Just because your business may either be temporarily closed or experiencing slow days due to the virus, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways you can help it continue to thrive! Here are some ideas to keep your business’ momentum going during the coming weeks:

  1. Organize (or make) your email list. Make sure every email address your business has collected (whether it’s a pen and notebook by the register or a stack of business cards on your desk) has been entered digitally wherever you store contact information.
  2. Train an employee on something new. This extra time is enough to train a salesperson on a new line of product, teach the employee at the register how to help with social media management, etc.
  3. Take photos of the store/products while nobody is there. Are the pics on your social media and website up-to-date? If not, now is a great time to get photos of a neat and tidy store (inside and out) as well as new products.
  4. Research competition. Take a look to see what industry leaders are doing that you could learn from. Similarly, see what your direct competitor a few miles away is doing.
  5. Research target audience. How well do you know your customers? Take some time to think about your target audience, identify it, and brainstorm how you can cater to it.
  6. Schedule ahead social media posts. Now is a great time to plan ahead on social media. Schedule posts during your busiest time of year so it’s one less thing you can be worried about down the road. Additionally, schedule out posts that you know are coming for things like holidays and sale announcements.
  7. Create an email campaign. This doesn’t have to be sent out immediately. Maybe you’re planning on an event at your business in a few months, or you want to offer a sale in a few weeks. Take this opportunity to start hashing out the content for that email so all you have to do is push “send” when the time comes.
  8. Learn something new. It’s never a bad time for personal growth. We recommend LinkedIn Leaning for a wide variety of educational videos. If podcasts are more your style, here’s a great list.
  9. Scour through the company website to find opportunities for updates. Are your prices up to date? Have you recently added new services that are not listed on your website? Is the “About Me” section as accurate today as it was when it was written?
  10. Create blog content. More than three-quarters of internet users read blogs regularly. Does your business have a blog? If so – take this opportunity to create blogs that you can post down the road. If not – now is a great time to start one.

Slowdowns are never enjoyable. So why not make the most out of it? These strategies can have real and positive impacts on your business. Got some to add? Throw them in the comments section!