From the lockdown phase of almost no business activity, we have stepped on to the unlock phase. Since there is a lesser but regular business activity, people think that things are back to normal. Things will not get back to normal in life and business; until such time, the virus curve flattens down. For that, the medical fraternity needs to come up with a cure, and humans need to boost up their immune system, to develop increased herd immunity. That will still take some time! But businesses must carry out its functions and ensure that they compensate for the loss incurred during the complete lockdown phase.
Useful business renewal and continuity tips by Michael Giannulis
The current situation is not the time for aggressive marketing initiatives. It is a time to resume back business operations, carry on with the daily marketing and selling and staying in business. It will pave the path for making future profits. Michael Giannulis, an expert entrepreneur who studies business continuity and management during a crisis, suggests the following tips:
- Update your website
Businesses should update their website to refresh the content. It will help them gain more website traffic and better ranks in search engines. You can make mild cosmetic changes like changing the tagline, the text font, tweak a few contents and add informative details, which will make the website content interesting. Once the website gets updated, business owners can share the same in their social media. It will help others know that the brand or organization is active and will gradually start purchasing from their website.
- Make a few cold calls
Businesses like restaurants, cafeteria, restaurants, cosmetic stores, and boutiques can make cold calls to their regular customers to update that they have resumed business. It will make people feel counted and acknowledged, and they might visit the store with the necessary safety protocols. It is also a time to add in mobile marketing and email marketing along with the follow-up calls. It will help reach out to a vast customer base, which will boost the initial stage of the lead generation activity.
- Make interesting social media post
People and your customers would want to know how your store is functioning in this COVID-19 situation! To keep them updated, make informative and useful social media post about how you sanitize your store, the people management, and other essential details. It will give the customers the necessary courage to visit your store when required.
- Announce a discount or sale
Do you have old products in your store? If yes, it’s time to announce a discount and put them on sale. It will help you to increase sales and make profits. Since the inflow of customers would be less now, it is essential to clear the existing stock through discount so that you can invest in fresh stock once situations are conducive.
The trick to be in business during the global pandemic is to engage with customers and derive customer delight through discounts and other methods. The guidelines mentioned above will enable you to resume back and carry on with your business.