Going Remote (Without a Remote Setup Plan in Place)

If you're like many small businesses, you may have found yourself in a bit of a quandary when COVID-19 shutdowns were instituted across the country. Looking at Main Street America and small businesses across the country, there were 30.7 million small businesses across the US in 2019 employing 59.9 million workers. While those numbers themselves are huge, the fact that small businesses account for 99.9% of American businesses is even more staggering.

While larger companies have the financial resources to weather a suspension of business operations, many small businesses - especially retail businesses - do not. Some businesses have remained open during the closures as they were deemed essential. Even remaining open, many of those businesses were required to adjust their business hours, stock, and to some extent their manner of operation. However, If your retail business was deemed non-essential you are at the mercy of the governing bodies as to when you can reopen.

So, what can you do for your business to take a step forward while everything around you may be at a standstill?

1. Move Online: First of all, do you have a website? Even if you have a company Facebook page, you should still have a website. Why? Because when you can't open your doors for business, you may still be able to provide products or services. During the COVID-19 shutdowns, Amazon deliveries are still being made. UPS is still delivering. You're still getting your mail. If you're set up to sell things - either products or services - it's easier to connect with your customer base when they are unable to come to you if you have your website set up. A good website can facilitate sales and delivery of products by mail, and a website is generally easier to set up for online sales than your Facebook page. If you offer services, your website is where you can outline available services and move those services to an online format to the extent possible.

2. Create Content: Even if your business can't operate through a website scenario outlined above, you can continue to provide marketing for your business. This is where your social media can come in handy. Take the downtime you've found yourself with not being able to greet customers and clients in your physical space and turn it into productive business-building time. Start a Facebook LIVE video and connect directly with your customers. Revamp (or start) a mailing list. Start a Twitter poll to see what your clients and customers are excited to do when business resumes. Use those points of contact for your relaunch when you can return to operations.

3. Video Conference: Connect with clients and customers through video conferencing. There are plenty of options available, from a straight-forward video call with your smartphone to a video chat through Google Hangouts, to a heavier-duty meeting platform like Zoom. Find out which platform works for your situation, and apply it. Notify your clients and customers of how you will be managing meetings and conference calls.

The biggest thing with all of this is to realize that it can be done. You may need to think a little creatively about how to adapt to your particular needs and environment, but it can be done.

Sidekick Media Services offers a variety of services - from web design, to social media, to audio production, to full-service video production and live streaming. We'd be happy to consult with you about your project!

*Statistics are from the SBA Office of Advocacy