Small Business Marketing During the CoronaVirus; What Should I do?

Currently I am assisting over 20 small businesses with their marketing during the Coronavirus Emergency, many in Carroll County, and all local to the Maryland area. There have been stressful calls, nervous texts, emails upon emails, and several video conferences. It breaks my heart to see the struggle happening right in front of my eyes. I can see in the future the small business decline and inevitable failure of many in the upcoming months due to the shear loss of business.

Handling this situation the correct way can make or break someone’s business and their reputation. There are ways to stay afloat while we remain as isolated as possible, and there are bright sides to every bad situation, we just need to think outside the box.

Should I Close My Doors?

Currently I am seeing a few of my clients remaining open as long as possible, basically out of necessity as their business is their only income. They are faced with remaining open or quite possibly being forced to close indefinitely. There are many factors in whether to close or not, the first factor is whether or not your being open will put people in danger. Is your business is a gathering place for the general public?

-If you are serving the public in a stand alone location and don’t have the resources to keep a sterile environment, which most won’t; your business should consider closing until the end of the month, or as long as a state of emergency is in effect. It is never worth putting others at risk.

Factor two: Does your business offer goods and services that are necessities? While we are seeing most are being forced to close their doors, there are some who are a good candidate to remain open, those are retail locations that provide goods we need, like grocery stores. Also businesses that provide services that may be needed during this time of emergency, like plumbers and repair persons. These may be able to stay open, but should still take precautions.

Third Factor to consider is your staff and operations. Are you putting your staff at risk by remaining open? Will they be unnecessarily exposed while you remain open? If the answer is anything besides a resounding “No”, than you may want to consider closing doors. The sum of your employees are in fact your best marketing and your businesses most important asset.

Should I Send Emails to My Clients and Patrons?

If you’re like me your inbox is flooded with emails from seemingly EVERY company you ever had a connection with EVER. Simply letting you know what their plans are during this outbreak. The reason for this is because every business should be keeping their customers informed on what is going on and what their plans are. The answer here is yes, yes you should send an email letting customers know what your plans are. It is important for your customers to know what your plans are, how you are managing this, and alternative offerings during this time of isolation. You are showing you are professional, trust worthy, and savvy during this time.

If you need help crafting the right email reach out to us, we will proof your written emails and make suggestions for you at no cost until April first of 2020. No joke.

How Can I stay Afloat?

There are ways to market your business alternatively during this time, they can be considered should you have to close your doors. Ask yourself the following questions:

Can I offer any services remotely?

If you are able to , you can stream your services online or even do consultative services over the phone. If you can go virtual than consider using the internet and phone as a line to your customers for the rest of the month.

Can I make myself mobile?

Can you pack up shop and go out to people? If so consider taking yourself on the road in a safe way and potentially bringing services to customers. Be sure to have a sanitation and disinfecting plan in place, you can take yourself on the road, but don’t take germs with you.

Can I make my goods mobile?

Lets say for example you are a baker and you bake bread, and your business is closing due to the emergency- can you take orders over the phone and deliver your bread instead? Perhaps you can set up a drive through location for customers to pick up bread without leaving their cars. Could you pack up your ingredients with a recipe and allow people to buy kits to make your bread at home themselves? This is where outside the box thinking is critical and could potentially help you stay afloat.

Ask for Help.

If your business is closing remember to discuss this with your insurance provider and start a claim if possible. If you have a landlord you can ask to have the last months rent tacked onto the end of your year to help you recover this month. You’ll never know what help is out there without asking. Don’t be afraid to talk to your business associates and find alternatives to keep yourself in a good position to make up this income later.

Plan for What is Next

You should be planning for both business scenarios for April. Plan for what you will be doing if you have to remain closed, and how you will adapt your business. You should also plan on how you will recoup loses and make up for the demand you’ll hopefully see once things are back to business. Have a plan for both and be ready to implement changes accordingly.

If you need help planning what to do now or in the coming weeks, we are here for you, for consultative help and advise, and design and marketing needs. Maybe this is the time to ramp up your online ads, after all most people now are spending considerably more time online while they are forced to be home more.

A note from the president of HM&D: During this time we want to keep people affected by this emergency in our thoughts and do what we can to prevent the spread of disease. If your business in any way puts people in danger it is my feeling that it should close in accordance with the state of emergency in affect. I do think that this is a time to adapt business models and plans that can help the public while also helping your business. These ideas and suggestions are opinions, and are open to interpretation.