We’re All Online Now
“Well, we’re all online now", is the first thing my brother said to me once the official “stay at home” orders came down the government pipeline. Like it or not, we’ve all been asked to “hunker down” for the greater good. Well, if me staying at home helps save lives, then no amount of cabin fever will ever be too much or too long. I for one, welcome it. If doing my part means staying home and spending extra time with my family, I am 100% OK with that. In times like these, rather than fear for our future, we should be reshaping it. So much will change after this. What will sporting events look like, what will theme parks look like, heck, what will simply going to the mall look like? It will be a new world, but not one that we should fear, one that we should be cautiously optimistic about.
As a brand strategist that specializes in helping small and medium-sized businesses, I’ve been asked for my opinion a lot lately. My reply thus far? Sell everything, buy gold and move into that bunker in your backyard. Kidding, unless you actually have a bunker, then maybe you’re not the target audience for this article. No, this is not for those ready to give up and bury their heads, this is for those ready to chart a new path forward. So, what’s my response then? Simple, don’t stop doing what you’re already doing. No, I don’t mean keep hitting up your favorite happy hour spots, I mean business-wise. If you have the means, continue marching forward with all areas of your current business plan. The first mistake we make in times of crisis is to panic. We freeze up and shut down. While it’s a completely understandable reaction, economists the world over will tell you it’s a big mistake. It’s called contraction and it’s the one thing we need to try and avoid at all costs. Now, I’m not saying continue on with business as usual, I’m saying don’t stop dead in your tracks. Take a deep breath, look at your current marketing plan and make some adjustments based on where we are right now and where you think we might be 30/60/90 days from now. Too often I hear from clients that are afraid to take risks, to keep moving forward despite market volatility and uncertainty. What I try to remind them is that good opportunities often present themselves during difficult times. For example, since the COVID-19 pandemic started, online activity has increased by 40%!!! That’s a lot of eyeballs. And if your business is uniquely positioned to get some digital face time with those eyeballs, your click-thru and conversion rates are likely to see a big jump.
OK, that all sounds well and good, but what if you’re in the entertainment and hospitality industries? As you know, those sectors have been hit especially hard by this. We all long for the day we can return to our favorite eateries and watering holes, I for one dream of the moment our little tribe can return to one of our favorite family-friendly restaurant-breweries. In the meantime, they need us! So many have shifted their focus to online sales, curbside delivery and take-out. Continue supporting them however you can. If you own one of these establishments and have shifted your resources to digital, what does your online presence look like? Is your website well designed and user friendly? Is the mobile version optimized to work well and look good on a mobile device? How about your SEO? Is your site primed and ready to connect with your audience quickly and efficiently? A good customer experience still matters, it just looks different. Instead of Insta worthy interior design, you need clean, simple to use digital tools that enable a seamless transaction between you and your customers.
Remember, everyone is online now, EVERYONE. So ask yourself, is your company optimized for the way we do business going forward?