Can you think of a business that wasn’t affected by COVID-19? The answer is probably no. Each business has had to adapt to change by either moving to remote work, closing down, adjusting to state guidelines, etc. Now that numbers are going down and vaccinations are possible, how do businesses manage all of this change post-pandemic? Here are a few ways you can adjust your business for success.
1. Rethinking Your Business Model
We’ve entered a new normal. And now you have to restructure your business to function in this new normal. Maybe your clientele has changed so you’ll want to conduct some market research to make sure you’re marketing to the right target. If you’re a brick-and-mortar store, you most likely want to convert to a hybrid to accommodate for lost sales. With being hybrid, you’ll need to look into digital marketing to direct sales/clients to your website. Now you need to think about staying hybrid for the long haul.
2. Go Digital
Websites are becoming more and more important for a business to have. This is how customers check hours, locations, products, and general information. For your business to thrive, you need a custom built website. If your business is now work from home, then a website is the only way employees and customers can access you. Your website will be needing updates so make sure to stay in contact with the custom website designer. Digital marketing has gained a lot more speed in the past year. So, rethink your traditional marketing methods and incorporate some digital ones.
3. Observe the Competition
To stay ahead of the competition, see what they’re doing. Maybe their prices are better, they’ve gone full-on digital, or their digital marketing strategies are flourishing. You don’t want to fall behind because you didn’t make the proper changes. Do your research to find out what’s working for them, strategize, then implement those changes.
4. Invest in Cybersecurity
Your whole company just went remote. That means each person now has to access their work from their personal computer. You’ll want to invest in some top-notch cybersecurity to protect financial, client, and trade secret information. Make sure you develop a cloud-based system so your employees can access important documents from anywhere they may be working.
5. Take Advantage of Remote Work
Now that your company has adjusted to working from home, you have the opportunity to give your employees more freedom with when they work and where they work. Studies have shown that, because employees have more freedom, they have been more productive. Consider a hybrid option that involves work from home days and office days.
6. Focus on Culture
You may need to reshape your culture. If you can only meet on Zoom calls, you’ll need to make sure your employees are still happy with the company. Create recurring happy hour events, socially distanced picnics, book clubs, etc. Anything to get morale up and the employees happy but productive is a good idea.
7. Take to Social Media
Depending on the business, you’ll want to include constant updates on COVID-19 guidelines that are specific to the company. This can be through social media or your custom website. Keep your customers informed. In fact, 84% of customers love to see businesses create content. You’ll also want to show what you’re company is doing and how they are managing the pandemic. People love to see the faces behind a business so you’ll want to keep this up post-pandemic.
8. Remain Flexible
We have seen that things can change in an instant. Be prepared for change again. CDC guidelines and state guidelines are constantly changing so be prepared to change with them. Be ready to change and update your company’s custom web page, prepare your employees, and change any digital marketing strategies you have in place.
This pandemic had kept everyone on their toes, some more than others. If you want to see your business thrive in a post-pandemic world, take into account some of these tips for navigating that change.