Recommended strategies to reopen businesses
At last, hospitality and lifestyle businesses have been given the green light to open up after many long months of lockdown. Although this is very exciting, reopening can present its own challenges. Given that everything will be opened all at once, it’s likely that consumers will be bombarded with messages and end up simply drowning out the noise. Therefore, if you want these next few months to kick off with a bang, it’s important to figure out how you are going to set yourself apart and not get lost in a saturated market. Below are some of our suggested strategies to ensure that customers are just as excited as you are to see you open up your doors!
public relations
Incorporating an effective public relations strategy is one of the best ways to increase exposure for your business. It is particularly vital for new businesses as gaining attention from media outlets immediately increases brand credibility. Furthermore, if a potential customer has recently seen you featured in a publication, then you are more likely to be the front of mind choice when it comes to them making a purchasing decision. If you would like to know more about how we can assist you with your PR strategy, please click here. We currently have a range of discounted packages available to help you stand out amongst the competition.
Point of difference
When everything is opened up people are going to be ready and willing to become your customer. But how will they decide whether to spend their money with you or your competitor? The answer is your point of difference! It is more important than ever to understand what makes you distinctive in comparison to everyone else in your industry and that you shout this difference out from the rooftops. Your point of difference should be included consistently across all platforms. That way, when people become familiar with your brand the more they see it, they will instantly be able to recognise what it is that makes you special.
Pro-tip: Make sure you are sticking to promoting a singular point of difference. If you try to explain how you are different in too many different ways it will be less memorable to an audience. Remember, simplicity is key.
Incentive programs
Incentive programs work by rewarding customers for their loyalty, the size of their spending or their advocacy for your brand. They can be a valuable tool for businesses to increase their profitability. However, they are particularly useful at the moment given people may become overwhelmed with reopening advertising messages. Therefore, having a program that rewards loyalty can be a way to cut through the clutter.
Examples of incentive programs include:
A ‘punch card,’ i.e buy 9 coffees get the 10th on us
Loyalty point systems
Subscription services
‘Invite a friend’ rewards
Special rewards for people signed up to the email list
Membership programs
Birthday offers
Rewarding customers for sharing a post on social media
giveaways
Hosting a giveaway is an excellent way to generate excitement about your reopening. It can nurture your existing relationships as well as foster new connections with potential customers. In addition, it serves as a way to ‘give back’ to those who have supported you throughout the pandemic and in turn, you will be perceived in a positive light by consumers. If you would like to know more about how to run an effective giveaway on social media, check out this blog post here.
influencer campaigns
Did you know that 49% of consumers rely on influencer suggestions when making purchasing decisions (Tribe, 2021)? This is a very significant percentage and it is valuable to use this information to your advantage given customers are currently motivated to get out and about and try new places. The feedback from influencers acts as social proof that your brand is worth spending money on. Therefore, influencer campaigns can be a great way to get your business in front of a fresh audience and increase trust in your brand.
email marketing
Our last suggestion is an oldie but definitely a goodie – email marketing. Simply send your previous customers an email letting them know that you are now open and that you can’t wait to see their faces. This is an effective means of reminding an already warm audience of your existence so that they will consider you when they are next looking to buy what you serve. You may even consider sweetening the deal by including an offer in the email. For example, a restaurant might incentivise bookings by offering a free bowl of chips at their next visit.
The reopening of hospitality and lifestyle businesses is a momentous occasion that should be celebrated! However, if you are finding yourself overwhelmed and aren’t sure how to stand out amongst the crowd at the moment, we’d love to give you a hand. Contact us at MBP today to discuss what we can do for you to ensure your reopening goes swimmingly!