Tips to Keep You Busy When Business Is Quiet – Contributed by WBA Business Liaison Officer, Lauren Bell

After having similar conversations with business owners recently, it is clear that although many have accepted the current situation, some of you are struggling to come up with ideas to work on to benefit your business.  If things have slowed down giving you more time, or if your business has been forced to close completely, this article will give you a to do list to keep motivated and positive. Enjoy reading my Tips to Keep You Busy When Business Is Quiet

Let’s be real, we can’t hide from the fact that COVID-19 is having a devastating affect on some businesses and industries.  It would be easy to admit defeat and give up, but you may never get an opportunity quite like this again, to pause and generate ideas.  Here are some ideas you could look at for your business, I look forward to hearing how you get on!

1. Look for Opportunity

Some of you have already pivoted by identifying new opportunities available and changing your offering, or the way you do business, to suit the current situation.  I am hearing from some business owners that the changes they are making at the moment are positive ones, and will more than likely stay in place post COVID-19.  Whether it is embracing technology to deliver your services to a wider area, opening up interstate or even international opportunities, or setting up online takeaway ordering through your own website, think about what opportunity might present itself to you, and look in to pursuing it.  If you need inspiration, your customers will probably offer up valuable information you can act upon!

2. Introduce New Software

If things are quieter than normal, and you have been considering starting to use a new system or software, then now is the perfect time to install it, learn it and get it up and running.  Think about shifting that BAS headache and starting to use an accounting software, or moving from your archaic excel email database to a professional email marketing system.  By the time COVID-19 passes, you will be a whizz on the new software and will be able to implement it with staff, clients and suppliers.

3. Consider Implementing a CRM

About a year ago, we introduced a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system at the WBA, and it has helped us massively!  CRM’s allow you to record customer conversations and history, streamlines your marketing and holds everything you need in one place.  Now is the perfect time to research and implement a CRM system and I would highly recommend that any business has one.  We use Capsule CRM, but it’s important you understand what the system needs to do for you, and find a solution that fits.  If you’re feeling extra productive, you could even have a clear up of your database whilst you’re at it!

4. Generate Reviews

Whether your doors are open or closed, now is a great time to be asking your customers to leave you Facebook Recommendations or Google Review, or even better, ask them to record a short video telling everyone why they love you.  At the moment, everyone is aware that we need to be supporting local businesses, and people are emotionally charged to want to make a difference.  Look at this as an opportunity to build up your reviews and generate testimonial content that you can share on your socials.

5. Record Some Videos

…Now I hope that wasn’t an eye roll you just gave me! The voice in your head is telling you that you won’t bother because you hate your voice, or the way you look, have confidence and record one, you’ll then have confidence to do more.  I was exactly the same when it came to my first video, now I just get on with it.

Think about sharing tips, be real about how you feel, give a shout out to one of your customers, this is the perfect time to spend a day recording videos that you can use to promote your business in the future….pssst….here’s an extra tip, change your shirt and location a few times and it’ll even look like they were recorded separately!

6. Write some blogs

Okay, so if I haven’t quite convinced you to embrace video and become an on-screen personality yet, then maybe writing some blogs is better suited to you.  Although, if you can do both videos and blogs then you’ll be one step ahead!

Blog’s don’t need to be huge university length essays, make them short and sweet and focused on a specific topic, and use bullet points or tips to break up the information.  You can promote blogs across social media sites, send them to the WBA so we can promote them for you, and include them in your email newsletters, LinkedIn is a great platform to share them too.  If you’re struggling to think of topics then get in touch and we can brainstorm together.

7. Focus on Social Media

Now is a great time to be working on your business social media content. Think about scheduling some posts to keep your accounts active and to stay connected with your customers – we use Hootsuite to schedule our Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts, but there are others out there too.  Google ‘social media scheduler’ to have a look through the different options.

When it comes to content, think about creating yourself a calendar and break up your posts.  Setting certain types of posts for specific days, helps you create your content.  For example, Tuesdays could be sharing a customer review, calling it #TestimonialTuesday, on Friday’s you could include ‘Did You Know’ type posts and call them #FridayFacts.

Competitions are also a great way to engage with social media followers and earn new ones.  You could even collaborate with another local business to join forces and gain more reach.  Maybe something to think about and plan for the months ahead.

8. Support Others

Think about what you can do to make a difference to someone else, to support another local business. Kellie and I recently sent a Brew Crate to a friend who is in isolation at the moment and to support a local business too.  I fast tracked plans to decorate our theatre room by ordering wallpaper from Westcoast Blinds & Interiors who will pass it on to Gary from G England Decorating to hang, and I also had Dean and Marvin from D & M Commercial Window Cleaning come and clean up my windows at home.  Every little bit can make a difference, what will you do this week to do your bit? We can all learn from these Tips to Keep You Busy When Business Is Quiet

9. Learn Something New

Is there a course you have wanted to do for a while? Set yourself a goal of attending 2 webinars a week? Set new goals.  Head to our events page to find out what we have coming up in the next few weeks.

If you need more of a chat about anything, just give me a call 0458 968 888

Good luck!

Lauren

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog Tips to Keep You Busy When Business Is Quiet

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