When a new season is just around the corner, it’s generally a good time to reevaluate your strategy and make sure you’re ready to deal with any changes.
But this year, it’s not just summer you need to be ready for — it’s the accelerating re-opening of our entire country and, to a lesser extent, the world at large.
In most places across the U.S., COVID numbers are way down. Restrictions are being lifted. And consumer confidence is high.
What can you do to make sure you’re prepared for the next stage on our long journey to whatever the “new normal” is?
Here are some tips on re-opening your business in this environment:
If You Went All-Virtual, Take Another Look at In-Person
While the pandemic was at its worst, many businesses that were able to go virtual did so. And they discovered that it worked surprisingly well in many cases. But in many places across the country, the situations is different now.
Obviously you should only work within your comfort zone. But if you have been vaccinated, you should consider re-opening your business to in-person sales and services if you haven’t already.
There is likely a decently-sized group of potential customers you’ve been missing out on. And letting them know they are welcome to return to your place of business may help you see a healthy uptick in revenue.
Update Your Safety Messaging
Whether you’re re-opening your business or just reminding people that you’re still open, now is a good time to change your safety messaging. Again, this depends upon your personal situation, vaccination and infection rates in your area, and your comfort level. But some things to consider are:
Advertising to people that you and your staff have been vaccinated. If you and your staff have been vaccinated, this can be a great strategy to convince people who are still nervous that you are safe. Who would you choose to see in-person — someone who specifically says they’ve been vaccinated, or someone who’s a wild card?
Reevaluating (or reiterating) your mask policy. We know this one is… complicated. But letting people know your policy one way or another is extremely important.
Will you and other staff members be wearing masks? Are clients required to wear masks? What if someone shows up without a mask? Can you provide them with one?
Detailing specifics of your location and level of interpersonal interaction with others. Going to a one-on-one meeting with your relationship counselor is obviously a lot different than making a Target run. Which is different from having a yoga class outside at a neighborhood park.
Let potential clients know how many people they can expect to interact with. Whether they will be going indoors or able to stay outside. If the (indoor) space is open and airy or a big confined.
Refresh and Revamp
If you have the funds to do so, this is the perfect time to update, modernize, and rethink anything that hasn’t been working as well as you like. And this applies both to your in-person space and your digital presence.
Perhaps you’ve been meaning to renovate to make your office or storefront more visually appealing or increase efficiency. Or you never quite took the steps to make sure your website was mobile-friendly.
These tasks will likely be unique to you and your business, and there are many possibilities. The key is to do it now — before you are hit with a rush and new people form opinions based on what your business used to be.
Restock or Hire If Necessary
Why are we putting these two things together? Because they’re kind of two sides of the same coin depending on whether your business provides products or services.
If you primarily sell products, you want to ensure your stores are replenished to handle a potential uptick in demand. If you make your money offering services, you need people who can provide those services.
Before making a big push in re-opening your business, make sure you’re as ready as you can be.
Where Should You Put Your Focus?
Clearly, some of these tips are easier to implement than others. And there’s a fair chance you might not be able to afford to do all of them.
So, where should you focus your efforts?
Unfortunately, that’s something every business owner has to decide for themselves based on their model and how things seem to be trending for them.
That being said, one way to hedge your bets is to focus on the changes that you can implement fairly quickly and easily. It costs relatively little, for example, to update your status about in-person visits and safety and make sure your site is up-to-date. Or to pick a few small things about your space that you can refresh, such as changing curtains or adding flowers, music, or magazines to improve the ambience.
Want more suggestions on where to focus and how we might help? Get in touch now. The re-opening train has left the station, and you want to make sure you’re on it!
