One Year Of Small Businesses Beating Covid

If you are a small business owner, congratulations. You made it. Your business has survived one whole year of a global pandemic. The U.S. economy is down 9.5 million jobs compared to February 2020 and yet, you have made it. As you probably already know, some of your competition did not. This year, businesses that were not willing to pivot failed. Although it’s a shame, this is your opportunity to capitalize on the new market share. As more people get vaccinated, and Covid cases continue to decline, you must keep up the dedication. Here are some tips on how to utilize this time to your advantage.

Grab The Attention of New Leads

Although competition drives you to improve your business, less competition is good. You can capitalize on all this new market share. Some consumers were loyal to the businesses that were your competition. Grab their attention. 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. has now received their first vaccine dose, per the White House. As we return to some form of “normalcy,” people are going to start going out more and spending more money. Put your business out there so consumers looking for new businesses to support come to you.  

Online Opportunities

One good thing about the pandemic was it forced businesses to turn to the technology that they should have already been using. Stores that were strictly in person had to turn to e-commerce, and restaurants had to join the Uber Eats world. Take advantage of this time. Your business is probably at least partially available online now. You did the hard part of figuring out how to use Shopify, Google Search, or Doordash. Now let it rip. Market it everywhere- consumers love convenience, and online services are incredibly convenient. Look at technology and the internet as a blessing. It saved your business during a global pandemic. It enables people from all over the world to view your website. You have the learning part down, now use it consistently going forward. Respond to online reviews, update your website, upload pictures of new products/services. Keep going!

Social Media, Now More Than Ever

With the massive increase in online users, it is more important than ever to have a strong social media presence. About 73% of marketers believe social media marketing is effective. Here at PPL Labs, we completely redid our social media using these tips (Instagram, Instagram video, Brand Awareness, Social Media Strategy). About 54% of shopping browsers check social media before making a purchase. Social media is an effective and free way to get your business out there.

A popular trend right now is the power of the influencer. Now, we are not suggesting you try to hire Kim Kardashian to market your product. However, small influencers are incredibly effective, as they have very specific groups of followers. For example, a local fitness influencer might promote gyms and products in a certain mile radius. Therefore, their followers will most likely reside in that area, are interested in fitness, and be similar to the influencer in demographics. This simplifies the targeting process. You can hire a small influencer with a few thousand or even a million followers and reach the audience you want.

Build Your Brand

Your brand is everything. How people view your business and what you do is key to your business’ success. So in a society obsessed with reviews, social media, and websites, you have every opportunity to build up your brand. In recent years, consumers like, and even expect, their favorite brands to speak out on social issues. Your corporate culture and what your business stands for says a lot about your brand. Do not be afraid to speak out on behalf of your brand, as it will most likely lead to success.

Now is also a great time to step up your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) game. With every business competing for a top page spot in the search results, it is essential to have an SEO strategy for your brand. A proactive way to improve your SEO is by starting a blog. You can add a blog to your website so that certain keywords will pull your website higher up- regardless if your target audience is the group reading it or not. If you take the time to write a few posts a month, your website is bound to receive more traffic.

For more help on how to keep your business going, get started here.

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