How To Pivot Your Business Digitally
With COVID-19 forcing changes in lifestyles around the world, economies around the world have taken a hit as governments regulate the movements of their populations and force the closures of non-essential businesses. With major cities looking like ghost towns, the hospitality industry in particular – as one that cannot work remotely – is and will continue to go through more challenging times than most in the months to come.
In a time when we can’t venture out into the physical world, the digital realm becomes all the more important as a platform for us to work, socialise, communicate and do business. Now more than ever, ensuring that your business has a digital presence will be critical in helping you stay afloat. Keep reading to find out what you can do to pivot your business digitally.
Revamp Your Website
Nowadays, the first port of call when trying to find out about a business or product is to google it and head to their website. That’s why this is the time to make sure that your website is easy to read, easy on the eyes, up-to-date and, most importantly, user- friendly. Many businesses have been scaled back or paused and this opens up time for owners, directors and active teams to consider how to improve their websites. Do you need to change your content to attract a new kind of audience? Has your website been sitting idle for months and could use a re-jig of your content? Are there some competitor websites that you look up to? Implement some changes to your own website so that you can challenge and compete with them!
Look into SEO
To go one step further with your website, you may want to investigate Search Engine Optimisation or SEO. If you’re not familiar with the term, SEO is the process of optimising your website to increase the quantity of organic traffic from relevant audiences through search engine searches. This can be done by including relevant key words in your website’s heading and copy, naming images in a way that describes their content and minimising the loading time of your page. Of course, there’s much more to SEO than we listed above and don’t fret if you don’t quite understand – we’ll delve deeper into the topic in another blog post!
Don’t forget about your social media
With restrictions on movement and forced self-isolation, most people are now staying indoors and that means more screen-time! These days, people are actively turning to social media as a tool to connect with others and entertain, educate and inform themselves. With such a proactive use of social media platforms, make sure that you’re making the most of this opportunity by posting content that appeals to and engages your audience to keep their attention on your business and brand.
Set up an e-commerce store/ online ordering system
To truly bring your business into the world of digital, set up an online e-commerce store or an online ordering system where customers can browse your products, choose items and pay – all in one place! Setting up such a system can streamline the purchasing process, reducing your costs and – more importantly during this lockdown – allowing customers to buy your products without ever having to travel further than their couch.
Partner with delivery apps
If you don’t have the resources to set up your own digital ordering systems, signing up to partner with a food delivery app is the next best thing – and you don’t only have to settle for the big players. From Mr Yum to Easi and Postmates, that are heaps to choose from, all with various features, advantages and disadvantages. In most cases all you need to do is provide a catalogue of your menu and images to go with it. Be mindful that many, if not all, of these apps do charge a commission on every order delivered, so make sure to do your research to see which one works best for your business.
Submit listings on online databases
Speaking of collaborations, the economic blow caused by COVID restrictions and regulations has led to a multitude of not-for-profit and volunteer initiatives like Carry Through COVID, We Are Open Now and Uberink Local that are working to support local businesses and get them through this crisis. These organisations seek to highlight businesses that are still operating and give them a voice by creating online listings where they can update regular and potential customers of any changes in their business, such as trading hours, or alert their audience to any new offerings they might have available. Make sure to make the most of the help being offered and submit a listing!
Engage with the online community
The best thing about the internet, is that it gives large segments of the population a voice and a public place to voice their concerns, problems and ideas – especially those that didn’t necessarily have one before. Take advantage of this and get involved with an online community, whether that’s through a dedicated Facebook group or another chat forum, to find out what people in your area (read: potential customers) need, how you can help or even to advertise your business! Just remember to be sensitive here and watch your tone in what you post. We’re all going through a turbulent time and while the internet can be an amazing place, it can also be unforgiving. Think about how the average person would receive the information that you’re putting out.
MBP is working closely to support our clients during these difficult times, keeping up to date with the latest news to ensure that we can provide the best digital strategy for each client. If you’d like some assistance, get in touch with us today!