Ron Goldblatt • May 26, 2020
Four Tips for Small Businesses as they Re-Open in a COVID-19 World
There are a few strategies that can foster trust with your customers and bring your business back to life.
To state the obvious, the times we have been living in have not been easy on the overall health of our country. COVID-19 has burdened the world with deadly sickness, economic hardship, and overall fear of what the future holds. And as we re-open our country again, it’s important to take steps to preserve safety and health for our customers, and also ensure they feel comfortable.
There are a few strategies that can foster trust with your customers and bring your business back to life. Read below to learn what you should keep in mind as you re-open your business in a COVID-19 world.
1. Create promotions and specialties.
During the shutdown, locals have been engaging with promotions that restaurants and retail owners are promoting in their neighborhoods. Some restaurants came up with unique ways of standing out and making the at-home dining experience fun and different.
For example, many restaurants are offering “take home kits”
to make your own version of the restaurant’s famous tacos, signature dish or signature beverages. Or, small businesses like bakeries are offering baking kits. Other restaurants are offering more family “bulk meal deals” for a great price.
We recommend coming up with more unique specials and deals to drum up excitement and support from the community. This will bring people together again and will drive sales for your business.
As we re-open, there are still first responders who haven’t had a break from being on the front lines. Some members of the North Shore community are giving back to first responders and those in need within the community with their promotions. Click here
to learn more.
2. Find unique and affordable ways to connect with your community.
Through NorthShore Loyalty’s local marketing services, restaurants in the North Shore
have been finding success in maintaining a connection with their customers throughout COVID-19.
Our text loyalty program, for example, has helped local restaurants in the North Shore get the word out on announcements and promotions to their community. Since texts have a 97 percent average rate of being opened, this is an effective way of communicating to your customers and new ones, too.
To learn more about NorthShore Loyalty’s local marketing offers, visit NorthShoreLoyalty.com.
3. Make safety a priority, and communicate that it is.
Even if your sanitization practices are standard and required, make sure people know you are doing it. If you are requiring all your employees to wear masks and gloves, make sure the public knows that as well. Customers want to know what you are doing in order to maintain a safe environment for both them and your employees.
Many companies are writing to customers directly to inform them of their plan to practice sanitization, what improvements they are making, and any updates they can share as they re-open.
Companies like Doordash and Uber Eats have adapted by offering a “Leave at door” delivery option for customers, so there is no direct contact. Local restaurants are offering curbside pickup options
and delivery to keep business going while maintaining health safety measures. As we re-open, make sure you keep those options, because not everyone will want to immediately dine in.
There are plenty of companies coming up with unique ways to adapt, and we want your customers to know first. That’s why we offer a text marketing service that notifies your customers and your community about safety announcements and promotions.
4. Communicate frequently with employees.
Be empathetic, and make sure everyone has an understanding of what’s going on. When passing along information and communicating directly, Texas A&M University
suggests keeping messages short and easy to follow.
Essentially, employees need to know:
- How re-opening will impact them, and what might be different (pay, hours, etc)
- What you are doing to adapt and protect them
- What they can do to stay healthy and keep others healthy
Keep them updated on important government decisions that are being announced so that everyone is in the loop.
Above all else, be empathetic, and make sure they have some reassurance that eventually, things will go back to normal, and this is the first step in making that happen.
Now more than ever, both your customers and employees need to know what you are doing to adapt and keep everyone healthy. At NorthShore Loyalty, we can get your story out quickly and efficiently. To learn more about our services and loyalty program, visit NorthShoreLoyalty.com
today and book your free consultation.
About us
NorthShore Loyalty is a local digital marketing company that has provided small businesses in the North Shore our services for five years. We create original content for business in our community in order to drive revenue and awareness for your business, bring in new customers, and keep old customers coming back. Being a community-focused company, our social purpose is to amplify our client’s community involvement. To learn more about NorthShore Loyalty and its digital marketing services, click here.
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