Changes are happening daily as the world reacts to Covid-19, the coronavirus. Companies and even entire industries are being affected by actions taken to halt the spread of the virus. However, this is not a time to sit around and wait for it to be over – it’s a time to pivot to the new reality and move forward with adaptations that will keep your business active and relevant. Here are a few things you can start doing today to help your customers, your employees, and your business while the fight against Covid-19 continues.
Brainstorm your way around travel issues. Thirty years ago, widespread travel restrictions would have meant that most businesses had to shut down temporarily. In 2020, we’re fortunate that so much can be done remotely and online. Many employees can continue working from home if necessary, and in-person meetings and events can be conducted via video conference. If you’re running a brick-and-mortar business and you’re concerned about reduced in-store traffic, now would be a great time to start organizing educational webinars or other online promotional events that your customers can attend virtually from the comfort and safety of their homes. If you’ve been toying with the idea of creating a YouTube channel or putting videos on your website and social networks, now’s a perfect opportunity to stop procrastinating and start publishing that video content.
Make yourself conspicuously available online. If you’re not seeing customers or employees in person as much, make sure they know that it’s still business as usual and that you’re definitely around in other ways to answer their questions, provide support, and guide them through the buying or service process. Remind your social media followers that you can be reached via phone, message, or chat, and that they can send you photos or videochat with you if a specific issue requires visual aids.
Boost your digital presence and marketing efforts. It goes without saying that less in-person interaction means that more people will be looking online for what they need. Part of showing them that you’re there for them is keeping the flow of digital content frequent and fresh. Update your website more regularly than usual, including your blog, educational resources, and product pages. Consider increasing the frequency of your social media posts, with more substantial content and more posts about products and services. Make daily use of the “story” and video features on your social accounts, with regular updates showing your followers what’s going on at your workplace, and what exciting developments are in the works.
The important thing to remember is that even as we battle the coronavirus, businesses still need to function and objectives still need to be met, but the nature of how that business is conducted certainly requires some adjustments. In other words, there’s no benefit to the “wait and see” approach, because things are already changing now – it’s time to be proactive, accelerate your efforts, and do the absolute best you can to continue meeting the needs of your business and its customers.
Cogo Interactive is an award-winning digital marketing agency specializing in online marketing strategy, web design, SEO and social media marketing. We work with clients in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and across the nation.
