Maintaining online success during the Coronavirus.
10 tips for your #onlinesuccess during the coronavirus
The precautionary measures taken to slow the spread of the Coronavirus mean that a large proportion of employees are now working from home. For some entrepreneurs, this situation is now a bit more difficult. In this blog we’ve listed 10 tips on how you can keep your business running and what you can focus on if things have gotten a bit quieter.
1. Offer a delivery menu as a restaurant
To curb the spread of the virus, from Monday 16 March all eating and drinking establishments in the Netherlands are closed until at least 6 April. So what should you do now as a hospitality owner? As an owner, you could, for example, now focus on delivering meals!
- Create a special delivery menu for delivery. You can share this menu via your social media channels and, for example, via your WhatsApp contacts.
- Describe on your website how customers can order from you. Can people do that by emailing, messaging or calling? Be clear about this in your communication.
- Also think about your payment function. If you don’t have a payment function on your website, have a website builder add one, or let your customers pay via a Tikkie.
2. Working from home, say ‘hello’ via chat
Now that we’re going to be working from home more and more in the coming period, it’ll take some getting used to that you no longer have your daily chat with colleagues by the coffee machine in the morning. To still be able to have conversations with each other, you can install the free chat programme Slack, so you still have contact with your colleagues. That way you can still wish everyone a good morning every day.
3. Changes within your business? Let your customer know
These are uncertain times, but try to keep your customers up to date about your business. Let them know, for example via a banner or a social media post, that you’re reachable by email or phone. Indicate that there are adjusted opening hours, or explain that you’re only reachable via special phone numbers. In any case, be clear in your communication towards your customers. They too don’t yet know exactly what’s going to happen.
4. Sell your products online
Do you have a retail shop? Then sell your products online. Mention on your website and social media that there’s now also the option to buy products online. Don’t have a webshop? Then get creative! Promote your products, for example, via social media. You can also sell gift vouchers that people can later use for a higher amount, or deliver your products yourself and have people pay via a Tikkie.
5. Give your website a refresh
Is your website actually a little outdated by now? Then consider, together with your colleagues, spending extra time on your website. Have everyone submit a list with a few points on how they view the website. Think, for example, of the texts and photos — are they still up to date? You might now have some spare time to look at your website, so use that time well now. This means you’ll later have to spend less time on your website when things get busier, and you’ll have more time again to help customers.
6. Time to come up with content
Now that you have time to give your website a refresh, you can take a look at the content for the coming period. Writing a blog and posting content on social media often gets neglected for your own business. You could, for example, plan content ahead with a content calendar, or write a number of blogs for the coming period. This way you keep communicating with your customers, and your website and social media don’t suddenly go quiet.
7. Shopping via WhatsApp video calls and messages
By video calling with your customer, you can virtually walk through the shop together. This way you can put together an outfit together with the customer without getting too close to each other. You can also choose to have customers send in wishes via WhatsApp and you send back photos of the chosen clothing. When a customer wants to make a purchase, you can suggest having them pay via a Tikkie. You can handle shipping of the items yourself, by delivering the purchased items to your customers yourself. Add a nice little gift too, to thank them for a purchase in this time!
8. Make an online marketing and sales plan
To make up for the damage of these weeks/months as quickly as possible, it’s important to have an online marketing and sales plan ready. Once the market picks up again, you can go for it right away. Here too, you might now have some time to spare, so just use that time well.
9. Use technology to operate efficiently
By technology we mean, for example, a company app on mobile. This is a good system for customers or employees, because communication is now super important! Via a company app you can provide information about what’s currently going on within the business and indicate when customers can reach the business. Via the app, customers can also easily follow the news within your business.
10. Work on inspiring customer cases
Customer cases are very important, since customers place a lot of value on the opinions and experience of others. However, these cases are quite time-consuming to make. Think here of interviewing the customer, crafting a good story, and the design. This kind of thing you can still perfectly well do from home right now, without physical contact. Give customers a call and ask them about their experiences with your business — this shows interest in the customer and gets you information about their experiences. The customer cases you’ve made afterwards can then be used well for campaigns on, for example, social media and for on your website.