As if having your business shut down in a world pandemic wasn’t stressful enough, many business owners are now faced with the daunting task of “going online” in order to maintain operations.
It’s a notion that some may have never thought of before, let alone prepared for.
On March 27, 2020 Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced he would introduce a third stimulus package to put businesses into ‘hibernation’.
“We want these businesses to effectively go into hibernation, which means on the other side, the employees come back, the opportunities come back, the economy comes back,” he said.
But just because you’re forced to physically hibernate, doesn’t mean you have to shut yourself off to the world. Now is more important than ever to maintain your communications and invest time in your business.
So we’re here to assist you with everything you need to know about positioning your business to operate online.
Learn to embrace technology
Technology can be a scary thing for some, especially if you’re faced with new devices, programs and accessories all at once.
But don’t be afraid. Instead, empower yourself to bring digital thinking into all aspects of your business.
The key here is to start slow and practice. The old saying practice makes perfect definitely rings true.
With so much change happening in the world, your customers will understand if things don’t run as smoothly as before. Just keep the communication open and honest.
Setting up your ‘home office’
It’s important you have a comfortable environment to work from to ensure mental and physical safety.
To do this consider making your office or workspace an ergonomic one. This means assessing your keyboard, mouse, desk, chair, lighting, work habits and, perhaps even, glasses.
To get the correct posture at your desk, your feet should be flat on the floor, and when sitting upright, your eyes should be roughly level with the top of the screen. Everything else has to fit in between.
Communication is key
During a crisis, your biggest commodity is trust.
Ensure you take the time to reassure all customers, stakeholders and the general public that you’re taking appropriate measures and relay any changes that may impact them as you transition online.
Here are some great ways to keep regular communication flowing:
- Email updates to your existing customer base
- Share your knowledge and expertise through a blog or other forms of communication
- Continue to maintain your social media presence
- Explore the use of chatbots
- Update your website
Build your understanding of digital marketing
Now is the time to craft an effective digital marketing strategy. Things to consider are online advertising, search engine optimisation (SEO), refreshing your website and blog and social media content.
Here are some steps you can take to creating your own strategy:
- Research: Re-examine your target customer. Use existing data combined with knowledge of how your customer base may change in the online space. Here you can even conduct an old fashion SWOT analysis.
- Identify your strengths: Make a list of what makes your business unique. What do you do well and what can you continue to bring to the table
- Set goals: Set yourself some SMART goals for the coming months. And by SMART we mean Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
- Communication channels: Choose your communication channels and make a plan for how you will use these for effective communication and content
If you need some assistance, then call us at Campaigns You Love and we’ll work with you as your full-service digital agency.
And finally, use downtime productively
Make the most of any spare time by thinking of ways to develop any new services and procedures you haven’t previously had time for.
Or use this time to research, explore and read. Read as much as you can to expand your knowledge base on certain topics.
Download some new apps and see what they have to offer, you may be pleasantly surprised.
