This post was provided by Jason Dirkham.
We have all been through some very strange times in these last few months. 2020 is likely not going according to plan when it comes to your business and the goals you may have originally set back at the beginning of the year. These are unprecedented times and something we have likely never experienced, nor hopefully will do again in our lifetimes. Businesses have either thrived or struggled during these times. Many have had no choice but to shut their doors during the lockdown period, or work from home in a different capacity.
One thing many businesses will have done though, is diversified the way they operated. Some may have no choice, and were unable to perform their business, or offer their service etc, without breaking lockdown rules, whereas other businesses may have changed the way they do things. Diversifying the way they operate, making changes and moving the business forward may have opened up new paths and ideas and even enabled your business to thrive through uncertain times. However you have coped during this period with your business, we now see the light at the end of the tunnel and we can start to begin life once more. Perhaps it looks different, with social distance guidelines and new protective equipment to wear, but now is the time to start building your business back up and to make the second part of 2020 a successful one. So what should you and your business be doing now that lockdown is over? Here is what you need to be thinking about.
Have you diversified the way you run your business?
One of the first things to look at is the way that your business operates. During the lockdown period you may have not been able to operate out of your business premises. So what did you do? You changed. For cafe owners or restaurant entrepreneurs, it might have meant offering a take out service and delivery. For shops, you may have offered or seen a surge in online orders rather than face to face dealings because you had to close your doors. You may have changed the way you have done business just in the hope that you would survive, but if it was successful, then why stop doing it? Lockdown may have enabled you to try some new things and see if they worked, offer different products or services or widen your outreach. This in turn could mean that now that lockdown is over you still offer up certain things like that. It could be a great opportunity to expand as you go back to traditional methods of your business. Why stop now? If certain changes have worked then why not try new things moving forward? We are all in unchartered waters, so it could be the perfect chance for you to try something completely different with your business.
Go back to the business plan
As things have changed so much, it might be a good idea to go back to the business plan and see if there are tweaks that can be made to help you readdress the rest of the year and the future of your business. As you might have diversified in a different direction, this could have opened up new doors in the way that your business operates. It could mean that a new business plan that you create could help to continue on the path you have started and expand your business in a totally different way. Taking positives from what has been a very difficult time for many.
Take time to work on your website
Another thing that you should be doing now more than ever is taking time to work on your website. These last few months people have had no choice but to order things online and peruse the internet looking for the things that need. Online is the way forward so it may be worth investing some time into your business. Creating a seamless ecommerce store or making your website optimized so that it appears in search engine results. Using SEO and looking at keyword content can help you do this. Your website needs to be responsive and easy to use, while still being visually appealing. If you don’t feel like you have the skills for this you could look into hiring a website developer or seek out a freelancer who may be glad of the work right now.
Change up your branding
While you are focused on your website and online appearance relaunching your business after lockdown could present the perfect opportunity for a rebrand. A new logo, color scheme, the way you do business, the products and services you offer. Some of this will have aurally changed so why not use it as a PR opportunity to relaunch your brand in a different way? It could help you with other useful tasks t d right now which brings us to the next point to consider.
Have a social media campaign in place
Social media is so important. Many of us already know this. But during these unprecedented times it will have been a lifeline for so many. So if you have seen an increase of followers to your platforms then now is the time to build upon it. Creating a social media strategy can help you to stay on track when it comes to your business and any advertising opportunities that you have. It will help you to be consistent with your content and images, and also enable you to build your brand organically. A social media campaign could be the ideal way to advertise your business without eating into potential profits as any money made will be essential right now. You want to concentrate on building your following organically, responding to messages and comments as well as launching new content at the ideal time. You can outsource your social media or look to do it yourself and there are plenty of tips and tricks online to help you make the most of the platforms you have and how you can build on them.
Get your business ready for after lockdown
Now that lockdown is coming to an end, you may have had a business premise that you are looking to get back to so that you can continue other operations of your business. So it is important for you to get your business ready to welcome customers now that lockdown is over. This might mean needing to have signage for social distancing measures, offering protective equipment like face masks or even things like a customer booking system. You might also need to think about your premises such as getting light fittings checked by specialists such as Suncoast Energy, or even just ensuring that all aspects of the business have had a deep clean. You want to feel that you are able to assure your customers that you are ready to greet them safely and that they can be confident in the measures you have put in place to be COVID ready.
Could you reduce your costs?
There is no denying that many businesses will have struggled during these times as you may not have been able to operate as fully as you would have liked to. However, you may need to look at ways that you can reduce your costs. For starters, you may have realized that you and your staff are able to work from home effectively and you may no longer see the need for a business premises. This could offer a saving on a monthly lease and enable you to inject that money back into your business. It could be that you may need to operate with less staff, or perhaps reduce hours so that you can keep people employed. It may even mean that you have to rethink the way you store products or tools that you need, and found a cheaper solution.
Outsourcing areas where needed
You still need to operate your business effectively, and it might mean that even though you may have a priority of reducing costs right now, you still need to place. A value on your own time. There could be incidents where you need to focus your energy on certain aspects of the business, and by outsourcing other factors where you can’t make much difference will help your business run smoothly. In turn you could find your business is more profitable because you have concentrated on certain aspects of it. This could be social media, website development or even accounts or IT management.
Expanding in a new direction
Finally, expanding in a new direction may seem scary, but you could find that lockdown has given you a great opportunity to try something new and move your business in a different area. Expansion should be a goal that you still have, and there is the second part of the year to help you move the business forward and continue to thrive.
Let’s hope these suggestions help you to get your business ready after lockdown.
This post was provided by Jason Dirkham.
