Navigating that Work-Life Balance

Small Business owners have forever struggled to maintain the ever elusive “work-life balance”. In a world of laptops and phones, and startups that often require the founder to wear multiple hats, small business owners/employees are usually on call all the time. Throw in the Covid Pandemic which has forced many people to work from home, and it seems like this idea of “balance” has been thrown out the window.

In fact, early reports at the start of quarantines and shut downs showed US workers adding an average of 3+ hours to their workdays while working from home. The lack of commutes, lunch breaks and the addition of living spaces turned into offices all equals more available time to log on.

As the Pandemic has worn on, many are still feeling the burn of the overwhelming workday, however, an interesting shift has happened in many’s priorities. You hear stories of people who are using this time to refocus on family or themselves, whether by choice or by necessity. Logging off of work calls in favor of helping with school ones, sitting down to more family meals (now that late nights at the office are no longer a thing), and more fluid schedules lending time for exercise or daily outings, has shifted the culture of how many see their workday. While we may be working earlier in the day, or later in the night, we’re now able to spend some of our traditional “work hours” on other things.

How do we market in this “new normal”?

So what does this mean to small business owners from a marketing perspective? It means that the priorities of our clients and customers have changes, drastically and quickly, over the past few months. This means that our messaging needs to change as well.

The first step is to change the way we see this idea of “balance” when it comes to our work and personal life. These 2 pieces of our life are no longer separate entities, and are instead now integrated together into our days. This means that we have to start integrating our messaging in ways that fit into this new lifestyle.

Rethink publishing days and times.

In the pre-Covid days, we all had those prime times we would push out social content or blogs. Trying to reach professionals? Send content out at 1pm during the week and grab them as they return from lunch. More interested in moms? Shoot out an email around 8pm when they’re most likely scrolling their phones and relaxing after kids are in bed. Now, that our schedules look entirely different, it may be time to test out new days and times. In fact, studies have shown peak email time has now shifted to 9am for working professionals as wake times have become later, and parents are spending the morning logging their kids onto virtual school.

Preference will be giving to more understanding brands.

Distance learning and closed pre-schools have lead to many kids making surprise appearances on Zoom meetings and conference calls. Messaging Millennials, often means reaching out to a group with young children, many of whom are trying to work or manage their homes while caring for them. This means that if your business isn’t child friendly, accommodating of their needs/schedules, or adds more work to their already over scheduled days, they most likely will search for other options. This means curbside pickups, online reservations, and the ability to schedule appointments during naps/bedtimes may be things to think about.

Your offerings may need to shift.

With so many people out of work, or worried about keeping their job, or even business, long term, people are seriously rethinking how they use their disposable income. I hesitate to write this one because I truly believe in charging what you’re worth, however, I also believe in businesses shifting offers to reflect the current climate. Think about how you may be able to package new offerings in a more cost effective way. No longer traveling among client sites? Pass along those savings. Reduced store hours/employees? Pass along those savings. New ability to order or book online? Offer discounts for those who choose to shop that way. Even if the amounts are small, people appreciate not only the convenience, but the thoughtfulness.