When we went in to the first lockdown, we were told that it was to be for 3 weeks. Most of us realised that it had the potential to be a bit longer but very few, if any, of us would have thought that almost a year later we would still be experiencing severe disruption. 

As a result, we saw many companies hunker down and wait for the crisis to pass with the expectation that they could start up again a few weeks later.   Now we are in our 3rd lockdown which will last, at least, until the end of February, probably longer and murmurs of restrictions continuing into next winter.

Hunkering down is no longer an option and hasn’t been for many companies for a long time. The question is how to diversify or pivot your business to not only survive this current crisis but also to bounce back and grow in 2021.

Below are my 5 tips for growing your business throughout 2021 and bouncing back stronger than ever:

There are many free tools and facilities available to promote your business and many commercial offerings have a freemium version. Here are some that you may want to consider:

Google My Business – Get found more easily on Google, appear on Google Maps. Google My Business provides a platform that allows companies to post updates and information on their business and services as well as allowing customers to leave reviews. 

Canva – Canva is a graphic design platform that allows you to create posters, documents, logos and is particularly good for creating more engaging social media posts. It’s Pro version also opens up a lot of features such as a content planner and the facility to schedule posts.

Mailchimp– This email marketing platform is used by some of the largest companies in the world and allows you to build engaging email campaigns, with calls to action (CTAs), and social media integration. If you have less than 2000 contacts it is free to use. Mailchimp will also allow you to segment your contacts so that you can target them more effectively.

Technology develops at lightning speed, and along with it, customer behaviour. Your website must also evolve. If you haven’t updated your website in the last 2 years, it is probably time to review it!

A website redesign is not only about the look and feel it is also essential to consider the visitor experience. Is your website easy to navigate, can visitors find information easily, is it slowing down etc. A few years in web technology can bring important changes that can today offer a better user experience, easier content management and better functionality.  

For example, does your website have Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) built into it? A.I. changes the content and user experience to increase the engagement for each visitor. This has been shown to convert many more visitors to customers. A.I. is no longer a ‘nice to have’ it is essential to ensure you stay head and shoulders above your competition.  Click here to understand more about Artificial Intelligence for websites

Read my previous blog to discover 10 reasons why you need a new website.

The UK is the world's third-largest e-commerce market, with nearly £200 billion in sales in 2019! Currently e-commerce sales make up 27.5% of retail sales in the UK. These figures are only going to increase.

Many people are embracing ecommerce for the first time or increasing their usage and using online stores for new areas and items. Many of the older generations have had to embrace ecommerce whilst they have been shielding. This opens a whole new market that is waiting to be serviced.

The benefits of ecommerce are many and include:

1. The ability to trade 24/7/365

2. The ability to trade globally.

3. Having in depth insights to your customers behaviour and demographics

4. Being able to proactively remarket to and retarget your customers 

5. Low expansion cost 

To learn more about eCommerce and Online Shops

The cost of building Apps has reduced significantly in recent years. This has resulted in an explosion of Apps being built for small and medium sized businesses. There are over 4 million apps available today generating over £100bn per year of revenue. 

These are all eyewatering figures but what do they mean for you? Why should you invest time and money in having your own App built? The answer is simple; ‘a mobile app will increase customer loyalty and encourage your customers to spend more frequently with you’. It can do this in multiple ways such as:

1. Making purchasing extremely easy. Apps can include an online store that allows your customers to buy from you with just a few finger swipes, whether that is food, beauty products or takeaways. This can be done 24/7/365 and from anywhere, not just when someone is in front of their PC.

2. Booking systems, whether it is a table, an appointment or a delivery. Apps will allow your customers to book your service or facility extremely easily.

3. Loyalty schemes. Incentivise your customers to return and purchase again and again with a loyalty scheme. 

Click here to learn more about mobile Apps

Social media is becoming increasingly important. Social media usage rocketed throughout the first lockdown and expected to increase again during this lockdown. 

A lot of business owners have traditionally managed their social media channels themselves. This often leads to sporadic posting and disjointed messaging. Having a defined social media strategy is important because your reputation can be enhanced or destroyed by social media.

Here are some key elements you need to consider with a social media strategy:

1. What platforms do you need to be on? The answer to this is simple, it is the same ones your customers and potential customers are on.

2. How often should you post. Well, you should post once at least once per day across the platforms you are on. It can be a challenge to create original and engaging content all of the time, but you can share third party content such as industry news or events.

3. Followers and following. You should follow as many of your customers as possible and like and comment on their posts. Additionally, follow your competitors as well, see what type of messaging they are pushing out and keep abreast of any offers they are promoting.

There are many other considerations and opportunities with social media but the overriding goal is to ensure that you are always at the front and centre of your customers minds.

None of us wanted to enter another lockdown and it will put a lot of small businesses under significant pressure.

Hunkering down and hoping you can pick up where you left off is no longer an option. It is time to increase your marketing both its frequency and quality, add additional income streams and insulate yourself from further lockdowns and restrictions.

At Overt Digital Media we provide a free marketing audit that looks at 73 different ways you can promote your business and ultimately generate revenue. Get in touch to book your session with one of our marketing specialists.