Working from home has been a difficult transition for all of us, and businesses are feeling the effects of reduced income, the inability to drive foot traffic into physical store locations, and the uncertainty of a future that seems inevitably different from or pre-COVID way of life.
Staying connected to the world during lockdown is the best way to keep your business alive, but it’s easier said than done. We’ve got some helpful tips that can help your business thrive, even without foot traffic or the ability to interact with customers in-person. You’ll likely have to move your operations entirely online, but there’s a blessing there; you can potentially reduce overhead costs and increase profits if you do it right!
Social Media
Social media has become nothing less than a necessary tool for the modern business. Without a connection to social media, you’re missing ample opportunities to interact with current customers, attract new ones, and get your business out there for the world to see. The power of social media for a business can’t be overstated; it can literally mean the difference between your business failing and flourishing during quarantine.
Most modern businesses include social media in their marketing strategy, if not base their entire marketing strategy around social media use. The benefit of social media is that your customers are already there. In fact, sites like Facebook boast nearly 2.6 billion active monthly users from all over the world.
With social media, you can create targeted ads to reach a specific audience based on age, location, sex, specific interests, and more. You’ll experience greater engagement from your audience, as well as an opportunity to focus on your business’s contribution to the community. Too many businesses focus solely on selling products and services and forget that one of the most important aspects of a business is how it contributes to the community at large.
Building strong relationships with your customers means staying in frequent contact. Not only does social media keep you connected with customers, it also gives you a universal platform from which you can communicate with your customers all over the world. Facebook, for example, allows you to create your own business page. You can link your website, provide business details like phone numbers and services, or utilize Facebook’s messaging service to connect directly to customers. Customers can leave reviews and complaints or compliments directly on your page, which you can respond to. This is a great way to showcase your customers service!
Conferencing Services
As we continue to practice social distancing, we start to feel further and further removed from society and from those we care about. For many businesses, it can feel like they’re completely losing touch with their customer base. Luckily, there are hundredsof conferencing services available on the web to keep everyone connected until we can again meet in person.
A cloud conferencing platform might just be the best investment your business makes this year. With the ability to connect to users all over the world, host hundreds of participants in a call, and screen share, record calls, and so much more, conferencing apps are truly the all-encompassing tool businesses need during quarantine.
Conferencing apps are also affordable, with many offering free options for small businesses or personal use. Stay in touch with clients, partners, employees, and even mom and dad, all from the same app.
Make A Statement
Did you know that most customers actually prefer a business that stands behind a set of values and lends its voice to pertinent social and political issues? Studies show that millennials, in particular, prefer a business that takes a stand and makes a statement to the world. Whether that stand involves social justice, environmental awareness, or standing against corruption, the message remains the same. Taking a stand helps make your business feel more personal, more human, and less like a soulless entity.
One of the best ways to connect to the modern customer is to stand by your company values. Values such as honesty, integrity, a commitment to social justice, environmental awareness, innovation, and more drive customers to your doors (or your website) and keep them engaged with your brand. Some of the most successful brands have stood by the same values for years, but it’s because they haven’t budged that so many people love them and continue to purchase their products and services.
Conclusion
Connecting with the world during quarantine is the best way to keep your business alive, especially if you’re new to web-based business. Remember that social media is your best tool, and it’s free to use. Modern businesses thrive when they’re well-connected to their customer base, stand by their values, and provide an easy means of communication to their customers.
Founder Dinis Guarda
IntelligentHQ Your New Business Network.
IntelligentHQ is a Business network and an expert source for finance, capital markets and intelligence for thousands of global business professionals, startups, and companies.
We exist at the point of intersection between technology, social media, finance and innovation.
IntelligentHQ leverages innovation and scale of social digital technology, analytics, news and distribution to create an unparalleled, full digital medium and social business network spectrum.
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