It’s been tough. But you’ve made it. This last year we all learned that being an entrepreneur means being resilient, even in the most challenging times. But now, with the lockdown starting to ease month by month, there is a glimmer of hope. Now, more than ever, it’s time to put all your efforts into reopening your business with a bang. But how do you get back on your feet ahead of the big reopening? Keep reading and we’ll share our advice on how to reopen your business like a digital marketing guru.
Rethink your strategy
Think about how much you’ve changed in a year. Your customers have to. Reevaluate your strategy to accommodate the needs and behaviours of your customers that may have changed since your last interaction with them.
Understanding what your customer wants helps your brand become more personable and helps them feel more confident when making a buying decision.
What value can you create for your audience? Is it:
- Video content
- Product demonstrations
- Top tips
- How to guides
- New products
- Exciting email newsletters
- Special offers
You know your customers better than anyone. What is it that will light their fire? Regularly rethinking your strategy helps you remain agile, dynamic and a danger to your competition.
Get personal
You’ve had success with customers before. You can do it again. Leverage off the fact that you’ve got an existing customer base who can’t wait to see you back in action.
Put together an email marketing campaign to get in touch with your past customers and let them know about your exciting return. Use personalised subject lines with eye-catching images and click-worthy copy.
Don’t forget to include all the important info, like opening times, dates, and reassure them by detailing the Covid protocols you will be implementing.
But don’t stop there – that’s only the beginning. Set up a drip campaign that can showcase your business with behind-the-scenes images, new products you may be offering or a short video of how excited you are to welcome them back. You could even offer them an incentive to do so (we will touch on this a bit further with some great ideas, so keep reading).
A great way to grow your email list is to run a giveaway that rewards subscribers with more entries every time they invite their friends to enter. Check out Viral Loops – a secret weapon to help you with that. Word of mouth is the best marketing there is, so don’t take it for granted. The bigger your email database, the better the chance for your brand to grow.
Go big on social
You’re back! Tell the world! Or at least let your social media community know.
Here are some suggestions on how to do so.
Paid ads
Go big on social media and run some paid ads to put your business in front of a wider audience. We understand that money may be tight, and you may feel hesitant to spend before you earn, but think about this:
- 928.5 million people can be reached with paid ads on Instagram alone.
- Paid advertising on social media is the fourth most common way people find a new product or service (after word-of-mouth, TV ads and search engines).
If you feel out of your depth with paid ads, then speak to our digital marketing team. Start promoting your business more aggressively and watch the bookings and revenue stream in.
Search engines
Speaking of search engines, don’t forget to update your Google My Business profile so that you can be found with local search. Make sure your opening and operating hours are up to date and, most importantly, that your contact details are correct.
Organic
We mentioned giving your audience a sneak peek of your reopening on your email marketing campaign but don’t neglect to do so on your social media too. Make the viewer feel like they are part of the action and show them that they will be missing out if they aren’t.
Craft an irresistible offer
Give your customers a reason to love you! There are hundreds of businesses reopening, which means you’ll have to make your offer so irresistible that it’s impossible to ignore.
There are many clever ways to persuade a customer to make a purchase:
- Free gifts: The first 50 customers get a mystery gift
- Discount codes: Use this discount code and receive 20% off
- Bulk offers: Book and pay for 2 and receive a third free
- Special offers: Kids under 12 are free
- Giveaways: Visit us in May and enter our lucky draw
These are all great incentives to use, especially if you are in the hospitality, fitness or beauty industry.
Once you’ve decided on the perfect promotion mechanism, advertise your incentive in that email campaign we discussed, as well as on your social media and on your website. You’ll want to create a buzz so that loads of people know about it before the big reopening.
Don’t give up on your e-commerce efforts
So many industries were forced to do business online to survive the pandemic. We saw the rise of Zoom fitness classes, birthdays were celebrated virtually, and beauty brands had to get creative with try-on apps.
Now that all industries are allowed to reopen, don’t forget about all the effort you’ve put into your online presence or e-commerce store. You’ve come this far and put in a lot of hard work to make your online business a success. Don’t let it go to waste.
Remember, not everyone will be racing back to those bustling social environments just yet. More than 60% of Brits say they uncomfortable going out after lockdown ends. So, keep working at your website, stay up to date with the latest trends and keep your social media feed fresh. Tap into both the stay-at-home and social butterfly target markets and double your chance of income generation.
You may be feeling uninspired after months of being less productive, but reopening your business is your chance at a fresh start. Cast your mind back. Do you remember that exciting, butterflies in your stomach feeling you had when you launched your business for the first time? Well, now you have the opportunity to do it all again, but with the advantage of experience and an existing customer base.
With these ideas, there’s no doubt in our mind that reopening your business will be an enormous success. Stay top of mind for the consumer and make sure you’re actively working on that brand awareness through your digital marketing efforts. You’ve come this far, let’s get you over the finish line with confidence!
