How to offer appropriate benefits at appropriate times

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Could ‘moment marketing’ benefit reward? How to offer employees appropriate benefits at appropriate times.
"...we need to know more about our employees and use data and technology to deliver effective messaging."

‘Right here, right now’ – Fatboy Slim got it right.  To successfully connect with people and for your message to land, you have to reach the right person at the right time. Reaching them at a time when they want to hear your message or receive your offer - that’s ‘moment marketing.’

It’s all around us already, especially via advertising on social media. No sooner have you been browsing Amazon for something, the next thing you know it appears in your Facebook feed along with other suggestions and then come the mobile notifications. I’m sure I’ve even had adverts for products based on something that Alexa (other voice recognition devices are available) heard. Mind. Blown.

It’s not just looking at personal experiences and habits but dialling into wider events. A sunny spell at the weekend, for example, and we’ll see supermarkets promoting offers on beer and burgers. If it’s Wimbledon tennis season there are adverts galore for Pimms and strawberries.

However, can the principle of 'moment marketing' be applied to employee benefits? In short, yes, and it’s probably already in use to some extent.  One example includes offering childcare vouchers to employees who have just had a baby. For it to be really effective though, we need to know more about our employees and use data and technology to deliver effective messaging.  Of course, this needs to be balanced around not being too intrusive; employees might not want to be ‘marketed to’ by their employer, or for there to be too much of a blur between their personal and work lives.

If we have information about employees we can use technology to engage on a personal level, when they are particularly receptive to that message.  Platforms should be able to identify when a change has been made to a piece of data and that in turn can then trigger a targeted message.  For example, an employee gets married so the message could be that they now get more life assurance or can add even more if they wish to - and that this might be better than buying it themselves. On top of this, perhaps they can also be told about discounts at DIY stores.   

This is a little reactive though so why shouldn’t an employee be able to receive instant communications to help them with their choices? For example:
  • They are looking at buying some additional annual leave and receives an alert there and then for travel insurance
  • The employee is researching dental insurance and receive a message about the cash plan as a possible alternative or complementary benefit
  • There is an office move and the employee is notified about local discounts in their new area and an introduction to the clubs and social activities that they might be interested in
  • The weather is bad and the employee receives a message promoting discounted cinema tickets or holidays abroad
  • It’s the Tour de France and the employee bought a bike through work a few years ago – they get a nudge to perhaps upgrade it through the Cycle to Work scheme
  • Mental Health Awareness Week starts – it’s good to be informed about what wellbeing initiatives are on offer and how these can support the employee

All of this can be delivered by an employer to improve an employee’s work experience and benefit from sponsored deals and activities, thereby increasing the value of their overall reward.

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