Although it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of worrying headlines, statistics, and coronavirus stories putting all the world’s problems into focus, the panic doesn’t have to spread to your business. If you’re pacing the floors at home wondering what the future of your venture will be after coronavirus has been and gone, this could be the perfect opportunity to put your business under the microscope and start building that pathway now.
We look into five ways in which you can look to improve your business in a time of crisis.
1 – Review your brand
Instead of waiting for everything to unfold before you, actively start reviewing your brand. Use this time as an opportunity to look at your brand strategy, your website, your social media, your copy, your blog and your brand proposition. Identify what’s working and what could be improved. Look at how you can adapt your business. When science is dominating the headlines, why not take a leaf from Darwin’s book and consider his quote…
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
Be ready for the changes that could arise from the pandemic and come out stronger on the other side. If you need help with brand audit reports, drop us a line. The report will help you to identify areas that need improvement and ways in which you can develop your marketing.
2 – Learn something new
Read, read, read. Now’s the time to pick up those unread books and expand your horizon; reading can help you to stimulate your imagination and come up with new and creative ways of tackling your challenges.
Check out our list of our favourite business books we’ve been reading.
If there was ever a time to develop and learn new skills, it’s now. There are a lot of online courses and tutorials now available as well as people now doing Instagram Live events and Zoom webinars, making everything you’ve ever wanted to learn closer than ever.
Why not try: General Assembly, Skill Share, Future Learn or Creative Live to name a few.
3 – Planning and scheduling
If you’re often running to catch up with your social media scheduling, this time out of the office is great for thinking up and planning out all of your social content in advance, so the next few months can be full of fresh and engaging content to grab your audience who are most certainly scrolling through their feeds more than ever. We love to use Hootsuite to help plan all of our content out in advance.
We’ve also helped many of our clients develop their social content and run their channels, whether that’s coming up with template post designs and campaign designs or writing relevant and engaging content for their channels, we know how to help.
4 – Thought leadership
You are an expert in your field. Use this time to create articles with valuable insight for marketing content. Think LinkedIn articles, social media, and email marketing. So how do we do this?
We normally start by brainstorming what our existing clients and prospective clients are interested in reading about. We think about what they ask us on a regular basis, who their customers are and what the challenges are that they face. Not only are the articles good for marketing and SEO, they also build trust and credibility with clients: clients and customers want to know that they’re working with a knowledgeable and experienced team, which is something you most definitely offer.
Here are a few of the articles on brand strategy we’ve written:
- Focusing Your Company’s Vision with a Brand Proposition
- What is Brand Architecture and Why Does it Matter?
- Serving up Success: tips for effective menu design
Not much of a writer? Why not dust off the camera and try creating video content instead?
5 – Community support
As hard as it may be, remember that you are not alone. There are a lot of people in the same situation as you, so reach out to your industry peers and talk about the issues you face. We’ve found just talking about what’s going on with people who are in the same boat helps to generate new ideas for other business avenues.
Prepare for the opportunities on the horizon
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting everyone, so try not to panic and use this time to make positive steps to improve your business and your brand strategy. Prepare for the opportunities on the horizon and enjoy them when they come. If you need help with your brand strategy, get in touch.