Engaging the Family: Marketing to the Entire Household During COVID-19
As businesses try to continue marketing to their customers, they should take into account how they can adapt their strategies to market to the entire family instead of the single individual. Now that children are home, it is important that businesses consider the needs of the entire family as one unit, not separate parties. Restaurants have an advantage in this area as they can connect all the members of the family using the love and the necessity of food.
Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi is an Asian style restaurant that offers Asian rolls, bowls, boba teas, and bento boxes in several locations throughout Florida. Bento has been using third-party delivery partners to continue to serve food during COVID-19. They also released a “family meal deal” that is $35 and feeds four. This provides affordability and is suitable for the entire family. Thinking of different deals and promotions to increase sales but also remain reasonable during this financially difficult time for individuals is key for small businesses. User experience has to be adapted during this time as well for restaurants where families usually get an in-dining experience. Restaurants can promote their food but also give ideas of how families can make the at-home dining experience fun for all of the family members.
Children are now home from school which means that parents have additional responsibilities of keeping them occupied and providing for their new needs. Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi realized this and came up with a way they could help. They created a “Bento Coloring Book” for parents to download online for their children (free of charge). This aspect of their marketing strategy had the purpose of building their brand and helping their community in a small way. Parents who may have been struggling with ways to keep children busy appreciated the thought that Bento had behind this surprising gesture. It is actions like these that families will remember once restrictions relax and restaurants reopen.
Of course, there are other members of the family that businesses should remember to market to. An article by mycustomer.com emphasizes the following to determine the best way to engage the family:
Define the brand’s purpose and what value it could bring to each member of the family (moms, dads, kids, grandparents)
Get to know the buyer’s journey (how do you reach marketing to each respective member-different social media platforms, different channels, etc)
The importance of using different platforms or channels to reach different family members has increased during COVID. The entire world is significantly increasing their time on social media and the internet, thus increasing their average “screen time” daily. Different age groups have different interests and are more attracted to some forms of social media than others (generational marketing). For example, Instagram is most used by younger individuals while Facebook is the platform most used by widely all age groups. Returnonnow.com has an amazing infographic that highlights differences between age groups small businesses should know in order to market effectively.
The adaptation of small businesses’ marketing strategies to include all family members has the potential of increasing their potential consumer base. Creating promotions or brand awareness strategies with the significance of children's needs in mind, indirectly reaches out to parents as well who will be more inclined to buy the product or service for the sake of their child’s needs or wants.
As a social impact initiative, Rem and Company also offers free consulting services and resources to small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. Our pro-bono consulting teams provide small businesses with the opportunity to identify and prioritize issues facing their business, propose innovative strategies, and facilitate execution. If you are a small business or nonprofit in need of assistance, learn more about how we can help.