As this pandemic and the associated lockdowns unrolled over the past few months, my team and I have been very impressed with our clients. Their tenacity, their calmness in the face of a strange and novel time, their understanding that the fundamentals of operating a business have been altered for now, but only for now.
We’ve seen our clients endure this time with confidence, with resolve, with agility. Some of our clients have lost a lot of business, others have experienced massive growth, and some have been all but unaffected. But none of the small businesses and nonprofits with whom we work have expressed panic, have made rash decisions, or have wavered in their missions. It’s a privilege to partner with such companies and business leaders.
Many of our clients have been able to adapt by implementing creative approaches to continue serving customers. It’s been impressive to watch. And we’ve heard from many who plan to continue some of the methods they adopted initially as stop-gap measures, because they have found them to be an improvement over previous processes. This is the advantage that small businesses have—agility. If necessity is the mother of invention, then perhaps we’ll look back on COVID-19 as a catalyst for innovation within our businesses.
Before COVID-19, we had an amazing economy with the stock market soaring, the housing market up, and consumer confidence numbers strong. Today, we have high unemployment, a volatile stock market, confusion with government safety guidelines, and a society slowly beginning to open back up. And yet, we see reason for hope, even optimism. And believe it or not, you’re an optimist too. I know that because only an optimist would have the audacity to start a business in the first place, believing they have something unique to offer the marketplace.
Many of our clients are enjoying less volatility than their competitors because of the strong digital foundation that they have in place. Healthy Google rankings, active social media profiles, and fresh content help to bolster the reputation that we’ve built with Google. And the work we continue to do is focused on maintaining and growing that reputation and the search engine rankings that come with it. But it’s important to note that we’re not just earning better rankings with Google, we’re also earning more stable (less volatile) rankings. So as companies come and go, and market shifts occur, our clients have a solid footing that helps them to be less impacted and remain better positioned through these fluctuations.
What We’re Doing
We believe that the lockdowns have generated a buildup of demand for goods and services. At Modmacro, we are focused on keeping clients in a strong position with Google because we fully expect that buildup to create a lot of opportunity in the near future. Companies that have great search rankings, and can be easily found by potential customers, will reap some amazing benefits when things fully open up again.
What You Should Do
You know your business better than anybody. In addition to what you’re already doing, here are a few recommendations:
- Share what you’re doing differently now. Let your community and followers know what they need to about how you’re operating now, any change in hours, anything special that may help them to feel comfortable when they are ready to engage with a company like yours. Blog posts and social media posts are perfect for this kind of communication.
- Simply let people know that you’re open. Lately it’s hard to tell who is allowed to be open and who isn’t. Make sure people know you’re up and running.
- Reach out to existing and previous customers to see if they may need anything. For high-value clients, consider calling or sending a personal email to check in. For the rest, an email blast may be the perfect choice.
Let us know if you’d like to brainstorm other ideas or if you’d like some help with these marketing communications efforts.
A recent study reported that 94% of small business owners started their businesses either to be their own boss or to pursue their passion. Now is the time to be grateful that we don’t have bosses, that we have more control over the future of our businesses, and that we have the opportunity to use our passions to fuel us.
At Modmacro, we are embracing the opportunity that comes with challenge, and I’m confident you’re doing the same.
