It is no news that Coronavirus has comfortably taken its sit among us.
Because of this, we all have to stay at home.
But the truth is, just because we are at home, we cannot stop business transactions. Business has to continue; we have to keep making money.
Things get a little complicated since all your team members are no longer in one place. It is harder to reach them, get them together for a meeting and ensuring that everyone does their job as they should.
This is not all.
With strict rules about self-quarantine, social distancing and travel restrictions, consumers are not as eager to shop as they used to. This coupled with the rumours that there might be a huge recession after this pandemic can be too burdening for every business.
So, how do you keep your business running smoothly despite these complications? This is what I will be talking about in the next few minutes.
1. Take a sip of that glass of wine and chill
Before you come for my head.. Yes, I am repeating it. Chill.
This is not the time to start making decisions out of fear. If you are not careful, you will cause more damage to your business than the pandemic would have.
So, take a sit back. Look at where your business is now and strategize. How bad are things are? How long can you survive at this rate?
You need to make plans but more importantly, you need to make informed decisions, for you, your stakeholders and your employees.
So relax, take a day off. Clear your head and then, call a meeting with your stakeholders. Make sure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision.
Then you create a plan to keep your business afloat this period.
I need to insert it here that many companies have survived situations worse time than this and many will survive this – and there is nothing that says yours won’t be one of these companies.
2. Become your customer’s social life
This might sound crazy to you but let me explain.
Almost everyone is at home. They have no access to social gatherings, no Friday night outs, no brunches or dinners, no parties or traveling. All they have is their phone and the internet.
More than ever, your customers need a social life. So, be their social life.
This is the time you double up on your presence on social media. Let them know that whenever they come online that you will be there to spend time with them.
I know this has nothing to do with buying and selling. But this will increase engagement, build trust and help your brand and your customers to get to know each other – which if properly managed, will definitely lead to sales.
So, how do you become your customer’s social life?
- Go live on social media platforms
- Host webinars
- Post about your experience during the lockdown. You can also get your team talking about theirs.
- Get your audience talking about their experience during the lockdown
- Ask questions (remember, I said this is time to get to know your audience more)
- Host giveaways and contest
- Host a challenge
- Get more creative with selling (ditch the regular ads you are used to. For example, discount on your product for anyone who participates in your challenge. )
- Send emails
- Update our blogs, vlogs, podcast, etc.
Whatever it is you are doing, make sure that whenever your audience comes online, they can trust you to make their stay-at-home experience more fun.
3. Do not let that revenue stream run dry
So, it is nice that we give our audience a fun way to spend their time at home, but we still need to make money and we need to make it now.
Therefore, this is not the time to act like you are on a vacation. The truth is you are not.
So, double up on reaching out to your prospective clients. Give your customers a million and one reasons to buy from you. Remind them why your product is the best thing they need even during the lockdown.
Get creative with your ads. Create new offers that will be more appealing to your audience during this period. Try all the tricks in the book.
At this point, your business is on lockdown, but the good thing is, business does not stop online. So, go digital with your marketing and push hard on it more than ever.
Create a new marketing strategy that will suit the situation of things and double down hard on all your sources of revenue.
4. Look for new ways to serve your customers
You need to look for new ways you can deliver value to your customers during this period.
Just because you are used to offering a service does not mean you cannot add more to the list.
Find out what people need the most during this period and look for how your business can help meet that need.
You can go online if you are solely an offline business. For example, if you provide catering services to people for events. Now, that is almost impossible. You can start an online class and get people to pay to learn how you do your magic.
Therefore, it is important to talk to your customers. Reach out to them. What do they need? How can you help meet that need?
If you can answer these questions, you will be able to figure out new ways to serve them.
4. Stay connected with your team
I do not need to tell you that this is very important during this period.
With the digital age, it is very easy to stay connected. So, this should not be a problem. It might take a while to adapt to this, especially if your company is not used to this mode of communication.
All you need is to get the right tools and subscribe to them. Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts make it easier to hold video conferences.
This will not only help to hold meetings but also keep social interaction alive among your team members.
Final thoughts…
Business does not have to stop just because you are closed and been asked to stay at home.
The digital world has made it easier for you to run your business no matter where you are. All you must make the necessary changes.
The tips in this article will help keep your business afloat during this period. If you have any questions, leave a comment, and let us talk.
