Agency Pro Tips: 7 REAL ways to position your company for success when business returns after COVID-19
Like all of us here at Deep Fried, you’re probably sitting at home practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak wondering, what’s next? Business as usual is no longer business as usual as we have all fully transitioned to working from home for the foreseeable future. Kitchen tables are now desks, pets are our new trusted coworkers, and suddenly we’re more worried about what’s behind us for video chats than if we’re wearing pants or not during the workday.
The question of what next? can take so many forms during these trying times. How does a (and more specifically your) company come out of this? How can you help your employees AND position yourself to get back up and running? For business owners both large and small, we believe the question that should be on your mind is, “What can I do right now?”
Running a business even in the best of times takes a lot. From dealing with everyday issues ranging from customer support to payroll, you’re more than well equipped to run your company through anything. But as the world around us comes to a standstill, you now have the opportunity to make the best of some of the free time now on your hands. Oftentimes your digital brand, voice, and mere presence takes a back seat to daily concerns. Before COVID-19, you may have thought, “why worry about our website when most of our customers are walk-ins?” Three weeks ago, you probably assumed, “nobody really pays attention to our branding, so I’m sure it’s fine.” If there’s any silver lining to the current climate of social distancing, however, it’s the opportunity for reflection and re-examination of things we didn’t usually make time for.
Traditionally, slow economic periods of business have been a time to focus on a different kind of growth. Whether it was training the team on the latest innovations or best practices, expanding or doing something that would’ve been impossible during your busy season. Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to think on your own business’s needs, and get to work. We challenge you, small-, medium- and even large-business owners, to use some of your free time to position your company for success when business returns.
SO, Here are our 7 suggestions of where to start:
1. Update your Branding
While there’s time, change how you engage online. Update your company’s logo, brand identity, or the look and feel of your product packaging. If you’ve made any improvements to your company’s branding recently, there’s a chance that update didn’t get made on a few platforms. Brand consistency is a key part in establishing and maintaining consumer trust, so take the time now to make sure your brand identity is consistent across your website, social media, online directories, and e-commerce platforms.
Or is time for a full rebrand? The downtime we’re all experiencing can also be a great opportunity for rebranding your business. There’s never been a better opportunity to re-create your brand identity so that your business comes out of this stronger than it went in. If you’re looking to rethink who your company is and how it tells that story, Deep Fried is ready and able to help you through that over the upcoming weeks or months.
2. Talk Yourself Up
First on the list if asked about things you never have time to do is writing (blogging). Getting the words out of your head and onto paper (or a screen) is another great way to spend your new free time. SEO-optimized blog content is still one of the best ways for new customers to find your business online. You’re the expert, so write about it. This also applies to social media and email marketing. If you’re not talking about your business there, neither will your customers.
3. Copy Edit Your Site
While business is slow, it’s the perfect time to revisit every page of your website to make sure they’re accurate, on-mission, SEO-optimized, and up to date with your current business structure. It’s time to put on the readers, and take a hard look and each of your service and product pages. Treat each page as if it’s the only page a visitor may ever see. Make sure there’s a clear path to conversion and an engaging call to action. They matter. And even if you plan on re-doing your site in the near future, you’ll be better positioned by knowing what your content needs to be and what really matters.
4. Optimize, Optimize, Optimize
Don’t forget about SEO and your website’s underlying code. As you read through every page, really get into the weeds of each headline (h1), sub-head (h2), and even those pesky title and alt tags. Chances are, some things are missing, outdated, or simply can be said better. Dig into and clean up your company’s “Google My Business” (GMB) and other “Name, Address, Phone number (NAP) listings to strengthen your local relevance. When your front doors are closed, make your website a bright shining “Right this Way!” neon arrow.
5. Research the Competition
Spend a few days and conduct some competitive and collegial research. Reconsider who are your competitors in the market? Look outside your market for companies that appear to be leading the way. What are they doing on the web and across social platforms? Subscribe to their newsletters, follow their social accounts, and develop a feeling for what they’re doing that you’re not.
6. Digital Spring Cleaning
Everything you never had time to do just became doable, and nothing has been kicked further down the proverbial road than the organization of your digital assets. It’s not sexy but a strong naming convention and file structure can save time and help you rediscover photos, videos, and content that can be elevated to your site and shared across social channels.
7. Dive Into the Data
Data scrubbing and CRM maintenance is another mundane but necessary step if you intend to remarket to your customers in any way. Dive into your email marketing tools and CRMs and scrub names, and identify missing ones. Reservation platforms like SevenRooms, Resy, OpenTable store plenty of data, but oftentimes user error can turn a (504) phone number into a (049). Export that CSV, open up Excel, and get to work. eCommerce sites like Shopify and Etsy also provide customer insights, but they don’t know your business like you do. Separate your most loyal and local customers into lists that you can develop digital campaigns around and tap into when it matters most.
Deep Fried is committed to ensuring the online continuity of all of our clients through these tough times. If you need any assistance with your company’s presence, online or off, we’re fully capable to help you with anything – from the safety of our own homes. Fill out the form below to contact us today!
Let us know if we can help.
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