As businesses continue to struggle with ongoing restrictions or reopening in the new mask-wearing, social-distancing, heavy disinfecting and frequent hand-washing normal, it happens that our business is slow. And it may take a while for the business to go back to the pre-pandemic levels of activity. Although it is important to take advantage of these “slow moments” to stop and smell the flowers, these periods can also be an opportunity to work on other things.
Here are 7 things to do when business is slow:
1. Create content – if like most businesses you have a web presence, work on getting more visibility online. Write articles or blogs, create videos, make podcasts, etc. This not only allows for more visibility but also establishes your expertise in the industry and more importantly helps to attract new customers. With the free time that you recently found yourself having more of, use it to get ahead by creating content for the next few weeks or months.
2. Network & expand your network – just because we are social distancing does not mean we cannot network and meet people. Most networking groups have now moved to online meetings, video conferencing, virtual mixers, etc. Be creative, do a Zoom happy hour with a former colleague or Facetime a former customer. Stay connected and keep connecting.
3. Update all your social media profiles & websites – perhaps it’s changes in your hours of operations or the key people in your team, it’s always good practice to keep the information on your websites and social media profiles updated. Additionally, updating of profile photos, cover photos, posts and the gallery of your work to showcase recent projects should be a focus as well.
4. Host a webinar – start a webinar series to share your expertise, to interact and learn more about your audience and above all bring you more business. Most people who find themselves having more free time with the current situation want to use it to learn new things – a new skill, a workout or life and business coaching. So, get your webinars started.
5. Do market research – gain insights from market and customer feedback. Learn more about what has changed with your market with the recent events. Do a survey, focus group discussion, product/service testing or research from credible online sources, analyze your numbers. All these will help your business perform better and locate new markets.
6. Create a product for sale – it could be an e-book, an online training or event, merch items consistent with your brand… the possibilities are endless. Here’s a tip – in order to generate income and test the market, pre-sell your product before it’s final launch.
7. Volunteer – brand your business through volunteering and community service. Show your potential customers and audience that you and your business are passionate about helping people and have the best interest of the community at heart. Share what you do for profit for good.
Keep going… more importantly, do meaningful projects that allows for you and your business to evolve.
“Sometimes you need to slow down to eventually go faster.” – Robin Sharma
For help with business ideas, call me. Let's talk.
Comments