By Naomi Johnson, Life Based Business
If your business has struggled due to COVID-19, you should first know that this crisis will eventually pass. With any hope, you will be able to regain your stride before the year is up, but until that time comes, you may want to think about evolving your marketing and operation plans. The Back Office Studio wants you to thrive, so keep these crucial pandemic pointers in mind in the coming months.
Financial Assistance is Still Available
Before we get into some of the ways you can revamp and revitalize your business, let’s talk about finances. As you already know, making any sort of changes to your marketing plans or operations can involve at least an initial investment. You may need to turn a parking area into a patio if you serve food at your business, pick up outdoor heaters, or you may need to simply add more protective equipment for your employees.
Whatever sort of COVID changes you need to make in order to keep your business afloat, know that there are financial resources that can help you shoulder any associated costs. This can include SBA loans from the federal government, local assistance or grants from other businesses and corporations. For example, Inc. reports that Google dedicated $340 million to grant programs aimed at helping small business owners market their businesses and weather the pandemic storm. With the right plan, you may not have to dip into your savings to survive this crisis.
Remote Offices are Likely Here to Stay
If your business typically runs out of an office, you may have had to transition your team to remote work. This transition can be tricky to manage at first but with a little trust and patience, hopefully, you are able to communicate and work with your staff seamlessly.
If you are still having issues collaborating on projects, you should know that there are several tools that can boost your communication efforts and your productivity. Apps like Slack and Team allow your staff, whether they are regular employees or freelancers, to stay connected throughout the workday. You can also use these tools to create digital check-ins for each of your team members so that you can make sure everyone is staying engaged and focused.
Getting used to remote work arrangements can help keep you and your team safe for now, but there are also some added benefits to embracing this type of set up. One such perk is that you can hire new employees and freelancers from just about anywhere, which will give you access to top talent. If you want to hire a freelance consultant to help with your marketing plan, remote capabilities can help.
Staff isn’t always equipped to handle the transition to remote work, but you can ease that transition as well. For instance, computers can be had for a song through Black Friday deals, and coworking spaces provide a professional environment for those whose households aren’t conducive to productivity. Just make sure you find a safe and professional environment such as The Back Office Studio for your workers.
New Marketing Plans Need to Be Flexible
With so many small businesses facing the same challenges, you should be able to find plenty of marketing resources online to help you refresh your marketing plan. Some very basic steps you can take include streamlining your website, creating more social media ads, and boosting your digital content.
Don’t have any social media accounts or even a website? Well now is definitely the time to work on these essentials! You can build a business website using online tools like GoDaddy, Wix, or Shopify, but you still need to put some work into choosing a domain name and figuring out the purpose of your website. Now for most small businesses, the purpose of a website is marketing their products and services.
It may not seem like it right now but things will eventually get better, both for the world and your business. In the meantime, your ability to adapt and innovate could make the difference between this being a temporary setback or a permanent closure. So use these tips and resources to help keep your business running and keep your dreams alive, and don’t hesitate to partner with The Back Office Studio for safe and professional workspaces.
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