Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has utterly modified the best way we do enterprise. Implementing social distancing guidelines and making certain any of your staff, clients, and different patrons are not less than six ft aside is an absolute should to preserve coronavirus from spreading.
But social distancing hasn’t been straightforward for small companies; many have had to change their enterprise mannequin to preserve shifting ahead throughout these unsure occasions, and with the potential of one other coronavirus spike come the autumn, many enterprise homeowners are persevering with to discover methods to change their enterprise advertising and marketing and practices to attain potential clients, promote their services or products, and drive income—and to do all of it safely.
Luckily, there are many methods you possibly can preserve your staff and clients protected and proceed to develop your online business in the course of the pandemic—it doesn’t matter what form of product or providers you’re offering.
Let’s check out 5 methods you should use to make social distancing work for your online business:
Shift your operations on-line…
The first approach to make social distancing work for your online business? Remove the necessity to socially distance from the equation.
Or, in different phrases, shift your operations from in-person, face-to-face interactions to the digital area.
There are so some ways to join along with your clients and develop your online business on-line—pandemic or not. Some digital methods you should use to proceed shifting your online business ahead and driving income throughout these difficult occasions embody:
- E-commerce. If you promote merchandise in a bodily location, there’s no cause you possibly can’t promote them on-line. Opening an e-commerce retailer in your web site is an effective way to proceed to promote your merchandise to your clients—and even after the pandemic and social distancing are behind us, you’ll have a digital income stream to proceed rising your online business.
- Social media promoting. If you’ve gotten a social media presence, promoting your services or products on social media might be an effective way to proceed rising your online business with out the necessity for social distancing. For instance, for those who personal a toy retailer, you may publish footage of the completely different toys you’ve gotten on the market on Instagram—together with a reduction code for any followers who DM you and purchase the product.
- Harness the ability of video know-how. Between Zoom, Facetime, and different video convention know-how, it’s by no means been simpler to join face-to-face along with your clients with out the necessity to be in the identical area—and you should use that video know-how to drive gross sales. For instance, for those who personal a clothes boutique, you possibly can have your staff act as private customers, hopping on a video name with clients and strolling them via the shop to have a look at the merchandise and select their gadgets. Or, for those who run a consulting enterprise, you possibly can supply discounted Zoom classes to proceed working with shoppers.
- Create a lead magnet. One of the very best digital advertising and marketing belongings you possibly can seize is a buyer e-mail. If you’ve gotten an e-mail listing of potential clients, you possibly can frequently construct a relationship with these clients, set up belief, and drive gross sales. And an effective way to do this? Content advertising and marketing—and, extra particularly, making a lead magnet. A lead magnet is a bit of content material that you just supply potential clients freed from cost—then, in change for the content material, they offer you their e-mail tackle. For instance, for those who personal a espresso store, you may put out a how-to information on various kinds of espresso drinks. Then, as soon as a possible buyer downloads the information and shares their e-mail tackle, you possibly can observe up with advertising and marketing messaging or unique incentives to convert that buyer and drive gross sales.
…or outdoors
While nearly any enterprise can transfer their operations on-line (not less than partially), there are some that both need or want to proceed working in particular person. And for these companies, shifting operations outdoor is an effective way to adhere to the CDC’s social distancing pointers, preserve your clients and staff protected (present steerage means that COVID is much less seemingly to unfold outdoor), and proceed shifting your online business ahead.
So, what does shifting your operations outdoors appear like? It relies on your online business. If you personal a restaurant, you may transfer your tables outdoors (and 6 ft aside) so individuals can dine safely outdoor and supply curbside pickup so clients choosing up takeout orders don’t have to bodily go inside your restaurant. If you personal a clothes boutique, you could possibly transfer your racks on the sidewalk outdoors your storefront clients can browse safely and with loads of area.
The level is, implementing social distancing measures might be simpler outdoor, if you’re not confined to a small area—so, for those who can transfer your online business operations outdoors, it’s positively one thing to think about.
Schedule appointments
If the one approach you possibly can work along with your clients is to have them bodily inside your place of work, it’s extraordinarily vital to be sure there’s sufficient area for everybody—clients and staff alike—to safely social distance.
Scheduling buyer appointments forward of time offers you a stage of management over the foot site visitors in your online business. So, as an alternative of getting clients cease by at any time when they really feel prefer it throughout enterprise hours, you should use an internet scheduling app like Calend.ly to schedule buyer visits in 30-minute or one-hour time slots. It’s a win-win; your clients know that after they come to store or have interaction with your online business, they’re not going to have to cope with any crowds—and, as a enterprise proprietor, that there’ll by no means be extra clients at your online business than you’re snug with.
Offer contactless fee choices
If you’re conducting enterprise in particular person, there are many methods to socially distance. But maintaining your distance will get difficult when it’s time in your clients to pay; there’s actually no approach to seize somebody’s bank card or money fee from six ft away.
That’s why it’s so vital to supply contactless fee choices to your clients. Setting up self-checkouts or permitting your clients to pay utilizing digital fee choices (like PayPal, Google Pay, or Apple Pay) is an effective way to acquire fee out of your clients after they’re at your online business—with out having to get too shut or make contact.
Instead of your clients coming to you, carry your online business to your clients
If social distancing makes it onerous in your clients to come to you, why not carry your online business to your clients?
There are so some ways to carry your merchandise, providers, and the expertise of working with your online business to your clients—with out them having to come to you or meet in-person. For instance, you may take on-line orders out of your clients and supply supply providers that carry these orders straight to their door. Or, for those who determine to shift your online business mannequin in direction of e-commerce, you possibly can supply quick and straightforward transport (providers like Shippo and ShippingEasy are nice choices for small companies in search of inexpensive transport choices).
Make social distancing work for your online business—and preserve shifting ahead
There’s no denying that the coronavirus pandemic—and the brand new regular we’re dwelling via because of COVID-19—has modified the best way we do enterprise. But despite the fact that social distancing is altering the enterprise panorama, you possibly can nonetheless join along with your clients and transfer your online business ahead; all it takes is a brand new strategy. And with these methods, you’ve gotten every little thing you want to make social distancing work for your online business—and preserve issues shifting ahead.
