The pandemic is indeed a game-changer for businesses of all industries. Some had to work harder than before after the demand surged for their goods and services. Others had no choice but to step aside. But as economies start to open up again and with consumer’s demand starts to rise once more, some are slowly making a comeback. For most businesses, this is the perfect time to redeem themselves and start business growth.
But then, consumers these days have other needs. Most people now prefer doing their shopping online, want faster deliveries, and want businesses to keep them engaged. If you want your business to thrive mid-pandemic, these are three must-haves you can’t afford to ignore:
Optimized Online Efforts
You already took your business online and opened an online store. You use a mix of digital marketing strategies to boost brand awareness. But are you maximizing your online efforts in favor of your audience?
Simply having a website, social media pages, and listing your business online won’t help you boost your conversions. You need to do more than just ensure your business exists on the internet. There is a need to optimize all of your online efforts to ensure you get the most out of your online campaigns.
This includes regular prospecting. While customer retention is a must-do, there is no point in skipping daily prospecting to gain new customers. Make sure you dedicate at least an hour prospecting target audiences or let the pros do it for you.
Search engine optimization services as in-demand because they are worth the investment. Thinking this is a one-time gimmick won’t help you achieve your long-term goals. The same goes for focusing on search engines instead of your audience.
The goal is to rank higher on the search engine results page. But if you only think about appeasing Google algorithms, you might end up winning search engines instead of your actual audiences. Your target audiences should always come first.
More Efficient Shipping
Sure, your business already has an order management policy in place. You are good at inventory tracking, packaging orders, and shipping them to your customers. But are they receiving their orders within the agreed time frame or not?
The problem with shipping is that once your packages are out of your warehouse, you no longer have control over what happens next. Sure, you decided on what courier to hire to deliver the packages. But once the packages are out, there is really nothing you can ever do that asks for updates on where the orders are now at.
What you can do to improve shipping is to entrust your packages to a reliable last-mile delivery service provider. This helps ensure your packages are dealt with and delivered on time every time. This can also help you cut costs and boost your savings in the long run.
Such services enable delivery to be faster and smoother. No matter the weather or terrain, companies offering such services improve customer experience. When your packages are delivered safely and on time, you will earn the trust of your customers thus improving your reputation along with your savings.
Continuous Engagement
What happens after you successfully sold your offers to your customers? Do you merely ship your products, only for the customer never to hear from you again? Or do you continue engaging with them, even with your old clients?
Continuous client engagement is crucial for business growth. Keeping your customers engaged even after you closed a sale will make them happy and satisfied with your service. This increases your chances of getting repeat clients and even high-quality leads and future referrals.
Since consumers nowadays spend most of their time online, continuous customer engagement is made easier. You can still use old tactics like newsletter emails, social media posts, and building a community. Don’t forget about the power of keeping the conversation going, sharing valuable content they will find useful, and inspiring people to share your own brand’s mission and vision.
More people are choosing brands with a purpose. If you can project your brand into one that supports at least one timely social issue, you can build hype and entice customers who are also supporters of your cause. You can be their go-to brand in case they need help, needs more information, or could use a bit of inspiration.
As people continue to shelter in place, businesses can’t ignore optimize online marketing efforts, continuous engagement, and more efficient shipping. Catering to these current customer pain points can help your brand rise above your competitors. Keep your eyes open to what your target audience needs and expects and you can better cater to their needs in a timely manner.
Meta title: Crucial Must-Haves for Every Business Trying to Make It Through the Crisis
meta desc: What does it take for businesses to survive and grow amid the COVID-19 crisis? Read on and learn how you can address the three basic demands of pandemic consumers.
