlighting team accomplishments, and creating user-generated content).

Intranets are most successful when they’re guided by a thoughtful, employee-centric strategy and grounded in the brand’s values. In fact, after working with Sullivan on the strategy and development of their new intranet, one financial services firm saw an 86 percent adoption rate in the first month and expressed how it was a huge factor in “helping to bring the firm together” during the early stages of the pandemic.

3. Employee Outreach Serves Dual Needs

Amid the professional and personal ruptures caused by the pandemic, it’s only natural that some employees feel stressed. They’re looking to their leaders for practical information and updates, as well as empathy during such a difficult period. Internal communications strategies will have to shift to show employees that companies are able to respond to workers’ concerns and chart a clear path forward. It’s also important to stay in close contact with teams to understand their specific needs and situations. Only then can marketers craft communications plans across touchpoints that address employees’ various needs.

For example, after surveying employees, companies may determine that a major barrier to effective communication is workers being able to adjust to remote technology setups. So facilitating tech support becomes a top priority and a central component of the firm’s content strategy.

And while not physically together, the surprise of in-person touchpoints goes a long way. Sending handwritten notes, inexpensive care packages, or birthday cards to employees is an effective way for companies to celebrate individual people and at the same time tout their brand values.

Reevaluating the communications strategy will demonstrate the flexibility and understanding companies need now more than ever. It will also yield long-term benefits. People will remember how they were treated during this time. It could change the way they look for jobs in the future, showing how employees can be the company’s most effective advocates.

Shifting Marketing Gears Amid the Pandemic

Narine Galstian, CMO at SADA, offered marketers advice for adapting to life amid COVID-19.

As marketers face life in the age of COVID-19, they continue to grapple with a continuous swirl of change. At a recent ANA 1-Day Conference, SADA’s Narine Galstian recommended three steps for how marketers adapt to the new environment:

1. Shift to Remote Work

•     Engage team members remotely: Consider using digital collaboration tools such as Google Workspace. Galstian also advised connecting with staffers frequently. Before the pandemic, for example, she had met with her team just once a week, but after going remote she now schedules a daily 30-minute meeting.
•     Support remote selling: Remember that salespeople are adapting to a new environment, as well. To adequately meet their needs, consider adopting practices such as social selling and account-based marketing (ABM).
•     Support remote account management: Marketers may find it necessary to make themselves available to clients and prospects via chat, via mobile, and meet electronically after business hours.

2. Shift to All-Digital

•     Pursue digital marketing: Focus on serving, as opposed to selling. As an example, SADA provided online recaps of Google events that SADA’s audience members could not attend.
•     Offer digital assets: Develop content that is specific to the different segments of the brand’s audiences and the challenges they face. Galstian emphasized the importance of providing such content in a variety of forms, such as long- and short-form videos, “how-to” content, and “tips and tricks.” She also stressed the importance of offering “ungated” access to the content.
•     Leverage digital tools: Capitalize on resources such as Hubspot to engage customers and drive leads. Avoid set-it-and-forget-it approaches; instead, continuously listen to customers’ needs and meet them in the most relevant ways possible.
•     Help customers adjust to the new environment: Consider offering free resources, such as change-management solutions, and assisting customers with offers like adjusting their payment terms.
•     Offer new products and services: SADA offered a “Live in Five” program that, in a matter of five days, promised to provide customers with Google Workspace licensing and training and execute all the necessary infrastructure changes.
•     Create value-added content: Consider formats such as videos, e-books, and “tips and tricks” content. SADA created a microsite for such content called CloudQuarters.

3. Align with Cross-Functional Teams

•     Increase communication: Break down silos and work to understand other teams’ challenges (e.g., sales’ challenges in connecting with prospects digitally).
•     Set goals: Share marketing KPIs with associates and vice versa.
•     Buy-in from colleagues: Align goals with other stakeholders, such as sales and finance, which will facilitate budget increases.
•     Celebrate wins: Build esprit de corps by celebrating team wins as well as recognizing individual successes. Publicizing these efforts also helps to build the brand.

How COVID Is Changing Creative Services

Brendon Derr, VP of strategic solutions at Cella, shared results of Cella’s recent survey, “COVID-19 Impact Report,” which analyzed the impact of the pandemic on creative, marketing, and digital teams at brands around the country. The survey is based on the responses from 242 C-suite and top-level executives, with 53 percent of the respondents hailing from billion-dollar companies among a variety of industries. It tackled four crucial areas:

Budgeting

In light of the pandemic, marketing budgets have been cut. Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed said that their budgets decreased slightly, while 82 percent of teams have implemented cost-saving measures. A do-more-with-less dynamic has set in, and future changes in agency structure are inevitable.

Working from Home

Most in-house agencies have more to do these days. Asked about their level of work, 51 percent of the respondents said that work has increased, while 31 percent said it declined. Overall, 69 percent of respondents said their workload was about the same or at a higher volume. The factors fueling the increase include responding to the pandemic (90 percent), a reset of marketing or communication strategies and messaging (77 percent), and a rapid shift to e-commerce (35 percent). Many respondents have had to adjust to all three of these factors simultaneously.

The channels that organizations focus their marketing efforts on have also shifted, moving to digital engagement. Social was the top marketing channel organizations have refocused their marketing efforts (71 percent), followed by PR, and crisis communications (54 percent).

Derr said that new talent and skillsets will be necessary for success in a post-digital world. Senior managers must start recruiting new types of talent posthaste, as attracting employees will even be more competitive as people get vaccinated and the economy starts to come back.

The survey also revealed that traditional marketing channels, such as radio, broadcast television, direct mail, have garnered minimal attention during the COVID-19 crisis. Time will tell if this change is temporary or more long-term.

Nevertheless, most marketing teams continue to produce photo, video, and audio content (77 percent), just in a different setting. For example, 49 percent of respondents said they have moved equipment from the office to employees’ homes and/or used home-based production kits.

More than 90 percent of teams’ work quality has remained as good or better than pre-pandemic, the survey said. Seventeen percent of respondents said that that the new office dynamic has had a positive effect on their work and seven percent said it has had a negative effect. More than three-fourths of respondents (76 percent) said their work is consistent with their previous efforts.

Employees are struggling less than expected working remotely. If the trend continues, people won’t be so quick to return to the office daily, Derr said. Indeed, several major companies, such as Twitter, have adopted permanent work-from-home policies, and others are likely to follow suit.

Day-to-Day Operation

According to the survey, 80 of the respondents said productivity has remained as good or better than before the pandemic. Fifteen percent said the pandemic has had a positive impact on work performance, and 65 percent said there has been no impact.

Among the 19 percent of respondents who said that COVID has had a negative impact on work performance, the reasons cited include distractions at home (57 percent), technology challenges (49 percent), and stress (41 percent).

Working remotely has been a positive development for most employees. Asked if they would return to the office full time after the pandemic ends, 61 percent of survey respondents said they will likely work remotely more frequently and the office periodically. Nineteen percent of respondents said they will maintain moderate-to-extensive hours for remote workers once the pandemic ends and 19 percent said that they will have workers return to the office in a full-time capacity.

Those who responded that they will not increase remote work policies need to reevaluate as they will face lots of talent challenges competing for employees with companies that have more flexibility in schedules, Derr says. The remote workforce is here to stay, with changes in compensation — depending on where people live — likely to follow suit.

Asked what online tools they need working from home, 33 percent of respondents said digital asset management, as demand has increased sharply for access to planning, scheduling, proofing and approvals, and file sharing.

Value of In-House Agencies

In a separate ANA survey focusing on COVID-19, 55 percent of respondents said that an in-house agency is now the most important resource for producing new creative assets, followed by internal teams (42 percent) and outside agencies (26 percent).

Q&A: Brendon Derr, VP of Sales (Fractional) at Workgroups Davinci

Q. Are in-house agencies better positioned to pivot amid the pandemic?

A. Yes. When you combine the institutional knowledge and brand knowledge and relational value that exist between an in-house team and internal marketers — and communications that must move quickly — there is nothing that compares to an in-house team that has been living and breathing that brand. An in-house agency can also make mechanical stuff happen, such as financials and contracting. When an emergency hits, these groups are positioned to respond.

Q. How do in-house agencies measure productivity?

A. In terms of productivity, teams are struggling with balancing resources with reality. Work hasn’t necessarily decreased, but there have been corporate and companywide initiatives to cut staff, agency staff, etc. Other than that, I honestly think most in-house agencies are trying to survive and carry companies through this pivot and are less worried about productivity and more concerned about the work.

Q. Will the doing-more-with-less work model remain after the pandemic ends?

A. The pendulum moves over time. The answer to the work quality question needs to be taken in the context of the crisis. In-house agencies have pivoted to produce great work, but that reflects a moment in time. The real question is when we get back to how things used to be and the competition for production values and market share ramp up to where they were previously. Will in-house agencies continue to deliver at a level of quality that keeps pace with what we’ve known agencies have always done? It’s yet to be determined whether the trend will continue beyond the crisis.

Source Information

“Open for Business.” Deloitte Digital, 2020.

“Balancing Act: With more time at home, work days and media habits merge.” Nielson, 8/13/20.

“Help Your Team Beat WFH Burnout.” Bobbi Thomason, Harvard Business Review, 1/26/21.

“FlexJobs Survey: Productivity, Work-Life Balance Improves During Pandemic.” FlexJobs, Rachel Pelta, 9/21/20.

“Post Pandemic Predictions: ‘New Normal’ Opportunities for In-House Agencies.” Maureen Boyle, Chair at ANA In-House Agency Committee Midwest Chapter and Senior Director of Creative Services and Events at Nordstrom Trunk Club. ANA In-House Agency Day: Responding to Crisis, 5/28/20.

“How to Create a Positive Work Culture.” Rishad Tobaccowala, Author of Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in The Age of Data and Senior Advisor at Publicis Groupe. ANA 2020 Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference, 11/17/20.

“Employer Brand in the Age of Remote Work.” Sullivan, 4/24/20.

“Adapting to Conditions in the Pandemic.” Narine Galstian, CMO at SADA. ANA 1-Day Conference: Marketing at the Speed of Change, 12/8/20.

“COVID-19’s Impact on Creative, Marketing, and Digital Teams.” Brendon Derr, VP of Strategic Solutions at Cella. ANA In-House Agency Day: Responding to Crisis, 5/28/20.
Source

“Marketing in the Age of Working Remotely.” Insight Brief compiled by Olivia Lipski, Content Creation Manager, Marketing Knowledge Center, ANA. Editor: Matthew Schwartz, Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications, ANA. Designer: Amy Zeng, Marketing and Communications, ANA. © Copyright 2021 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.