Small Businesses – Social Media Approach to Covid 19

With a radical change in the market, small businesses must find a way to continue to operate during this pandemic. Now more than ever, communicating with clients is imperative for their sustainability.

In North America, nearly all businesses are touched by Covid 19 and thus resulting in thousands of layoffs throughout the world.  Hair salons, shopping malls and retails are forced to close. While restaurants must close their dining rooms and convert to delivery.

Corporations without a prior social media presence are having a hard time getting ahead. The lack of government support and tools is affecting several entrepreneurs.

‘’I have been a retailer for 22 years. I am shuffling fast to get podcasts going and convert more online but trying to do that overnight during a pandemic, it won’t happen overnight. Today, I delivered product to customers at their house. This was equivalent to one morning of business for me; this was one week of orders. ‘’ says Wanda Cotie from Wicked Wandas.

Meanwhile, some businesses are flourishing during this time and are embracing the change that this pandemic is forcing upon our society. Perhaps, even more importantly, this crisis is giving the chance to new companies to introduce new services to a wider array of clients.

‘’Now that we are utilizing media, we are having to address each step for each dog as they are unique when it comes to training techniques. I have since launched my online training membership page T&T Wags of Wisdom. Business is literally booming’’ says Cindy Draper.

While the crisis is only beginning, there are several steps that businesses can follow to adapt to this new era. With the right directions, small companies can achieve the impossible.

GETTING ON THE MAP

With several states and countries in quarantine, more adults are joining Facebook, Instagram and Skype to keep in touch with their loved ones. Every business owner should create, update their social media pages and let the public know how this pandemic is directly affecting them.

Taking the time to socialize with your clients and adapting to what the market needs right now is helping small businesses stay self-sufficient. It’s becoming essential to engage customers through various channels by providing new online services including delivery, social media posts and video content.

Taking this time to strategize for the re-opening and re-assessing the needs of the population as the crisis progresses is crucial. Creativity and diversity are proving fruitful to various entrepreneurs to pursue their day to day operations.

‘’ We have been able to still five estimates and quotes by using Google Earth to view property sizes’’ says Josiane Trepanier, owner of Lil Red’s Landscaping.

Adding your business hours on the web and creating your own online presence will increase traction and communication to the public. With the lack of physical contact, it’s important to focus on an illustrative description and seek public engagement with items such as polls and quizzes.

 

THINK UNCONVENTIONALLY

Explore new services or items you can be provided to your audience.  Be creative and search new ways to make your company stand out by increasing their interaction with an online platform.

Be attentive to your audience’s attention span during this process. Keep your communication short and engaging.

Simultaneously, leverage new experiences that can be provided to your customers. Whether you are personalizing their orders, providing them with a unique experience or giving out discounts. Conceivably, you could include more entertainment for the elderly or provide help to the government. All by converting your services to address their needs during this pandemic.

‘’ Things just got better for Wills lawyers in Ontario, Canada. Emergency legislation was just enacted so that we can do virtual signing of wills and power of attorneys by video conferencing. It may seem like a no brainer, but it is an incredible advancement’’ says Nicola Hunt, a Canadian citizen.

 

BE MINDFUL

Your followers are spending more time on social media than ever. While advertising your services, be compassionate and acknowledge that everyone is in a different position. Some may have lost their jobs, are taking care of loved ones or are still working to provide essential services to the community.

Change your marketing strategy and switch your captions to create relatable experiences and content. Whether its business as usual or not, take the time to provide customized experiences and show your human side to your society. If you can provide new services or a free yoga virtual session. This is a great way to show them how to support your business without spending the big bucks.

Give them hope and help them keep their dreams alive during this time of isolation.

‘’ Our company is performing virtual tours for homebuilders, allowing prospective homebuyers still tour their dream home’’ says Spencer Macpherson from Point3D Commercial Imaging.

Use vocabulary that illustrates compassion and shows understanding towards their situation and echo the feeling into your marketing. Stuck behind screens, this is also the best time for your community to provide constructive feedback to revitalize your business.

Fortunately, social media has given an opportunity to stay open while the government has ordered a complete shut down of operations. This pandemic, while out of our control, could perhaps provide entrepreneurs with insight on their operations. As well as an opportunity forecast what could be done differently in the future.

With many adaptations ahead, Covid 19 is leading the way towards healthy changes and enhancing daily communications with our community.

 

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About Karsen Lynn

Karsen writes for a variety of blogs on the internet on a lot of topics. We are pleased to have her writing for us as well. We highly recommend you check out her page at Our Shooting Star