Do you own a business, have made investments to adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines, but people aren’t coming in yet? There are a few easy things you could do to turn this around.

A Little Beacon Blog has two sister companies: Tin Shingle and Katie James Inc. Both specialize in digital marketing. From a business perspective, with the right education, people can stay safe during a pandemic, and still shop and see people. Businesses and institutions can stay open - as long as their practices are safe - and their messaging is safe.

This article is written with our marketing hats on, from both Tin Shingle and Katie James Inc. Methods that we have used for years and years, that can work - if you are actively engaging in safe measures and acknowledging the pandemic.

Share How Your Business Is Being Safe By Providing Social Distancing

If your business has been closed since forever, and now it’s open, YAY. Now you need to share how it is being safe. If you don’t do this regularly, you may be missing out on a lot of business.

GOOGLING:
When people Google your business, they are getting a few options: Phone to call, and Website to click. They are going to call first. If you don’t feel like answering the phone, or if you have a a voicemail answer for you with directions on what numbers to press to get to a person, then include this entire message of safety on that voicemail. If you don’t, customers who are watching that Dashboard of active COVID-19 cases might not come. Because you didn’t make them feel safe. This is your responsibility in these times.

VOICEMAILS:
When a customer calls your place of business, your voicemail or auto-answering service needs to tell them how your business is being safe. Don’t assume people know what regulations you needed to follow. People like to hear the reassurances.

Are your doors open for ventilation? Did you invest in air-purifiers? Do you use fans? Does your staff wear masks? Do your customers need to wear masks? Do you have reduced % capacity? If so, state what that is. Do you have a waiting policy? Do your customers need to wait in the parking lot for when their turn is ready? Do you have a deep-clean system? Great! State all of this. Yes, it’s a huge pain for you as a business to do this. But your customers do want to hear it. They will feel reassured, and most likely will come to your place of business.

WEBSITE:
All of your COVID-19 safety measures need to be stated on your website in a special section called COVID-19. Not sure it this is required by an Executive Order of any kind, but for regular people searching to feel good and safe, this is required if you want them to walk through your doors. Sure, you may think: “My customers feel safe no matter what.” Well, there are plenty of other customers who are not coming in because they don’t know your drill. If you have a drill. You have a drill, right? : )

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Fill your social feed on Instagram, Facebook and/or TikTok with pictures of your safety moves. Make them fun! Safety is sexy! If you don’t have time to do this, hire someone to do it for you. Visit A Little Beacon Blog’s Business Directory in the Branding or Social Media sections. Or hire Katie James, Inc. to do it for you! We are great ghost writers and visionaries with photos. We can write in your brand’s style and personality.

NEWSLETTERS:
The most feared marketing tool that a small business has, and the most effective. Sending your customers newsletters - as well as random people who signed up for your newsletters - is so important. The personal inbox has always been, and remains to be, a sacred space. Use it. Your people want to hear from you.

THE MEDIA:
Yes, the media is looking for COVID-19 stories. Did you make a big investment in equipment to make your business more safe? Did you make a big pivot move? Did you save your staff? Did you not take PPP money because you told your staff to stay on unemployment to get the extra Pandemic Insurance? Did you close for the winter, with hopes of opening back up in the spring?

Any special thing you are doing because of the pandemic - pitch it to the media. Tin Shingle educates business owners on how to pitch the media (ahem…publicists…you should follow along as well, because we see lots of pitches from publicists that are not on the mark…you must get creative, timely and very on target!).

You got this, businesses! We got you. We want to buy from you. Keep going. Put the messaging of safety and what you need out there.