Preparing Your Small Business for the Post-Covid Era

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Post covid|Preparing Your Small Business for the Post-Covid EraBusinesses have been one of the major losers to the Covid-19 pandemic that has swept the world. Small businesses, especially those who were fledgling, have been forced to either shut down or reduce operations to the barest minimum. This is definitely not the best situation, but things will eventually turn around. In this article, we shall be looking at how to prepare your small business for the post-Covid-19 era by asking some relevant questions.

Where Do you See your Business after the Pandemic?

Making smart strategic moves means that you comprehend the position of your business in the current economic disposition. Know where you stand in the industry, understand your role, and who the competition is. You must have a clear vision of where you want to be and make those strategic decisions that will get you there.

When your competitors and other industry players doubt the future, let your vision remain clear. Do not lose focus and follow a roadmap to attain your goals. Remain resilient and ensure all members and employees of your organization feel the same way.

How do you plan to recover?

Of course, your short-term and long-term plans have been thrown off-kilter by the pandemic, but what is your plan to bounce back? If you have insurance for small businesses, that may be a start as it can serve as a cushion to allay your losses. Your roadmap to recovery should include the steps you will take to attain the vision you set in the previous point above. Not having a plan will only keep you disoriented and leave you unable to take advantage of favorable situations when they arise because you are unprepared.

What changes must you undergo?

It will be difficult to come out of this economic downturn without undergoing a significant identity change as a small business. The pandemic has ruffled through every fabric of life and society; as such, change is necessary. Through resilience and focus, you can attain your goals, but change is also difficult and may cause some friction. As an organization, your primary focus should be the customer. Any change that you have to undergo to remain customer-focused necessarily is worth it.

Do you have any new projects?

If you do have any new projects you want to launch, run or coordinate, you will have to sit back and restrategize. What you first need to do is prioritize projects that will secure the future of the business. Stick to the most important projects, and do not over-stretch yourself. Trying to do many things at the same time will only leave you frustrated and drained. Before launching a project, make sure you have the manpower, logistics, and expertise to accomplish it. Be critical also of the timing of such projects to maximize their impact.

With the impact of the coronavirus pandemic unprecedented, leveraging what you can accomplish now to prepare for the predicted post-covid-19 economic boom is the best line of action. So, plan, adapt, execute, and keep in mind the vision you have set for your small business.

How Technology Has Advanced The Cosmetic Industry

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StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Article |Technology|How Technology Has Advanced The Cosmetic IndustryAs we head further into the digital era, the use of technology has continued to revolutionise our lives in so many ways. But how has it changed the medical sector? In this article, we will be providing you with insight into how technology has advanced the cosmetic and medical industry in the last 10 years.

Ai And Computer Technology Has Improved Customisation

When looking at the cosmetic industry, there has been one common problem that several people have faced, finding the perfect shade of foundation that matches their skin. The use of AI and computer technology allows for you to scan the skin and determine the base colour as well as the undertones to find the perfect match.

Video Calls Have Improved The Consultation Process

In addition to the use of computers in-store to find the perfect shade, the world of technology has also allowed for computers to be used in the consultation process. This has been used by several medical practices in the UK as well as those providing a hair transplant procedure in Turkey to speed up the consultation process and limit the amount of travel that is needed to get to and from appointments. This way of communicating with medical staff is only set to escalate soon as we continue to adapt our way of life to accommodate Coronavirus and the social distancing restrictions that have been put in place.

Increased Performance For Cosmetic Procedures

Technology has also allowed for several cosmetic procedures to be completed in half the time that they would have been 10 years ago, with advancements such as those employed by laser skin care clinics enhancing efficiency and recovery times. This streamlined approach, supported by electronic reporting, has significantly decreased the duration of surgeries and facilitated quicker patient recovery. For example, the use of Keyhole surgery as a replacement for several other surgical procedures has helped to limit the risk associated with some of these surgeries as well as improve the overall healing process for their patients. As a result, this has also sped up the process of patients returning to their everyday lives following a surgical procedure.

Virtual Try-On Will Replace The Traditional Samples

The final way that technology has advanced the cosmetics industry is through virtual try on. With the pandemic leading to the removal of makeup testers in stores, many brands have turned to computer technology to provide a virtual try-on to those shopping online. This has benefitted several smaller brands as well as larger companies such as Charlotte Tilbury as this is capturing not only the digital market but providing a new experience for customers to try when they return to physical stores. This is a huge benefit for so many companies as it provides them with an experience that they have never had before.

With so much to change in the next five years, there are several ways that this is set to continue in 2021. How do you think that this will continue to change in the not too distant future?

Thinking about expansion? 6 considerations to help you decide

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Business Expansion|Thinking about expansion? 6 considerations to help you decideIf you’ve been fortunate enough to withstand the financial shocks which rocked many businesses in 2020, and even managed to thrive, you may be thinking that this is a great moment to expand your business. Assuming that you have already had a good idea of the direction you want to go in, just ensure that you’ve taken the following into consideration in your planning.
Are we focused on our core business?

A strong recovery is forecast by many analysts but is by no means guaranteed. What are the factors that have created your success so far? Given the climate of uncertainty, building on your core strengths will be far less risky than venturing into the unknown. That means delivering more of the same, but better and faster. Of course, if you’re an entrepreneur with an idea for a product or service that will disrupt the market – decide whether it’s a risk worth taking

Do we have adequate finance in place?

While recovery is still uncertain, it simply won’t be enough just to cover direct costs of expansion. If your customers have been affected by the prolonged pandemic response, could this have a knock-on effect on your business? Ensuring you have the finance in place to carry you over a period of suppressed demand is essential. Specialist companies such as HS Finance can help with secured business loan applications to make sure you don’t find yourself in a cash flow crisis after making a significant investment in your expansion.

What about workspace?

Are your current premises adequate, or will you need to find larger ones? Or, could you reduce the amount of space you use? With the increased need for social distancing, and many people now working from home, at least part of the week, expansion may result in reduced costs.

Investing in people

Linked to the above. If you’re shifting to a remote working model, keep in mind the duty of care you’ll still have for your home-working employees. They’ll need appropriate tools and equipment to do their job efficiently and safely. Make sure you include these expenses in your plan, along with additional training and support.

Are your systems fit for purpose?

When you expand, will your current systems be able to cope? Ensure any new software you invest in is scalable. New cloud-based PaaS systems, such as MS Azure, are cost-effective, flexible, automatically updated with the latest apps and services. As they typically charge on a monthly, by-usage basis, there’s no need for huge up-front investment.

Do we invest in marketing?

Once you’ve expanded, you need to get out there and sell! How are you going to let customers know about your new services? Is your webpage up to scratch? How are you managing social media for maximum exposure? Consider factoring in the cost of a marketing company into your plan to help generate the best return on your investment.

To be considering expansion, it’s clear that you’re energized and optimistic about the future of your business. With careful planning and a healthy dose of realism, you’ll be ready to reap the rewards of your hard work.

Strategies To Grow Your Website Traffic

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Website Traffice|Strategies To Grow Your Website TrafficAll business owners want the same thing, ‘more customers’. Their second answer being more traffic to their website, which will bring in more customers.

So how can you attract more customers to your website? There are many different strategies to consider.

Advertise

This may seem obvious, but advertising is key. Consider your target market and advertise in ways that will reach them. You could consider paid ads, social media, magazine or newspaper adverts, TV, radio or display boards as excellent ways to attract people, building your brand’s awareness, and getting your site out there in front of people.

With any advert, consider the wording and language used and the outcome you want for more people to see your site. For example, if you are looking to convert a visit to a sale, you could include a ‘call to action’ within your advert.

Make Sure Your Content Is Valuable

What is it that you offer, that makes you, your site, brand and product stand out? Think about what your customers (now and future) will gain by visiting your site. You might be able to help them solve a problem, sell a product that will help them overcome a hurdle, teach or educate.
If you’re unsure of where to start, have a look at keyword research tools and google trends to see what is popular.

Social Media

It is never enough to have a great product or service in the hope that everyone will just stumble across your site. You need to proactively promote your brand, product, and service. There are many different channels of social media and the luxury of this and you can utilize them in different ways to get the word out.

For example, Twitter is great for immediate short-term influence, whilst Pinterest can offer a longer-term visual solution for continual advertising and Instagram can allow a more interactive way for customers to engage and ‘tag’ you and your business.

SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) is most likely a strategy you’ll of heard of already. In short, it refers to boosting where a website ranks in search results. The higher you rank, the more your website will be seen.

An SEO company can assist with this and work with you to build a plan of action for your business to list higher when customers search for certain words or phrases.

Create Catchy Headlines

Like your products and services, you need to stand out from your competitors. Your services and products could be the best, but unless you have a compelling heading or caption to draw customers in, they could scroll on by.

Consider your customer, use their language and phrasing to engage them. You may want to write out more than one heading out to consider which is most appealing and eye-catching before pressing the publish button.

Offer Variety Of Content

Not only will variety in social media channels boost your exposure but it is also worth considering once you’ve got your customers to your site, how to maximize their visit. Think about your content and your clients. In today’s world, a lot more customers buy and appoint services through their mobile devices whilst out on the move. With this in mind, it is important to ensure you have a mixture of content to cover all bases. Include short and snappy articles, blog posts, videos, photos as well as longer content articles.

Link Internally

Using internal links on your site. That way you can guide customers to other services or products they may be interested in, which they were unaware of, or link to reviews and feedback confirming how wonderful your product or services is.

Have Evergreen Content

There possibly will be times when you focus on an upcoming holiday or occasion as a driving force to get traffic to your website however it is vital that you can maintain a steady stream of traffic for the rest of the year.

It is recommended to use ‘evergreen’ content available that will always be relevant and will continue to attract that footfall.

Examples of evergreen content would be how-to guides, product reviews and answers to frequently asked questions.

Include List Posts

Articles with numbers in the title such as ‘10 ….’ act as a good way to draw attention. By having a number in amongst words it makes it stand out and eye-catching, which will draw in more click-throughs to your website.

These aren’t always the best types of content to build regular viewers/customers – so this is where those internal links to other articles can help – but they offer a great alternative way to drive the traffic to your cyber front door.

Have A Plan In Place

Like all things business we have to work hard to get the results. Driving traffic to your website is no different. It takes hard work and dedication, along with the ability to multitask planing your content, advertising, social media presence along as with the day to day tasks needed within your business or brand. So, it is always a good idea to generate a plan. Plan out your what you are going to post on social media and site or sites you will be using. Plan any new content you’ll be releasing and how you plan to advertise it.

You can get specialize content calenders to help you with this so you’re releasing all your content in a logical order.

Repurpose Your Content

You might be debating how much more work you’ll be taking it but it will pay out in the end and like anything new you’ll find you get quicker at this the more it is implemented. One way to help keep times down is to revamp and repurpose older content in different formats. You might have some amazing older content in your locker, so dig it out and reuse this content in a YouTube video, for example, a Video Pin on Pinterest.

By doing this you are maximizing the amount of value you are getting out of one piece of content.

Email Marketing

With the majority of the population having email, email marketing is a great way to drive traffic and to keep you and brand in your customers’ minds. All you need to do to benefit from this to get customers to sign up. There are many ways to do this, some sites use pop up boxes for this, others have a ‘subscribe here’ open on their side bar. All you have to do, is come up with a compelling reason that they need to sign up and subscribe now.

Once subscribed you’ll be able to communicate directly with your customers. For new subscribers, you can send a welcome email series out to them. This will allow you to make a good impression and allow your customers a ‘get to know you and what your brand or business is all about’. So remember, this is your opportunity to make a good impression. Keep them notified of all new services, product and valuable content you’ve created.

Within the body of these emails you can also include your social media links and start the process of building yourself ‘super fans’ that follow you across of media channels.

With all of these suggestions, it is worth completing research in advance as there are numerous sites and technologies available to assist and make these steps easier to achieve. If that fails there are also companies out there that strategies and support in different fields that you could outsource too.

Inexpensive Ways to Engage Your Clients in 2021

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StrategyDriven Customer Relationship Management Article |Customer Engagement| Inexpensive Ways to Engage Your Clients in 2021Thanks to the technology available nowadays, engaging them has never been easier or more affordable.

When done right, your engagement strategy will result in a customer-focused business which will, in turn, boost more growth and loyalty.

Follow these steps and learn all you need to know about inexpensive ways to engage your customers!

Ask for Feedback

Feedback is an absolute must for every customer engagement strategy.

Your clients want to be asked about their experience with your business. It makes them feel valued.

By asking and responding to feedback, you show them their opinions matter. People need to feel heard and valued in order to be motivated and open to collaboration.

When your customers can freely express themselves, they will also want to communicate and engage with your business.

Feedback also develops emotional connections.

When your customer realizes they are not dealing with a faceless corporation but a real person behind it, it is the foundation for developing a stronger relationship.

Once you accomplish that, it will lead to more loyalty and more customer engagement.

You should create a feedback strategy that is sustainable for your business. Don’t be afraid to redefine it and try different approaches.

For example, you can include surveys, net promoter scores and social media monitoring. None of this requires spending too many resources or developing an extensive strategy.

Asking for feedback is one of your most important methods of motivating consumers to engage with your brand.

Engage Across Social Media Channels

Make sure you use multiple social media channels to communicate with your customers.

Being reachable and responsive across social media channels shows that you are ready to assist your customers at any given time.

Using your social media accounts will not only help you stay on top of trends, but also enable you to nurture your relationship with your customers on a daily basis.

You are there for them if they have any questions or concerns. Your customers will recognize the value of that.

When you create an online community on your social media, you engage your users to get more insight and information.

It is a cheap and effective way to present any news, products and quality content. Interesting and engaging information you provide on social media will keep the communication going.

When one person shares your post, you can reach hundreds of people at virtually no cost.

Even when you invest in a social media campaign that produces tons of shares and generates more views, you are still gaining more publicity than with many other, more traditional strategies.

Social media channels will help you build a reputation of being responsive and engaged with your customers at all times.

Host Webinars

You need to embrace the opportunities that come with 2021 — and one of them is hosting webinars!

With interesting webinars, you are keeping your attendees engaged from start to finish.

If the audience is invested and attentive, your customers will be open to learning more about your business and feel like a part of your community.

By making sure your webinar is informative and interesting, you will leave a strong impact and achieve better conversion rates.

Engaging webinars or seminars deliver more value to the audience.

When your customer leaves a webinar with a positive experience, his or her satisfaction will result in their loyalty to your business.

Maybe you can cover a topic that you notice your customers struggle with often.

These events don’t have to be long or expensive, but your customers will appreciate all the effort you put in and the advice you provide.

With the right webinar strategy, your webinars will be a valuable tool both for you and your customers.

Build a Loyalty Program

You absolutely need a loyalty program for your customers.

Your primary motive is to make your existing customers feel valued.

When they feel like you are willing to go that extra mile for them, they will have the motivation to continue buying from you.

This will not only elevate the customers’ appreciation of your product or service, but increase the chances that your customers share their experience with others.

Loyalty programs will also increase your revenue.

Loyal customers already have trust in your brand. When you increase customer retention, it will also increase the profit. Your customers are likely to spend more.

It is estimated that loyalty members spend 5 to 20% more than non-members on average. They also buy more frequently. This is a win-win situation for both sides.

Loyalty programs are an important part of customer experience and engagement, especially on a highly competitive market.

Conclusion

Customer engagement comprises all interactions with your customers, including feedback, social media channels, and webinars.

By following these steps and shifting your focus to loyalty programs and other engagement strategies, the interaction stays positive.

When you create your strategy around those interactions, you will help your existing customers — and bring in some new ones, too!

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Joe PetersJoe Peters is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and an ultimate techie. When he is not working his magic as a marketing consultant, this incurable tech junkie devours the news on the latest gadgets and binge-watches his favorite TV shows. Follow him on @bmorepeters