Union + Valtech is a creative & performance marketing agency that creates omni-channel campaigns, unleashing creativity on a data-driven world, helping brands produce measurable results.

How Union Shifted to Work Remotely as a Digital Agency During the Pandemic | Union

How Union Shifted to Work Remotely as a Digital Agency During the Pandemic

With stay-home orders in place and a nationwide emphasis on social distancing, the past month has challenged so many businesses in ways they may never have expected. Offices have sent employees home, restaurants have shuttered or transitioned to takeout-only, stores have shifted focuses to online retail, budgets have been slashed.But as much as it could help save on expenses, now is <a href="https://www.inboundbackoffice.com/why-it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-abandon-your-marketing-efforts-during-a-global-pandemic?fbclid=IwAR174-rGewI7FPmBn78JTs5Sa_BQmqnYEABsEhqhBDnaJpUM5BRdMCqr24o">not a good time</a> for brands to cut their digital marketing efforts. People are staying home (hopefully) and therefore tapping into digital media more than ever, to stay connected, to stay current and to get what they need. Statistics indicate that “staying put” can <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2020/staying-put-consumers-forced-indoors-during-crisis-spend-more-time-on-media/?utm_source=sfmc&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newswire&amp;utm_content=3-25-2020">lead</a> to a 60% increase in the amount of content people view. There’s a huge audience out there that’s ripe to be reached when competitors might be pulling back. There’s also been a big surge in demand for online presentation skills, online food orders and online beverage orders. In March, for starters:<ul><li>Webcasting company Intrado <a href="https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/virtual-event-tech-is-booming-as-companies-scramble-to-take-conferences-online/">saw</a> sales calls go up by 1,000% </li><li>Grocery app Instacart’s daily downloads <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/grocery-delivery-apps-see-record-downloads-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/">increased</a> by 218%</li><li>Direct-to-consumer wine club Winc’s sales<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/katedingwall/2020/03/25/its-a-month-bigger-than-christmas-online-wine-sales-are-soaring/#7dbc246e5783"> rose</a> 49.6% week-over-week</li></ul>This is why we continue to run our digital marketing agency from home. Yep, all 50 or so of us have been working from our personal offices (or dining tables) since Monday, March 16. No matter where we are, we’re doing the work. Here’s a look at how we’ve shifted to become a remote digital agency for the time being.

There’s an element of accountability when you know your face and upper body are going to pop up on the computer screens of 10 other coworkers. Plus, we feel less reclusive when we can actually see other human beings during the day. So we’ve added <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-hangouts/nckgahadagoaajjgafhacjanaoiihapd?hl=en">Google Hangouts</a> links to every internal meeting invitation on the company Google calendar. And we generally require the team to use the video feature. It helps us stay focused and productive – and seen. There’s a presentation option, too, so a team member can pull up documents or slides they’re referencing, for everyone to take a look at. To spice up our work days, we’re also maintaining lunch-and-learn seminars by Union team members, for Union team members. This is a chance to share our knowledge and how-tos, from app-building to extracurricular skills.But the real weekly highlight is our State of the Union huddle with the whole crew every Friday afternoon, for company and team updates. So many faces all at once.

So Many Video Meetings

Sure, we have our challenges. Like pausing paid media campaigns, losing in-person contact with clients, having discussions of how and if to address the coronavirus in social media and online content. But we’re still on track with client requests and deadlines. We’re essentially on call 9-5 as a team on work days (with flexibility for much-needed breaks and parents juggling tiny kids at home). We have twice-daily status checks, one in the morning to make sure everyone’s on the same page with tasks, and one at the end of the day to check progress and completions. We also have digital status sheets that every team member updates throughout the day.We use Google Hangouts or Go-To Meetings with our clients to connect (usually without video, we would never do that to them) and to present decks and documents. A lot of our work involves drastic social media content pivots lately, with brands across the globe needing to adapt to changing consumer needs and appropriate messaging. “During this time, we know it’s even more crucial for us to be there for our clients,” said Account Director Melanie Pearl. “As a digital agency, we’re uniquely poised to continue to offer our support at full productivity. Not only to continue to address current needs but to proactively assist them in navigating marketing decisions and focusing on reaching the right audiences with relevant messaging and offers.”

Strategic Client-Related Modifications

It’s never been more necessary to keep company culture alive. While we’ve had to postpone our frequent team outings, our monthly (now weekly) Third Thursday craft beer adventure still has a fighting chance. But instead of heading off to a new brewery or bar, we’re settling for Google Hangouts with a BYOB option. “Isolation is becoming the new normal for the time being, but there’s some comfort in knowing that the people you spend so much time with during the day are still the same people,” said Senior Paid Media Strategist Alex Ferraro, who leads Third Thursday. “Keeping those connections you’ve forged via virtual happy hours or collaborative teleconferences helps to ease the stress of the situation.”

The Occasional Virtual Happy Hour

We were already hooked to <a href="https://slack.com/">Slack</a> before this crisis. We have channels for specific clients (great for document-sharing and quick updates), internal departments, innovation, random thoughts and, of course, the very important Dogs of Union channel for p-updates. Since our work-from-home mandate kicked in, we’ve added a few more opt-in channels. We now have the Mindfulness channel, for opening up about our mental, physical and emotional well-being during this weird time, as well as for sharing book suggestions, meditation apps and little daily joys (like, um, <a href="https://explore.org/livecams/ecad/east-coast-assistance-dogs-cam">live feeds of puppies</a>). Senior Production Coordinator Riley Strong helped spearhead the channel. “The mindfulness channel is so important right now because there’s this shared feeling of unease in the world at the moment,” she said. “So it’s more important than ever to practice mindfulness, utilize tools to help manage anxiety and stress, and build a network of trusted peers who can share their knowledge and tips. It’s integral in this climate to form an understanding that it’s okay to talk about these things at work.” We also have a Help Desk channel for the IT and connectivity issues we’re sure to encounter from the solitude of our home desks, and a Covid-19 channel for those who want to share news updates and the occasional meme. Best to keep the panic scrolling in its own little corner of the digital space, right?

Endless Dedicated Slack Channels

Want to talk digital marketing? <a href="https://union.co/contact">Contact us today</a>. We’re online and near our phones 9-5. And we’ll be with you right after our video meeting – or puppy break.

We’re Still Here to Connect

Valtech + Union is a creative &amp; performance marketing agency that creates omni-channel campaigns, unleashing creativity on a data-driven world, helping brands produce memorable, measurable and repeatable results. Obsessed with data-driven performance, we believe every marketing dollar should be viewed as an investment. Our clients expect a meaningful return and we prove the ROI of our work with quantifiable data.