Small Businesses and Coronavirus: How to Make the Most of Hard Times
As a small business owner, you may be struggling to navigate the current economic climate in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Losing streams of revenue and being forced to consider budget cuts or even layoffs is anxiety-inducing, to say the least. If your company is dealing with sudden drops in profits, it may seem like you need to hunker down and wait for better days before you can take further steps to grow your business. However, hard times offer business owners the unique opportunity to sit back, take stock, and make plans for the future.
Is your company ready to weather the storm ahead? More importantly, are you prepared to start back up again? In an increasingly remote and digital age, the more you can market your company online, the better.
Do you have a website for your business? Now is the time to conduct a site audit, get help with your search engine optimization (SEO), and add keyword-rich content that will drive traffic.
Do you use social media for your business? This economic slowdown doesn’t prevent you from ramping up your efforts to connect digitally, especially on free social platforms. Whether you seek assistance from a social media marketer or set forth on your own for now, you can provide your loyal customers updates, offers, and great content that will keep you top-of-mind for when things return to normal.
Do you send a regular email newsletter or other electronic communications to your mailing list? Take this opportunity to prepare your content calendar for future newsletters. What deals or incentives can you offer? What value can you provide to customers in this time of uncertainty?
Restaurants have shown an impressive ability to pivot in recent weeks. In many instances, food service establishments are still permitted to offer to-go and delivery service during statewide shutdowns. By taking to social media, posting on your website, or sending out newsletters that inform the public that you’re open, and by letting them know how you’re here to serve them, you can help your business ride out the storm. Show that you are flexible and can change how you do business to support the needs of your customers.
What is your restaurant doing to keep customers safe? If you are sanitizing your entire deli counter every hour, create content that lets people know. How are you working to make life more convenient? If you can offer fresh-baked bread for delivery, advertise it. Take care not to be tone-deaf in your content, but showcasing that we are all struggling and all in this together goes a long way. Being a team player and an integral member of the community has never been more important.
Regardless of how they are classified by state or local governments, small businesses ARE essential. Even if you are forced to remain closed for the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak, know that your role in your community is more important than ever.
When storefronts are permitted to reopen, your continued presence will help remind your friends and neighbors of what life used to be like, and it will have a reassuring effect that will almost certainly translate to an uptick in profits as the economy heals. If you are able to stay open during this period of uncertainty, even better for your future prospects with customers in the community who benefitted from your help while locked down.
If you haven’t tackled a content, social media, SEO, or newsletter project in the past, Wordsmyth Creative Content Marketing is here to help. Our team of expert writers and marketers can offer advice and support or take on the task in its entirety.
Since we are fully remote, we are able to remain open despite COVID-19 closures, and we hope to continue serving our customers and helping them ride out this storm. We feel strongly that a period of slow sales presents a unique opportunity to hone your marketing plan and prepare yourself for the influx of work that is to come. Contact us today to learn more!
Originally published at https://www.wordsmythcontent.com on April 9, 2020.
