Even with coronavirus relief grants available from the Small Business Association, small business owners are running into trouble because of the pandemic. Buyer behavior is shifting, high-risk workers are unable to come to work safely, and many consumers are stockpiling their money instead of spending it. At the same time, owners are counting on the income from their small businesses in order to make ends meet and avoid foreclosure or eviction.
It’s a tough time for small business owners, but it’s possible to overcome some of these obstacles. While the world still faces a global pandemic, it’s possible to begin rebuilding your business now to set yourself up for success following the crisis. Here are five different areas to focus on in order to improve your company’s resilience and sustainability.
1. Upgrade your customer service line.
If your company is shifting a lot of its business to the world of e-commerce, your buyers may have more questions than usual about the process. Ensuring that the customer experience remains seamless and smooth is pivotal during the pandemic, which means that it’s important that you have individuals able to field questions about shipping updates, returns, and the ordering process. One way to achieve this is with the right virtual call center software. Not only does this kind of software help your agents stay productive and on-task it can also meet customers where they are. With omnichannel communication tools, if a customer isn’t able to wait on the phone for twenty minutes just to talk to an agent, they can use other modes of communication, such as SMS, live chat, or even Facebook messenger.
2. Tackle local search engine optimization.
Nowadays, online traffic is the new foot traffic. That’s because buyer behavior has shifted to customers searching for products that can be delivered to their doors instead of heading out to browse different local businesses. As such, your search engine optimization (or SEO) is more important than ever. SEO helps your company show up higher in organic search results, increasing the likelihood that a customer will make a purchase from your business instead of your competitors. If you don’t know the first thing about SEO or don’t have the time to handle an SEO campaign, choosing a professional company, like Peaks Digital Marketing SEO Experts, can be a major boon for business during and after the pandemic. In the digital age,SEO is a crucial part of obtaining and retaining new customers, so it’s a good idea to hire a professional team to make sure this area is properly handled
3. Think outside the box.
Sometimes, adapting to business in the time of COVID-19 means re-tooling your business strategy. There are plenty of stories of caterers successfully pivoting to delivery thanks to apps like DoorDash, ToastTab, and GrubHub — and even making more money in the process. Whether that means you’re pivoting to provide more online services or just switching your method of delivery, take some time to really think about how to do business differently. You may come up with some lasting solutions!
4. Partner with other businesses.
Another way to get more exposure is to partner with local businesses in order to reach a wider network. If you’re a restaurant, you might be delivering excess food to local hospitals or fire departments. Or, maybe you run an ice cream shop and want to partner with a restaurant for a prix-fixe special once a week. Lean on the small business community and you might be surprised by what you can accomplish!
5. Increase your social media budget.
Thanks to the pandemic, customers are on social media more than ever. That’s why you need to be increasing the amount of content you put on social — and the money you put behind it. You don’t even need to start with an elaborate social media campaign in order to get measurable results. Simply boosting well-performing posts for $200 across four or five days can build extra buzz, engagement, and, ultimately, business.
