COVID-19: Keeping Your Business Relevant
There’s no question that we are living in a surreal and scary time. The COVID-19 virus went from being a distant headline to an overwhelming reality. Cases in most countries around the world are increasing exponentially and in a short time, we’ve gone from business as usual to most of the world’s population sheltering in their homes.
For business owners, the element of uncertainty looms large. Governments are advising non-essential businesses to close to protect employees and the public. If your business is going to survive, it will be because you find a way to keep your products and services relevant to the people in your target audience.
The answer for most businesses is going to require creative thinking. Here are some tips to help you find your relevance and maintain your audience during the global crisis.
1. Start with Your Customers
In a time of uncertainty, it’s always a good idea to let your customers lead the way. Ask yourself what your customers need from you right now – and what they’ll need from you a month from now. Better yet: ask your customers what they need.
While there’s certainly a lot of stress involved in running a business during a pandemic, it’s important to remember that we have resources that are still available to us even if our offices and stores are closed. We have the technology to help us keep in touch with our audiences. Given this day and age, that’s a huge headstart. During the last global overwhelming pandemic – (the Spanish Flu) the world did not have the technological advantages as we have now.
Your customers may need you to deliver services in a new way. They may need your services or products to adapt to their current situation. You won’t know unless you ask. This is a good time to have a one-on-one telemeeting with them so you can discuss the various options available.
2. Embrace Creativity to Retain Your Customers
Once you know what your audience wants, it’s time to figure out how to adapt your business to provide what they need. The answer may be an obvious one. For example, as a restaurant owner, you may want to think of how to take your in-house menu online and transform your business into a takeout and delivery service. Diners may not be able to come in and sit down, but people still want to support their favourite eateries.
Here are some other suggestions that may inspire you:
– As a fitness trainer, you can connect with your clients via Skype or daily online streaming classes. You can design personal training plans for each customer and let them book online sessions with you personally.
Are you a life coach? Consultants, including personal coaches, lawyers, and financial consultants, can offer Skype or Zoom sessions in lieu of face-to-face sessions.
If you are a business that provides essential services, for example, an electrician or a plumber you can reach out to your customers and let them know what safety procedures you are putting in place to ensure you can safely provide an emergency call-out service to their homes. You may want to assure them you are able to keep working and visit them with proper protective gear such as overalls, masks and gloves.
As a barber or beauty salon owner do not despair. Most people will definitely need your services but obviously they can not come in to see you. How about providing them with personal virtual appointment sessions, demonstrating and showing them how to do their haircuts or hair styling while they are on lockdown. They may not be able to do it perfectly, but having you there watching online and putting them through the difficult parts will make them feel less apprehensive.
3.Prioritize Safety
If you are one of the businesses that are allowed to stay open because your services are considered essential, this is the time to assure your customers that you take their concerns seriously.
Some of the things you can do to show you care and that you are serious about your customers’ health and safety include:
-Posting a statement on your website and on social media outlining the precautions you are taking to minimize their risk. You can talk about what you are doing to help your employees, your new cleaning procedures for your stores, precautions for product pick-ups and deliveries, and maybe highlight any community efforts your business is doing to help people impacted by the pandemic.
– Offering deals on your products or services that are specifically helpful to people at this time. That means being creative and being mindful of the needs of the people you serve.
4. Embrace the Uncertainty
Uncertainty can be difficult to cope with, but the truth is that none of us knows what tomorrow will bring – or next month, or the month after that. Despite hopes that social distancing would be a temporary measure, the rising number of cases suggests that we’ll be battling this virus and its devastation for a long time.
One difficult decision that’s on the horizon for some businesses may be the fact that they may need to downsize, cut back on available services, hours of operation etc. Always be upfront and honest with your customers, let them know of the changes you may need to introduce and how this will affect them.
The businesses that will survive this crisis are the ones who manage to maintain their agility in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. You do not have to struggle as a business on your own. There are plenty of resources to help businesses during these uncertain times. Here is a good resource for UK businesses.
Unfortunately, not every business will survive the COVID-19 pandemic. The ones that do, are those that listen to their customers and evolve creatively. They offer innovative products and services to help their customers cope better with the ongoing pandemic issues. It’s going to be a long road, but your business can get through with some hard work and luck.