Social Distancing & Business: How to Bring Your Business Online
By Rianna H. & Latisha S.
We are all starting to feel the impact of COVID-19, social distancing, and how that is affecting our personal lives and work lives. We are learning how to deal with social distancing & business and how to bring your business online.
There is caution, fear, and a LOT of unknown.
While history has shown humans are resilient and the economy will bounce back, in the meantime, there will be some tough times and tough decisions to be made, especially for business owners.
Our hearts hurt for so many small and local businesses that have had to shut their doors. We know that this is affecting their income and that of their employees.
So what can we do with that?
We encourage optimism. To choose productivity over fear.
While your work may look different now, there are still opportunities for you!
Do you have fewer customers or had your hours cut?
- Take a course in a topic you’re interested in
- Get a certification that can boost your career
- Finally tackle that pile of books you’ve been meaning to read
- Clean your work space & update your LinkedIn Profile
Working remotely?
- Improve your communication skills with concise emails
- Explore new software tools that can help your team
- Demonstrate high levels of productivity to leverage more WFH days in the future
- Use your returned commute time for an opportunity to exercise or get extra housework done
Have reduced customers/clients?
- Use this time to update your computers and technology
- Review your business numbers and business plan, what areas can you improve?
- Review your digital footprint, does your Facebook page have the right phone number, is your website up to date with your newest products? This could be a great time to add product to your online store!
There are always options for us…we just have to look for them!
If you are a business owner there are ways that you can bring your business online to try and combat these restrictions and keep your business in the front and center of your customer’s minds.
There are some non-online options such as,
- Restaurants implementing drive-thrus and even deliveries.
- Local art stores doing take-home crafts/painting instead of having them in-store or even online group classes
- Offer gift certificates for pickup or even online
- Offer phone calls vs office hours
Online options could include:
- Creating an online membership
- Chefs- show people new and creative meals that they can make at home
- Hair Salons-Show people tips on how to care for their hair
- Art Stores- Do online painting or crafting trainings online
- Teachers-Create a place that your students can find free resources and have access to activities and lessons that can keep them busy during these next weeks
- Small Shops- Offer shipping options for people, gift cards for future purchases, delivery options (if able to and makes sense for your business and area)
- Webinars
- If you don’t want to create a membership, you can host a webinar teaching on one topic (this can be for chefs, hair salons, art stores, photographers, etc)
- Live Group Calls- This is a little different than a webinar in the sense that it is a more back and forth between the business owner and their customers. This again can be used with several different industries (get creative!!)
- Start building your email list-Even if you aren’t selling something online at the moment, this is a good time to start building your email list and building your customer base. This way, once the dust settles and you are able to go back to your brick and mortar, you have a huge list of potential customers.
- This can be achieved by offering a freebie, such as:
- Checklist
- Infographic
- E-book
- This can be achieved by offering a freebie, such as:
Of course there are hundreds of other ways that you can bring your business online, but hopefully these tips will help you to easily transfer your business online.
On the Table…
These are trying times for everyone and we want you to know that we are here for you to help you in any way we can. Even if it is just encouragement or a friendly smile, don’t hesitate to reach out.
For more encouragement and marketing tips for how to transition your business, join us in the free Facebook group, Marketing 4 Makers.
Click for more info on the 5 Essentials You Need to Launch Your Business Online.