COVID-19 Business Trends

COVID-19 Business Trends

COVID-19 Business Trends – Charles Snyder Raw #144. So with the on-going Corona crisis, I desire to share some more hope for small businesses. Because as I stated in Marketing During A Crisis, the news agencies are already scaring the Hell out of people. Someone needs to step up and offer some good news and perspective for small business owners.

The reality is that our lives have changed almost overnight as a result of this pandemic and the resulting quarantine. Small businesses had to make drastic adjustments as well. But despite the media-driven hysteria, I know from experience that the world isn’t coming to an end.

First, the bad news

But first, let me ask you some questions. Now that you suddenly cannot rely on foot traffic to fill your store (and pay your bills), what do you do about it? Since no one wants to make any unnecessary trips and you may have been forced to temporarily close too, how are you making a living?

The bad news is that we must all deal with the Corona Virus pandemic rationally. So at the top of that understanding is that businesses have seen a 90% drop on in-store visits (source: Google Ads). Many stores had to close and with social-distancing, unnecessary trips are also way down.

So this week, foot traffic in brick and mortar businesses are way down. As in being compared to a month ago, February 15 compared to March 15. Locally, this effect is seen from a small comics store as well as restaurants, pizza shops, car dealers, chiropractors, gyms, yoga studios and so on.

COVID-19 Business Trends: The Good News!

So this is the part where I slip into my old role as a fire instructor. I would bark and curse at recruits to get their attention some times. But I did it so that they were aware of their situation, take corrective action and hopefully not get hurt in the process.

OK, I’ll try to not yell at anyone or curse too much, but I do want you to sit up straight and pay attention to this! Here are some recommendations for any business suffering because of our current situation:

5 Recommendations for businesses during COVID-19:

1. You Need A Website – A website is the very foundation or hub of building ANY online presence (or online marketing). It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does need to have some form of content management. And for the love of God, don’t be a cheap-ass; do this right the first time so you won’t have any Wix Website Worries. Get it done today!
2. Build A Solid Marketing Foundation – Building on my first recommendation above, get your business “out there” with Google My Business, Yelp, Bing Places for Business, etc. Develop social media business accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube. What Is Marketing Plumbing? Linking all of these pages back to your website. Make it happen today!
3. Get Social – Keep your customers and your tribe informed with any changes in your business schedule. But even more importantly, engage your audience with entertaining and educational content. Always Add Value so that people want to follow, like, and share your business blog content. And always speak to their reality!
4. Get Your Products & Services Online – Obviously, you want to list these on your website and social media pages. But your products can also be seen on Google Merchant Center and others too. However, you can also easily add Messenger Automation to showcase your business, products, and services, and engage your customers in real-time.
5. Social Media Marketing – Many experts agree, when the economy gets tough, that is the best time to double down on your marketing. So since we are talking about websites and social media, Digital Marketing is definitely the best return on your investment.

It isn’t rocket science, but it is work

Digital Marketing or Online Marketing really isn’t that difficult. However, you have to know what you are doing and it is work. A lot of work! But you can learn it yourself or you can pay a professional to do it for you (like us).

In summary, make shit happen! You have free time right now, all you need to do is the research. Or if you’re impatient and/or just want it done right, don’t be afraid to make an investment on an expert. Just don’t expect to make thousands on your business for pocket change in marketing.

Do you want help? Are you not sure where to begin? Or do you just want it done right, right now? Click on the banner below to get started and schedule a video conference call with me today!

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