3 Ways to Drive In-Home Listening By Andy Meadows

Currently about 40% of American workers are working from home due to the ongoing pandemic. Recently several companies including Google, Target, Microsoft, Ford and the New York Times have extended working from home through the summer of 2021. Across the country smaller companies have followed suit allowing many of their employees to do the same. 

With listeners spending less time in their cars now and going forward, here are a few ways we can drive in-home radio listening. 

1) Contests, features and virtual events targeting in-home workers. Just as we’ve often tailored midday contesting and features toward in office workers, now would be a good time to create some contests directly targeting people working from home. That could be an on-air, online and social game with a food delivery prize. Or we could steal a page from companies that are offering creative new perks for their work at home employees including virtual wine tastings, craft project contests and picnic boxes. Additionally, stations could offer exclusive artist zoom concerts for a group of lucky at home listeners. 

2) Direct mail and digital ad campaigns aimed at in-home workers. A good way to promote those contests, features and virtual events would be by reviving a direct mail campaign or using a targeted digital campaign that markets them as well as in-home listening in general. 

3) Become their connection. The biggest thing that at home workers miss out on is the comradery and sense of community that comes from being surrounded by coworkers every day. This creates an opportunity for local radio stations to step in as a surrogate by getting the on-air talent to engage more with listeners on-air and online, letting listeners behind the curtain a little. Plus, we could build on something we should’ve been doing all along by creating a connection for those at home workers to the community through more local news and info. 

It’s hard to say exactly how many of the current forty percent of American workers that are working from home will continue doing so going forward, some studies estimate ten percent or more. But, its safe to assume that through the majority of 2021 that number is likely to be remain pretty high and, regardless of the timeline, we would be wise to use this time to create relationships with those workers instead of waiting around for the day that they get back into their cars.

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