In writing this article I want to share with you that my heart goes out to every small business owner around the world!
So many small businesses are bound to survive based on their daily cash flow. 2 things are unreplaceable in business and that is cash flow and leverage according to Robert Kiyosaki who wrote the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book.
But it is time to adjust and it is time to investigate new avenues. I have set up business evaluation points for small business owners to evaluate their businesses and what is coming.
1. Digital evolution is no longer an option
It is no longer an option but an absolutely essential part of a business to evolve digitally. The best advice that I can give you to evolve your business digitally is the following. Find a mentor who has done it in your industry or an agency that has the experience and relevant track record. Take bold but calculated steps. Find ways of gets numbers and statistics for your industry online. Look into the social behavior of your ideal clients. The biggest lie in this time is that your clients have disappeared just because they are not walking through your business doors. No, they have not disappeared they have simply moved digitally, and you need to find them and place your product and service in front of them before your competition does.
2. Video calls and conferencing is no longer an option
The first thing that happened within 5 days of isolation is that I started calling people on a Video call. Why? Because humans are relational as so is business. We need to see one another. Here is a great marketing tip. Send all your best clients a WhatsApp message and ask them if you could call them on WhatsApp video at a specific time. Tell that you want to catch up with them and check how they are doing.
This will be your first and biggest marketing campaign during this time of isolation. Talk to them about what you plan to do with your business and tell them that they are valuable to your business. Gary V always says that you need to sell value more than anything else to your clients.
3. Digital ordering and shopping are no longer an option
Evaluate your current business operations and see which of them could go digital with an ordering system or a simple form on your website. Take small step sin in a digital direction. See which of your products could sell online through your shopping cart or if you don’t have one get your products online through a bigger shopping cart like Amazon.
4. Digital marketing is no longer an option
If you find yourself in the space where you don’t have a website for your business, then this time of isolation is the perfect time to work on your digital marketing. You can give me a call or send me a message and we can meet on a WhatsApp video call. I will evaluate where you currently find yourself and advise on the steps that you can take, but right now is the perfect time to get going. If you do want to do it yourself, you can follow this article that I wrote to help people get started with a blog, but you can use the same system to build your website.
5. Your businesses digital narrative is no longer an option
One of the biggest mistakes local businesses make is that they create their business website without thinking about their ideal client. People want to read and experience who you are as a person and what the story is behind your business. They want to read your story and follow your narrative online. Tell them about how you started and what you have overcome and how you help other people. They also want to hear about your success. They want to be inspired by your story.
Creating a digital narrative for your business that includes your story is one of the biggest tips that I can give you.
Conclusion
Stay strong and keep the faith! Before you give up and close your business first look if you don’t need to trim it down for this season so that it can grow new branches and leaves for a new season. Being trimmed down is never easy but it always brings growth into new areas of our businesses. That is how I see this time and season in all our lives. Growing new digital branches and leaves for your business will take it into the future. You determine if this situation will be your end or the beginning of new things. You determine the projected impact of COVID19.
Stay positive and believe that things will change for the better.
BRANDING & WEB DESIGN
I am a Front End Developer and Solutions Expert(MCSE) who became a digital marketer and strategist. I love to create success for people by transforming their online business. If you are starting a business please give me a call (+27 (0) 81 387 0626) or send an email contact me or read more about me here.
