There are many different ways to grow your business, but each strategy will involve embracing technology as we adapt to our new, post COVID environment.

 

Over the past couple of weeks the team at [Client Company] have been speaking to a range of companies to pull together top tips for growing using online methods in a post COVID world. Here are some of their top tips!

 

1. Reconnect with your customer

 

You need to maintain your connection to your customer, no matter where they are.

​

Some businesses will have naturally maintained that connection - particularly B2B firms in spaces such as construction or logistics. However, if your business is consumer-facing it's likely the way the public access your business has changed dramatically in the past 3 months and their habits will have adjusted to a new way of operating. 

​

If you normally rely on foot traffic for your business, using your premises as a way of directing the public to your online presence is a must. Why have a ‘We’re closed’ sign when you could be urging people to ‘find us on instagram @CoffeeShop to order some of our delicious coffee beans’? A great example of this sort of approach is Bross Bagels in Edinburgh, who have used their social channels to pivot their business into takeaway services during the lockdown. 

​

You need to know where to find your customers online in order to maintain that connection. If your customers are corporate businesses, now is the time to refresh your email database and send updates on what is new in your business. Mailchimp provides a cheap and easy way to design and send regular email newsletters. 

​

If they are searching for businesses like yours through google, ensure your SEO strategy is refreshed and targeted. 

Who your customer is should impact which social media platform you focus your efforts on - if you sell to teenagers then there is very little point in targeting them on Facebook for example. 

​

Define your customer and then select the platform best for that customer. Once you’ve selected the platform then your messaging should be clear and engaging. Previously, many firms used their social media and other aspects of their online presence to simply list basic information. Since lockdown, audiences have grown significantly for Facebook and Instagram Live videos, which firms have been using sites like Pinterest to attract fresh interest in their products.

​

2. Don’t just replicate your old business model - look for new opportunities

 

Some businesses are lucky enough that they can move their model online without much adjustment. Other businesses have had to face the idea that their customers are no longer buying their products and services. However, the reality is that those customers are no longer buying in the same way. But they are buying.

​

Mallzee, a clothing retail app, realised that high street retailers had cancelled orders for clothes that had already been manufactured and were now set to be destroyed. They saw a gap for someone to package these clothes into mystery boxes and sell them online to British consumers, which would ensure the workers that made the clothes would get paid for their labour. Though not in their original business model, they knew they had the industry knowledge and contacts to pull off what became Lost Stock. Within 5 weeks they had sold 100,000 boxes of abandoned clothes, helping 100,000 families in the process and creating a new revenue line for their business. 

​

What changes in your sector have created new opportunities online? Are people shopping more on platforms like Amazon for products similar to yours? Could you find a way to sell your products directly to consumers through Instagram? 

​

Building your minimum viable product to test - even if it is just a flyer to advertise the potential service - and share it with your customers. If you get a response, get ready to grab the opportunity with both hands.

​

3. Find the tech that helps you grow

 

If you’re thinking about how to migrate your customers to a new online shop, wondering how you’ll arrange contactless payments in a world where cash can be hazardous, or wondering how you’ll deal with the logistics of moving your service provision online, fear not! There are lots of inexpensive solutions that could be the difference in your business's successful transition to the new world. 

​

By now, we have all migrated our meetings to platforms like Zoom. That’s potentially just the first step in transforming how your business operates and grows. If you are looking to create a new online infrastructure, Shopify is an incredibly easy-to-use platform. The service not only helps you build a website with an integrated online store, it also has fulfillment services and allows you to integrate to your social media sales channels. You can have a new online business up and running in days. 

​

Fyne Fish in Argyll is a weekly fish van that travels around local villages in Argyll. Social distancing measures put in place made the business more difficult to manage. In just a couple of days they built a simple Shopify site to take orders through and then deliver direct to consumers. 

​

This approach not only allowed them to continue to trade through lockdown but also allowed them to improve margins by only taking pre-orders - significantly reducing wastage. 

​