As 2020 comes to a close, we look forward to a New Year that will bring with it a new set of opportunities and challenges. In 2020, we learned how to adapt and overcome many obstacles that we’ve never encountered in any of our previous personal or professional endeavors. Now is the perfect time to take what we’ve learned and set your marketing and business goals for a successful 2021.
Back To Business
Whether you’re a small or big business, you need to ensure that your staff and customers alike are safe, which in turn keeps you safe from both a health and a financial standpoint. Starting with simple safety measures can mean more customers coming through your doors and ensuring their happy returns. Sneeze Guards are a fantastic solution to limit interaction between your employees and customers without making the experience feel impersonal. Clear partitions are another great way to keep a personal connection while also keeping everyone safe.
So much of your business relies on customer experience. When it comes to safety, be sure you don’t cut corners because it may lead to more problems down the road. Bear that in mind when considering how to approach your reopening plan.
New Customers
Finding new customers has become more difficult as communication and outreach have transitioned into a strange new era. Developing an online subscription-based model is the best of both worlds, allowing you to offer a space for new customers and retain old customers as a means to sustain a relationship if your business isn’t able to operate at full capacity.
Restaurant owners and their chefs have created online cooking classes as a way to engage while dealing with mandates and dwindling customer dine-in numbers. It’s an inventive way to engage with your customers in the comfort of your establishment, allowing you to bring your restaurant to their dinner tables.
Resolutions
Something that is paramount this year is making sure your standards are up to par with customer expectations. As people have begun to venture out less, their experiences on excursions out and about have taken on greater importance so achieving positive – and avoiding negative – interactions is critical. Now more than ever one poor visit can end a possible continued client/customer relationship. Using signage and custom banners to expedite the shopping process, signal sales, and point out safety measures will heighten your customer’s experience and work wonders for your business.
Look to give back to your employees as a sign of appreciation for all they do for your business. Provide them with personalized gifts to make their days easier. Customized coffee cups personalized with sayings you know are important to them or are inside jokes between you all – or custom masks so they are always equipped without ever having to pull out their wallets. These small gestures work wonders for morale, relationships, and team building. Better still, providing rewatchable masks can add an extra level of protection, per the CDC daily mask washing recommendations.
New Year, New Gear
Innovation has always been at the forefront of successful business ventures. Keeping innovation top of mind this coming year will ultimately help you raise your bottom line as you start your 2021 marketing plans and get back into the swing of things.
We’ve all seen businesses pivot with varying degrees of success throughout this year; some have shifted their marketing efforts in creative ways to provide more personalized experiences for their customers. Restaurant owners, for instance, have raised banners, set up A-frame sidewalk signs, and sent out personalized emails to expedite the delivery/carryout/curbside experience and deliver better customer service.
Domino’s for one has created contactless delivery using signs to indicate where customers can park and pick up their food. Signs and banners have always been an effective way to communicate with your customer base, and now they’re more important than ever since traditional means of communication have changed.
Old School & New School Marketing Strategies
Age-old marketing solutions are making a comeback as more people continue spending an increased amount of time indoors. As such, direct marketing is striking an intimate chord with customers and providing businesses with a more direct line to their consumers. In fact, according to an article on Forbes.com, 1 in 5 business practitioners say direct marketing influences daily buying more than social media marketing.
If you’re a new business direct marketing is an affordable solution to deliver your messages. Consider sending your brochures as well as flyers via mail to see if they generate more foot traffic for your business. Perhaps include a free branded custom face mask as a special gift.
With 40% of consumers buying products online according to a recent Forbes article, it also may be time to rethink your online marketing efforts. Outsourcing your marketing efforts has never been easier with plenty of freelancers looking for creative work. Freelance sites like Upwork and Fivver provide ways to enlist talent to help bring professionalism to your marketing efforts. Look towards new avenues to market your business; the internet is full of places to post media for free. Use social channels to easily engage your customer base and sites like Buffer will coordinate all of your social posts for free.
Additionally, a NerdWallet survey has cited a 62% increase in online holiday shopping versus last year, so online shopping isn’t going anywhere but up. If you need help in that regard, hiring a designer to build out an e-commerce site to expand your business’s e-commerce model is the way of the future.
Trading Spaces
Maybe this year has caused you to reconsider your office space, and downsizing to a different office space is your next move. If these arduous times have taught us anything it’s that often big office spaces are an unnecessary expense when your workforce is capable of working remotely. If you do move to a smaller location, make sure that you use banners and signs to inform your customers of the move.
Getting a jump start on your marketing plans will help wrap up this year and bring new energy to your 2021. Try new ways of reaching customers, by refreshing your marketing plans to extend your reach to new customers.
References:
Shifting To Digital Economic Development To Support Local Businesses Amid Covid-19 Pandemic
Forbes
How To Find New Clients During Pandemic
Forbes
Do Consumers Really Want To Shop Online?
Forbes
Restaurants are ditching holiday parties for virtual cooking classes as they fight to stay afloat during the holiday season in this pandemic
Business Insider
Online Shopping Already Hit Holiday-Level Peaks This Year
NerdWallet