Keeping Customers Engaged During Shelter-in-Place
First of all, it’s critical that you are taking care of yourselves, your families and your community (see Greenpeace’s suggestions here). But it’s also important to also pay attention to the health of your business. That means staying in touch with your customers and offering any products and services you can while staying true to social distancing and shelter-in-place orders.
Social Media
Let your followers know that you are still open for business, or if you aren’t, talk about your plan for the future. It makes sense to create a few social ads targeted toward your local area or ideal customer so that they know you are still open. You can even offer discount coupons for your grand re-opening, or for a new virtual service or delivery option.
For example, I have needed an oil change for a few weeks but didn’t think my auto shop would be open due to Coronavirus concerns. I saw a post in my Facebook feed saying that they were taking appointments and made mine right away. I wouldn’t have known to call them until I saw the ad.
Blogging and Email
We all are getting plenty of emails from companies telling us their coronavirus policies. You can make your emails uplifting instead of boring or downright fear-inducing by creating content that uplifts, informs or cheers. You can engage your customers by talking about how your team stays close with virtual tools or sharing stories and photos of your products or services that are still available. You can even explain how you are handling business in these uncertain times – health and safety precautions, ways to stay sane while working at home, the tools you use to communicate with your team and customers, even your favorite shows to binge. Make it fun – people need to be distracted and you will be building a positive association with your business.
Community Resources
Chambers of Commerce, local business listings and other resources are working hard to keep an accurate list of what businesses in your town are open. If you are a member of the chamber, make sure they have your up-to-date information. If you are not, seek out other listings that people use and make sure your Yelp and Google My Business listings are accurate and updated with fresh content and the correct hours and contact information.
