Most businesses have never had to weather anything like Covid-19. It’s testing everything to the limit for many, whether it’s struggling to meet demand and get products and services delivered, or struggling to stay afloat. These are unprecedented time indeed.
There has never been a more important time to communicate to clients and customers, steadying the ship through the storm will mean you are more likely to come out the other side, if you can hang on. Here are 8 top tips for staying productive:
”Careful planning and calm preparation will help see you through turbulent times, while reassuring your clients your company will be there at the end.
ThemeNectar
1. Check what support is available to you from any government and financial institutions – most of them have social responsibility codes of practice and policies, which can help support and guide you through turbulent times. Grants or payment holidays may allow you to keep investing in reaching your customers when you need to. Subscribe to any useful websites to stay informed.
2. Use any down time positively. There are always tasks that need to be completed. Do you need to revamp your premises with a fresh coat of paint? Or, perhaps a layout rejig to make space for another treatment room or point of sale space. Can you overhaul your marketing and promotions plans? Do you need to do some market research to sense check your current plans? Will an audit of your existing financial plans help you steady the ship through this bumpy time?
3. Make a 3 month plan. Chart your key expenses so you have a clear idea of outgoings and what will be required to keep you afloat. Look at your marketing costs, tidy up unnecessary subscriptions and streamline campaigns based on best performers and return on spend. Pause any ‘always on’ campaigns that are no longer relevant due to restrictions, a google ad asking people to come in-store is probably wasting your money.
4. Explore ways to adapt and find new opportunities. Look at how your customers have reacted during lockdowns and examine whether their needs have changed. Have they changed their purchasing habits, can you make it easier for them to buy your products, or book your service? Is there something additional you can offer? While others might rein in their campaign spends, perhaps there’s an opportunity for you to maintain yours for competitive edge. Think about communicating any updated health and safety policies to reassure your clients and customers that you’re working hard to keep them safe. Keep communications simple and clear and adhere to any government regulations. Remember that when tightening the purse strings, increasing your email newsletters might be a very cost effective way to keep talking about your service.
5. Think about up-skilling your workforce. Have you got staff working from home, or in empty clinics? There are plenty of free courses available online that your team can benefit from. Developing skills around marketing, accounting, office management etc. are always useful.
6. Stay connected to your staff. Think about implementing new and reliable technologies to maintain morale and maximize productivity of teams working from home. Don’t rush in to purchasing expensive subscriptions, especially if you are a small team. Ask staff for feedback and create working solutions that suit the whole team.
7. Stay connected to your customers. Reassuring your customers that your business is prepared and that you’ll do your best to provide your usual service as soon as is possible will help you retain clients and customers. An email newsletter strategy is perfect for this.
8. Think ‘Community’ first. Remember your business vision and values and take social responsibility seriously. Look for government approved or backed local and national health agencies and officials to partner with so your customers can see you recognize this as a ‘public-issue first and business-issue second’. Closely coordinated efforts will help avoid confusion and fear, and support efforts to get everything back to normal as quickly as possible.
We hope these times of adversity will see many businesses rise to the challenge and adapt to changing times. If you need any support with marketing campaigns, strategy or planning to get through these challenging times please drop us a line and we’ll be happy to help.