It no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. Lives have been lost and businesses have lost millions of dollars in revenue. All is not lost though and it is possible to rise from the rumble and rebuild the economy.

Today, we discuss tips on how to ensure your business stays relevant during this pandemic.

Strive to Get Customers Ahead of Time

One of the mistakes most businesses are making is focusing on how to maintain normal operations. Well, that is OK since you cannot halt everything but this is also a good opportunity to network with potential customers both local and abroad.

Putting effort into getting more customers now will ensure that your business has a pool of prospects to rely on right now and even after the pandemic is over. In addition, showing customers that you are busy looking for customers when other businesses are in a financial crisis is a positive sign to customers that you are in control of your business.

Adapt Your Products and Services

In most countries, the public is advised to work from home and avoid social gatherings. These restrictions make it impossible for most businesses to generate enough revenue like before. The worst hit companies are those that rely on a B2C model since they have to interact with clients at the store and have face-to-face meetings.

Get creative and brainstorm with your team on how to can continue to offer the same services despite the physical interaction restrictions. If you run a restaurant, you can start offering free delivery to your customers or through a subscription service model. Such incentives and change in operation model will greatly give you an upper hand.

Do Marketing with Covid-19 in Mind

Ask and consult widely on how you can make your product or service of more relevance in the current crisis. Once you crack that, adapt your marketing strategies to reflect that. You could even come up with an altered service to offer additional solutions and help to your customers during this outbreak.

Another important thing you need to do is increase your marketing strategies and make them flexible. Make sure that all your customers know when your store is open for business and how they can quickly contact you.

Come Up with Multiple Solutions for Several Scenarios

The first thing that you need to do is research to know the various challenges in your business. With that information in mind, you can proceed to look for solutions to those challenges but keep in mind different scenarios. Note that it is better to be prepared well for anything and everything instead of been caught unprepared as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe.

Leverage Technology to Maintain Constant Communication

With a majority of your employees working from home, it is imperative to put in place various mechanisms of communication. Good communication channels will promote efficiency and productivity significantly.

Due to the home-life distractions, chats and phone calls might not be effective so you need to plan ahead of what to do. Luckily, there are many online platforms that you can use to foster teamwork such as Google Docs, Skype, Zoom, Asana, Stormboard and the list continues. Train your personnel on how to use these new applications well to avoid any challenges down the road.

It is also wise to start introducing these applications now so that if the pandemic becomes worse and all your employees are working from home, they will be proficient and comfortable enough using the new communication methods.

Look for Alternative Solutions for Daily Operations

Already Covid-19 has changed how we travel and forced us to cancel business plans, events, and trips. Work with your team to come up with creative alternatives as well as solution to support your daily operations.

For example, if you have a certain new client who is not comfortable driving to your premises due to the restrictions, get an alternative such as a FaceTime meeting. If you are real estate agent, you can record a video of the premises they are interested in buying and send it to them.

Put into consideration all the plausible disruptions such as supply chain changes, communication, competition, and getting new clients. Then create alternatives that work best for your company. Plan for every possible scenario to guarantee the sustainability of your business.

Encourage and Motivate Employees

Your employees are also affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. Maybe some of them have already lost loved ones or are on the verge of losing their properties and other investments due to inconsistent flow of capital.

Encourage them to keep on keeping by holding weekly meetings with them. You can even offer additional bonuses to help them meet their financial needs. All these small gestures will show them that indeed you care about their wellbeing and want the best. In return, they will be more willing to work with your company.

Conclusion

Despite the challenging business environment due to coronavirus, the above tips can help your business to stay afloat. Make sure that you monitor the solutions, alternatives, and even your new marketing strategies to be sure that they are working. A/B tests and outsourcing some of the tasks can also help to reduce your expenditure on some of the tasks. We wish you all the best during this Covid-19 pandemic. All will be well.

Your personal Branding Coach

Hannah M. Githuki

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