According to a recent study, 94% of North Americans are using their free time to recuperate from work.
Take a moment to let that sink in. It’s a remarkable statistic.
Free time is not really free anymore. Yes, we have time outside of our jobs, but we’re not using it to go on vacations and galavant around the world. We’re using it to recover.
And this lack of time is having a profound impact on not only the way we connect with one another, but the way our customers connect with our brands and the way they buy.
Relationships are stretched
One of the first things to suffer when we’re pressed for time is relationships.
People are not investing as much time in relationship building activities. They are not going to as many networking events, luncheons, and golf games. They’re not spending as much time socializing and developing personal relationships.
People still do it, but not as much as they did a decade or two ago. The reason is time. They just don’t perceive taking a few hours out of their day to go to an event as a good use of their time.
Companies do not have the same personal connections they once did with their clients.
Headspace is limited
Not only are your customers pressed for time, they are inordinately busy.
As a society we’ve filled our lives up with stuff: Facebook, Twitter, email, work, home, kids, soccer practice, you name it and the list continues. As a result, we’re finding ourselves feeling rushed, hurried, and short of time.
This lack of time carries into our headspace. Customers are not giving companies the same attention and due diligence they once did.
Instead, we’re finding customers are gravitating towards the few companies that make their lives just a little bit easier.
Standing out has never been more important
Your customers are busy, overloaded, and pressed for time. They’ve got a lot of people, companies, and devices competing for their attention.
So why should your customers pay attention to you? More importantly, how is your brand going to capture their attention and bring them value?
Branding has never been more important. It’s as much a question of defense as it is offense. If you can’t stand out in this highly crowded and cluttered market, your business could be overlooked.
You can’t afford to let your brand get ignored due to your customers’ lack of time. How are you going to make your brand stand out like an orange tree in an evergreen forest in the New Year?
