Keep Your Customer’s Concerns In Mind As the Economy Reopens.
As we enter the third month of quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a “new reality” has started to hit home for most of us.
My family is fortunate. As an “essential worker,” my husband has been able to continue to work and bring home a paycheck. But I know that others are not so lucky. Millions of people are without work. They are struggling to find groceries and personal care items. Others are working from home and feeling the pressure of a full-time job on top of homeschooling their kids.
And as states across the country begin phasing back to “normal,” with small steps to open up the economy, many people will be left questioning the decisions they make as they look for a balance of getting back out there while simultaneously keeping themselves and their families healthy.
“Should I get on a bus to run my errands today, or should I continue to shop online?”
“Is it really necessary for me to go on this business trip, or can I get by with conference calls instead?”
“Do I risk my health to carpool with coworkers, or should I spend more money and drive myself?
These are just some of the questions that are likely going through the minds of your loyal and potential customers alike.
Maybe you are feeling like you’ve been shut down or running at low capacity long enough. Maybe you are worried that your business can’t sustain much more of this economic shutdown. Maybe you are afraid that your once-loyal customers have found other means of transportation.
So, what can you do?
You can start by answering some of your customers’ questions by explaining your strategies to keep them safe.
Just because things are shut down, doesn’t mean your online presence has to be. Keep posting! Tell your customers you are there for them. Explain your cleaning and sterilizing procedures. Don’t leave anyone wondering if it’s safe. Instead, assure them it’s safe.
Are you taking extra precautions to keep social distance practices among customers? Explain that process and how it works.
Are you offering new ways of obtaining your services? (Example: online stores or purchase applications.) Make sure your customers know where to go and how to reach you.
Post on social media as often as you are able – even if it is just to offer assurances that we are all in this together. Consider offering discounted rates or a contest to win a free ride. This will help enlist new potential customers.
My best advise is to be the stable ground for your customers who are traveling down a windy road of uncertainty. No one knows what these next few months will look like, but ensure your customers you are there for them, provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions about utilizing your services and most importantly, let them know you hear their concerns.
Stay Ahead of the Curve in Tough Times.
A week ago, I saw a handful of posts on the Corona-virus while scrolling through my social media feeds, and to be honest, I didn’t think too much about it at the time.
While scrolling this morning, however, literally every other post I read is about the pandemic.
I went to the store today to do my regular weekly shopping. There was no toilet paper. There was no hand sanitizer. There were no antibacterial cleaning wipes. There was a limited amount of diapers. There was a limited amount of canned goods.
So, as your average citizen, I’m starting to feel as though, like it or not, this thing is going to have some sort of impact on my life.
And for those in the travel industry, that risk might be even greater. Major events are being canceled. Conferences are getting postponed. So, if you’re in the travel and tourism industry, you may be starting to feel seriously concerned.
While I can’t offer any advice that will have an impact on our economic situation, I can make some suggestions to businesses who are concerned about the virus’ impact on their operation.
Align with your community
Right now, more than ever, it is important to support and work with your local community resources. Area chambers of commerce are a great way to start. A chamber of commerce can help ensure your business name stays top of mind. They can also provide you with useful information regarding how to deal with your employees and operations during this time, as they are likely getting useful information passed down to them from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Keep your social media presence active
Your phones might be ringing less. You may have fewer customers utilizing your services. And you may be changing your hours of operation to accommodate these changes. But that doesn’t mean your online presence needs to take a step back, too.
You are an expert in your industry – make sure your customer base knows that. Regularly post on social media. Remind customers you are still a resource to them. If you do change your business hours, make sure to inform your customers of those changes. If you feel customers are concerned about using your services due to the virus, remind them what steps your business is taking to combat its spread.
Send out press releases with any updates. This will help your customers by providing them with useful information, and it will help you, too. It will remind customers you are still there, ready to serve them.
Stay calm
This advice is universal. Stay calm. Wash your hands. Stay at home if you’re feeling sick. Avoid large crowds where possible. And remind your customers to do the same.
Of course, if the idea of writing your own press release seems daunting, you can always contact us at On Your Mark Transportation, LLC. Contact us a 615-669-0107.
How to write an attention-grabbing press release!
If you’re considering writing a press release for your business but don’t know where to start, consider these tips:
Start out strong.
Did you know most people stop reading an article after a single scroll down on their phone? And the higher the word count, the more likely you are to lose your readers toward the end of your press release.
Because of this, the most important thing you can do when writing a press release is to grab the attention of your readers from the get-go.
Make sure your most important information is in the first paragraph of your press release. If you save the most important piece for the end, chances are, no one will see it.
Make sure to include all the details.
It seems simple, but be sure to include all of the important information about your business in your press release. Having an event? Be sure to include the date, time and location of your event.
And don’t assume that people know who you are and what you do. It’s often good to include a description of your business at the end of your release.
Also, be sure to include your contact information in your release, including your business address and phone number.
Tell a story.
A well written press release tells a narrative. This will help draw in your readers. Maybe you have an employee who is celebrating an anniversary with your company. Instead of simply stating the facts – for example: Employee X has been with the company for XX years, and the company celebrated on XX date at XX place and presented him or her with XX award – try engaging your audience with an anecdote.
Maybe Employee X started with the company on the ground level and worked his or her way up to an upper level position. Maybe Employee X is known for bringing donuts to all his or her coworkers each Friday. Maybe Employee X volunteers as a representative for your business feeding the homeless each month.
Whatever Employee X’s story is – that is more interesting than just telling your audience how long he or she has been employed with your business. It also makes it more likely a media outlet will want to run your release, or why they might even consider writing a story of their own on your business.
Of course, if the idea of writing your own press release seems daunting, you can always contact us at On Your Mark Transportation, LLC. Contact us a 615-669-0107.
Consider sending out regular press releases.
Ever wonder what media outlets actually think when they get the press releases you send them?
While I can’t speak for everyone out there, as a former journalist and editor, I can give you a little insight, at least from my perspective. And the way I look at it, you really can’t go wrong sending regular press releases to media outlets that are relative to your industry.
It can’t hurt.
Look at it this way. What does it hurt to send your press releases to appropriate outlets?
At the very worst, said outlet will decide not to do anything with your press release. And while you may have spent time and effort writing the release, at least the media organization is becoming familiar with who you are.
Next best thing would be that the outlet decides to run the press release as you sent it, or in an edited down version. This is great news. Your business announcement will now get into the hands of interested readers.
The best outcome is for the media organization to be so wowed by your message that they decide to contact you to write a story of their own. This will likely get you even more exposure, as it may mean a higher word count and better placement in the publication.
Don’t be afraid to keep sending your press releases.
Sure, it can be somewhat exhausting as an editor to see weekly (or sometimes daily) press releases coming from the same business. However, repetition keeps your business top of mind. And only good can come from that.
Think of it this way: The more releases you send on different topics, the more likely that at least one of them will spark the interest of an editor.
Of course, you can always contact us at On Your Mark Transportation, LLC to keep your content fresh, write your blog posts, add video to your website and social media, and have us keep your social media up to date with all of your happenings. Contact us a 615-669-0107.
Importance of Online Content.
We all know the importance of social media and the Internet when it comes to running a successful business.
But knowing this and truly understanding how to use these avenues to promote and market your business are two very different things.
Did you know that a website that does not add new content on a regular basis will typically not appear high up on search platforms? Or that without a knowledge of SEO, or search engine optimization, your posts might get lost in a sea of other content online?
For your business to be most successful, it is vital to keep your content fresh and engaging, to make sure that content is easily searchable, and maybe most importantly, to understand what your customers are searching for in the first place.
So where should you begin?
First, make sure that you have a secure website that’s both desktop and mobile friendly. In order for search engines to recognize your site and give it a higher ranking in search, it needs to be user friendly.
Your website should have a variety of content, including photos, a description of who you are and what you offer, and a space for posts (like a blog) that you can share on social media to help promote your business.
Next, make sure you have a presence on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. This will help ensure you have a larger footprint online. Post often – but not too much. You don’t want to bombard your customers, but you want them to keep you top of mind. Take advantage of these platforms’ analytics to determine what time of day your posts are most successful and gear your posts toward those times.
Make sure to cross promote your website in your social media posts and utilize repetitive hashtags to establish your brand.
If all of this seems overwhelming, start small. Remember to post new content often on your website and try to post on social media at least a couple of times a week, linking back to your website, in order to keep your audience engaged. Of course, you can always contact us at On Your Mark Transportation, LLC to keep your content fresh, write your blog posts, add video to your website and social media, and have us keep your social media up to date with all of your happenings. Contact us a 615-669-0107!