The recent world events have disrupted the way we do virtually everything and small businesses owners are no stranger to the effects it has on their business as they try to keep up with the rapidly changing economy.
We may not know when all this will end, but one thing we know for sure is that what worked before the disruption may not work now. With lockdowns and social distancing guides, and a challenging economy worldwide, businesses have to think about innovative ways to retain their existing client base and perhaps increase it.
This article highlights 5 ways small businesses can retain their customers amidst the global disruption.
- Be honest
The recent pandemic has been hard on everyone – young and old, rich and poor. In the business world, it is affecting almost every type of business across all industries.
Whatever is happening in your industry, and specifically with your business, make sure to share it with your customers. After all, transparency helps in building trust.
Are there changes you’ve had to make to your services, menu or even hours of operation? Let your clients know. You can inform them via an email or even social media.
Sharing this information with them would help them feel like the stakeholders in your business that they are.
- Meet them halfway
Your clients will appreciate as much love as they can get right now. Now, might be the time to invest in the long game. If you sell products, how about giving them coupons and discounts. If you’re service-based, you might want to consider sharing gift cards to your customers.
Also, if you have resources that your clients might find useful, this is a great time to share it with them.
- Stick to the essentials
Part of the effects of the pandemic is resource limitation. People are more likely to focus on purchasing essentials rather than spending on luxuries. Therefore, every brand must target the essential product segment and come up with essential service/product offerings for its clients.
As a business owner, your new mission is to ensure that your business quickly adapts to the new reality. Think through the services you currently offer, look through your statistics, what would you say is the most important service your customers seek?
This way, you could still stay in business by providing services you know your customers would always patronize.
Related: How small businesses can survive COVID-19 and beyond
- Online marketing is key
With everyone turning online for almost anything – news, courses, entertainment among other things, there’s no better place tas a business to be than the internet itself.
If your business is not online, “What are you waiting for?” and if you are, now is the time to be intentional about it.
Social media has quickly become an efficient platform to connect with your customers. You can use social media to learn more about your customers, know their preferences, and respond to their questions and reviews.
- Keep in touch
Just like every relationship, it is important to keep in touch and in this case, your customers.
If you have a mailing list, now will be a great time to use it. You could send weekly newsletters to your customers and share tips and tricks they might find useful. For example, if you run a beauty business, you can share DIY hacks your customers will find useful this season.
There you go, 5 ways you can still retain your customers amidst the disruption. What efforts are you making to retain your customers and perhaps draw in more? Please share with us.