As a home business owner, you may be wondering how to best weather the Covid-19 storm. Truth be told, you may actually have a competitive advantage at this point in time.
While Covid-19 is a horrible occurrence, causing economic disruptions across the globe, much of this disruption is due to brick/mortar stores being closed and employees not being able to travel to their jobs. Businesses who traditionally work face-to-face have to come up with creative ways to work remote. As a small home business owner, you have already mastered some of these obstacles.
While the circumstances are extremely unfortunate, there is nothing wrong with asking yourself how you can take this time to capitalize on the opportunity. Here are some ideas:
Basic Information
Start by looking at the basics. Is your website explaining to visitors how you are different, especially in these difficult times? Have you posted information on your blog and created a link from your home page to your blog? If you haven’t done so, you need to start there. Make the same announcement on social media and direct email. The goal is to let visitors know you are on the ball and operating “business as usual.”
Pre-purchases
If you offer any type of product or service that doesn’t necessarily have an immediate need, consider offering a pre-purchase discount. We have been advocating this to cyclical businesses for a while, even before this crisis. Whenever times are slow, offer a discount or an “add-on” to a product or service to entice potential customers to purchase early. We have successfully implemented this with Roofers when its dry, health clubs before they open, and AC contractors when it’s cold out. We are now also suggesting this to many of our clients, as we are to you.
Brand
Depending on what stage your business is in, we also recommend a complete brand analysis. Whether you are just starting out or are established, this is a great time to look at your overall brand and see what improvements you can make. This could include reviewing your logo, creating a slogan, honing your elevator pitch, defining your brand voice or creating a brand identity. If you prefer to kick back and open a great book, we highly recommend Donald Miller’s Creating a Storybrand, available on Amazon and Audible.
Content
If you are happy with your brand, roll up your sleeves and jump into the wonderful world of content development. Yes—we said it, content. We know it’s the evil step child of digital marketing, but all highly successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of quality original content. Now, don’t just start writing any content. Create a content plan that will help you towards a specific goal. We recommend that you start by going to your competitor websites and reviewing their content. Do they have anything you don’t? If they are writing about items relevant to your business, and this content is missing from your site, then it’s time to start bridging the content gap.
Google My Business
Next on your task list should be an analysis of your Google Business Listing. You want to compare your listing to that of your competitors. What does their listing include? What doesn’t it include? Are they offering anything? Are they posting? Who has the most reviews? What are the ratings? What are people actually saying about them? How are the owners responding to the reviews? All of these things will paint a great picture for you. You can then use this information to make your listing better.
Email Signatures
Your business rises and falls with the success of any email. Whether you use it for cold-calling or, convincing a lead to buy from you or touching base with an existing client, your email is an integral part to your business communication. Right now is a great time to look at your email signature and determine how you can make it better. Especially if you are on a shoe-string budget, your email signature is one of the few things that is seen by a lot of people. Make it great. For something like this, we like WiseStamp though there are many good options out there for you.
Feature Engagements
Finally, if you are looking to spruce up your website beyond content, consider a design refresh with a new layout and images. Come up with a website-only special and/or add chat. Website-only specials are great, because you can use them to drive folks to the site. If you want to try it, consider making it an add-on to another service. For example, if your website-only special is a 10% discount off a smart phone, you could offer it in conjunction with a phone and case. Chat is a great feature if you have lots of return customers or provide support. It engages visitors with your site, stopping them from going to your competition. Just be careful not to leave it unmanned. The worst thing you can do is offer chat and not be available.
Just Looking
Having a transitional call to action is probably one of the items missed most on a website. Everyone wants to have a direct call to action. Of course this is very important, but online much of your initial traffic is research based. Your website also needs to capture that traffic. We always recommend adding a secondary offer for those folks who are “just looking”. This is usually a download of some sort that helps your visitors make a decision. Don’t be afraid to make it a bit “click-baity.” An example would be a PDF entitled “10 Things I wish I had known before . . . .” Ask for an email before the visitor can download it, then get that email into a 10 week drip campaign of useful information.
We hope you found this information useful. Our goal is to help home business owners succeed and thrive. Don’t forget to check us out at gettheclicks.com. We love hearing your stories of how you are making a difference and weathering the storm. Stay safe.
