COVID-19 has brought sudden, massive changes around the world. It has disrupted the way we interact, shop, work, and transact. Businesses of all sizes have been plunged into darkness, with some even having to shut down entirely. Meanwhile, others have managed to find dynamic solutions to shelter their businesses from the harsh impacts of the pandemic, including re-imagining their products and services, using unique marketing tactics and new delivery methods.
Let’s take a look at some innovative ways that small businesses can increase sales during the pandemic and prosper in our new reality.
Migrate Online
Lockdowns and temporary business closures led to a sudden boost in online sales. In fact, the stocks of e-commerce companies such as eBay, Wayfair, and Shopify have risen in recent months.
If your business operations rely heavily on face-to-face customer interaction in a brick-and-mortar store, you may need to pivot by migrating online or solidifying your existing e-commerce presence.
Some small breweries in Ireland have done something interesting to reshape their service delivery and stay relevant amid the mandatory venue shutdowns. They have collaborated to establish an online shop of craft beers that are delivered to their customers’ doorstep. By teaming up, they were able to cut down the cost of setting up the website and increase profits through non-contact sales.
Sell Education Online
Due to travel and social restrictions, people have been forced to stay at home for extended periods of time. To fight boredom, many have resorted to online learning platforms, which opens up a new avenue for businesses to expand into, or to start in.
Yoga and gym instructors are also pivoting online by offering fitness programs or courses. The brilliance of this strategy is that it provides a passive income stream from marketing existing content and profiting from it. Alternatively, many fitness gurus offer live sessions that customers can subscribe to.
Tap Into Email Marketing
The majority of business owners have an email address, and most check their inbox every day. With people spending more time at home and on their computers, they are automatically on their email a lot more. This makes it a good time to reach out to your potential or existing customers via email. Whether your approach is to provide relevant, informative content or a sales pitch, email marketing is a strategy that you need to consider, to boost your brand awareness and connect with potential clients.
A good example of this is a US-based photography company that has ramped up its email marketing campaigns, with content ranging from discounts and free giveaways to sales announcements and online contests. As a means to improve targeting, they have segmented each type of content to get the maximum conversion for each sector in their audience.
Host Online Webinars
While large, in-person gatherings are on hold for the time-being, many businesses or entrepreneurs have shifted to social media live streams and webinars.
You don’t need to be a keynote speaker or polished presenter to host such online events and drive profit. You can easily showcase your expertise through ticketed webinars and online workshops that can help your customers improve their skills or knowledge relevant to your industry.
For example, an email marketing and sales platform company further expanded its catalogue of webinars, amid the pandemic, to share more actionable insights and valuable tools for small businesses. Through this strategy, it has witnessed vastly increased brand awareness and online sales.
Explore Video Marketing
Many consumers are more visually inclined, which makes video an effective format to attract customer attention. According to a Hubspot report, 80% of marketers claim that videos have directly increased their sales. So, while most of your customers are in lockdown mode, video marketing is definitely a tool worth considering.
A great example of this is a digital transformation agency that has mastered the use of video on its website and social media accounts to boost consumer trust and keep people on the site longer. By turning its site into an immersive video experience, the company was able to engage people and establish its brand as a leader in the industry.
You could adopt a similar strategy and use video content as a persuasive tool for consumers who are in the research phase, as many people prefer watching a video, instead of reading about products and services.
Stay Agile
During such uncertain times, the best way to keep your business afloat is by being agile and adapting to the new environment. We hope that these successful ideas will inspire you to get back to the drawing board to find new ways to keep the sales going during these trialling times.
Struggling to get your business off the ground? Worried that your business may not make it through the pandemic? We specialise in helping small businesses grow, get in touch with us to see how we can make sure that your business stays successful during these uncertain times.