Hey guys, welcome to our blog thread, “Small Business Strategies”. A space where we share information and resources to help you get through the toughest times and celebrate the good time as a small business owner. Running your own business is a ton of work, but you don’t have to do it all alone. If we all put our heads together and help each other out, we can conquer every roadblock that comes our way.
Right now, the pandemic is probably the biggest challenge for owners trying to run a small business. COVID-19 has turned this world on it’s head.
So, how can your business adapt to survive? MOVE ONLINE
What does that mean?
Online Banking | Websites | Social Media | Digital Advertising
Mastering the online space is becoming more and more important, it’s where your consumers are hanging out. They are shopping online, sharing memories, catching up with friends, reading blogs, watching videos, doing research, the list goes on.
Check out the ways to start moving your business online, and the benefits they can bring to your business.
Online Banking
When entering a bank is difficult, or even impossible, how are you supposed to continue to conduct business? Switching to online banking gives you all of the tools and resources you need to keep your business and your books in order.
Instead of having to go into the bank, you can do the following on your laptop, or any mobile device:
Check balances, records, bank information, and more
Transfer funds between your accounts, and to other people
Accept transfers sent to you
Make bill payments
Set it and forget it, with automatic payments and transfers
Download statements for your record
and more
Plus, you can access your accounts 24/7, and many banks have affordable online banking with low fees.
Websites
Did you notice a certain shopping trend that happened when the pandemic started? Everyone started ordering online, whether it was clothing or lunch. Yes, many of us were forced to due to shutdowns, but some of these consumer trends are here to stay, and the billions of current online users are not going anywhere.
This is why websites are crucial for a lot of businesses to continue to grow in an ever-changing market. If building an online space isn’t part of your COVID survival plan, it should be.
Websites allow you to:
Showcase and sell your products and services
Provide all the information potential clients, partners, or investors, need to learn more about your company
Set up a platform your customers can contact you on
Share social proof from past customers, partners, and investors
Publish your written blogs
and more
Make sure you focus on SEO, functionality, usability, and your design. All of these elements contribute to how potential leads find you and determine their user experience. Which all lead to more sales. Plus, think about how many more leads you can reach with a website versus a brick-and-mortar. Your store never closes, and there are billions of people online. The opportunities are endless so make sure you guide them through a well built buying journey!
Social Media
Social platforms are the fastest growing online spaces that continue to adapt to be exactly what consumers are looking for. They are the spaces your potential leads hang out the most, providing us with the tools needed to connect with them. How do you best utilize them?
Each platform has different capabilities, with different layouts and users. For instance, Instagram is a photo and video sharing platform with a younger-leaning audience, whereas LinkedIn is a platform to share blogs and news articles with older-leaning, business-savvy users.
The important part is learning what one works best for you to show off your brand, share valuable content, and communicate with your audience. Think of Gary Vee’s 79-21 rule. Spend 80% of your time on your best platform, utilizing 20% for the rest. Think of your best platform(s) as the ones you share your best content on, where you cultivate your audience, and what analytics you focus on. The rest are like landing pages, or digital business cards.
Have a profile so potential leads can find you, but direct them to the platforms you focus on, or your website!
Still unsure about tackling social media? Here are some tools and resources they provide:
Online marketplaces
Digital advertising with geotagging
Messaging platforms
Audience growth
and more
Digital Advertising
We all know that advertising is a critical part of business, but with so many options, how do you decide where to spend your money?
With print ads, your reach can be limited by your location, your target location, and the amount of prints you have, but with digital ads, your reach can be unlimited. With billions of users online daily, think of how many potential leads you can get your ad in front of, for a FRACTION of the price.
Platforms, like Google and Facebook, have robust digital marketing platforms that help get your brand in front of the eyes that matter. They improve your advertising efforts by allowing you to:
Increase your reach, without increasing your budget
Define and refine your target audience before, during, and after your campaigns
Cultivate, and continuously improve target audiences using geotagging and behavioural parameters
Utilize different content, like photo and video
Easily create campaigns with multiple touch points
Many of us utilize traditional options, like direct mail flyers or ads in newspapers and magazines, but with everything moving digital, we can see they may not be our best choice.
In conclusion, taking the steps to move your business online will not only lead to growing your audience, but it can save you during a pandemic. The times are changing, make sure you’re changing with it!
Stay tuned to the blog as we will be diving deeper into each category above.
If you have any questions about transitioning online, ask us in the comments!
Be Safe and Support Each Other
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