Problems or Opportunities? Preparing Your Business for the “New Normal”
There were a couple of months in the summer of 2021 where we felt like things just might be getting back to “normal.”
You might have dusted off that business or marketing strategy you had from the year prior, started scheduling events, and looked for ways to ramp up the face-to-face sectors of your business, and then…
One thing has been for certain in the last few years, and it is this; nothing is for certain. So the only way to be certain is to be able to plan for uncertainty!
There is no way to know at this point what the much overused and cringy “new normal” may be, but here’s the good news if you are a business owner, marketing manager, or anything in between.
We’ve done this before. We got this. We know what we can and can’t do, and if we are going to have to go into the second or third round of whatever, we aren’t going into it like deer in the headlights or flat-footed this time!
We have EXPERIENCE. We have the knowledge, we have the technology. We have data. We have wisdom, and we have perseverance. As the saying goes, if you’re going through hell, don’t stop there. Innovate. Pivot, adapt and take advantage of all the opportunities that challenge gift us with.
Here are some ideas to help you take action!
1. Rethink your workspace.
Shutdowns and pandemic abatement policies pushed workers out of their offices and onto their couches instead. Many companies, organizations, AND their employees found that they worked better, more productively, and more efficiently remotely, and it stuck!
If you no longer need your office space (or as much!) look at your options, and all the ways it could benefit your bottom line and future.
2. How can you up your contactless game?
Contactless service was introduced to literally EVERYONE due to the pandemic, and those who took advantage of it prospered. There are so many apps, software programs, devices and methods that you can use to go contactless with your business or organization; now is the perfect time to perfect it, or jump on board.
3. Advertise smarter.
If you didn’t take advantage of social media or Google My Business to keep in touch with your customers and attract new ones last time, don’t wait! You can use social media and GMB to promote deals, offers, update your hours, your COVID policies, sell your products, services and more! Don’t miss out on opportunities to grow due to passing on a strong social media marketing strategy.
4. Embrace your team’s “new normal.”
If you had any parents on your team last year, then most likely the term “remote” or “virtual learning” came up, and there may have been some tears associated with it. If remote or virtual learning becomes a reality again, how can you adjust to get the most out of your team members? You have the experience and practice as a team to know already what does and doesn’t work, so take advantage of this and create a plan that gets ahead of those “a message from insert name of school district” now.
5. Pivot, adapt, and look up!
What do people need, when they don’t want to or aren’t able to do the things they want to do? Look for initiatives, plans, ideas, and programs that aren’t being fully utilized, or never took off in a pre-COVID world, and dust them off to find some gems. What can your team or company start doing or do more of to fill these needs, and take advantage of that demand? Do some brainstorming (I have lots of great strategies and fun ways to do this, just ask!) and you might be amazed by what your company can already do!
“These are challenging times…”
Yes I know, But I also know that problems are just opportunities, doing a great job at hiding. If you are looking for help with your marketing strategy, recruitment, advertising, company culture, resilience or anything related to your business and it’s growth, there’s so many amazing resources in the Treasure Valley, and I hope you will consider us as one of them!
We can help!
Schedule a meeting with Rhea Allen.
