Marketing might seem like something that’s not essential in the current climate, but it’s actually even more important to keep marketing your business. There are so many people who’ve had to put their work-life on hold, and statistics show that while they are at home they are spending more and more time on social media. They are also looking at the possibility of making some changes in their lives; starting businesses, changing jobs, or growing the business they already have. This is when your marketing comes in; showcase your services, offer advice and assistance, share best practice, even offer collaboration. Opportunities are around every corner, and if you’re not there to grab them someone else will so keep your eyes and ears open, and your finger on the pulse.
Ways to market your business
Getting online is essential, here are some suggestions to be successful on social media –
- Make sure your profiles are up to date
- Understand your market
- Build relationships with people; be engaging
- Offer advice and assistance, but don’t be critical or negative
- Comment on posts
- Share posts that are relevant to your connections
- Connect with people in your target market
- Be consistent, post regularly and be engaging
Online networking is now a massive part of business life, which just goes to show we don’t need to all travel to meet up. While human interaction is a basic need for most of us, it’s not essential to always do face-to-face meetings. Not only does it reduce travel time and costs, but it’s also better for the environment. With platforms like Skype, Zoom and Google Hangouts it’s easy to chat with colleagues and clients when you can’t have a physical meeting. So don’t be shy, and change out of your pyjamas before you start
Your specialist subject
Become an expert in your field, and share your knowledge with others. Become the go-to person for your speciality and you’ll soon develop a following. Make sure you don’t give too much away though, the aim is to get business so don’t share all your secrets.
Communication is key
Keep in touch with your clients, they may have had to shut their businesses down, but will hopefully be starting up again soon so encourage them to work on their business so they are ready to ‘hit the ground running’ when the lockdown ends. If money is tight offer them a reduced service, or deferred payments if you can, they’ll be busy when they’re back in business and will need your help then. If you’ve been there for them, they will remember and hopefully sing your praises to others.
Moving forward
We all need to support each other so we come out of this with our businesses intact, but we also need to learn from our mistakes. Look at what we’ve coped without, ways we’ve pared down our businesses to make them more profitable and efficient, and not just go back to the old ways because that’s what we’ve always done. If we work together more, and let’s not forget the camaraderie that’s developed over the last month or so between us all, we’ll work better and with more enthusiasm. Helping each other is human nature, we’ve all felt the benefits and that should help us grow as people and in the workplace.
If you need any advice on marketing or just fancy a chat, please get in touch – [email protected]