How to Save a Business During a Crisis?
All the headlines of the media, news programs, and news daily scream to us not only about the dangers of the virus but also about the worsening situation with the economy. And if the situation becomes clearer with COVID-19, the ways to maintain health are becoming more clear and the gap is visible, then the state of the world economy shows only regression. Both large and small companies are collapsing, there is a wave of unemployment and general discontent. How to stay afloat and what will help?
Take the bull by the horns!
It’s no secret that if something is bad somewhere, then there is sure to be and where it is good. And today it is “good” fixed on the Internet. People are limited in movement, many refused to walk, go out of the house and try to satisfy as much as possible all the everyday needs of the World Wide Web. This is the moment when you can not lose but gain. If your business does not yet have a website, application, service, or is it underdeveloped, it’s time to address this issue.
In fact, there is much to hurry, but to give up, if there is nothing, you do not need to. According to forecasts, the coronavirus will not recede soon, and this will give people time to get used to such interaction with companies, and possibly make them your regular customers. Do not forget that this can give you the opportunity to expand: increase the radius of services and the range. You are no longer limited by area or location.
What is useful?
First of all, answer the main question – is your company’s face sufficiently developed on the Internet? Is there a site, is the information relevant there, is the appearance presentable and how do you look against the background of the main competitors? All this will help to orient and determine the model of business development, instead of decline. Also, this will help to correctly redistribute the budget, covering, first of all, the most critical issues.
Now we have 2 ways to move. If you don’t have a website, start with the most important thing:
- The choice of contractor. Now this question is the most acute because here it is necessary to maintain a balance between economy and quality. Do not fall for the bait of unscrupulous companies promising to do everything at the highest level for ridiculous money! Developers also receive wages as the employees of your company, and no one will work well at a loss. There is only one conclusion – they’ll do it, but badly. Or maybe they won’t finish it at all. Any value must be justified. You definitely don’t need a bad site. It will not attract customers in the face of growing competition in the network. Look at examples of work, request a quotation, do not hesitate to communicate with the manager, and ask questions.
- Site selection. Depending on the business sector, assortment, direction for the sale of goods or services, you need to decide which site you still need. This can be a one-page Landing Page, and an information resource, and a corporate portal, and a catalog site, and a store. The choice is very wide since the site can still be a combined resource combining a large information block, a catalog with the possibility of purchase, and ordering services. If we talk about the conditions of the crisis and the transfer of the business to online, we recommend the Landing Page for an advertising campaign, if you have few goods, an online store (which allows you to buy without leaving your home) and a combined resource when selling services (there is a good opportunity for promotion, since it comprehensively contains all the necessary elements and functionality). The cost will depend on your choice. If the company is conscientious, before setting a price you will be asked about the specifics of the business, your goals, and preferences, and they will calculate the final cost individually, with explanations. Pay attention to the fact that the cost estimate should contain items: what they will do and how long it will take.
- Filling. Even the most beautiful and well-developed resource needs good filling. We urge you to pay attention to this process. Take part, share information, photos, and ideas. The peculiarity of all the latest updates to search engines is good content that is useful and understandable to people. Specialists, of course, can do all the work for you, but no one knows your business as well as you yourself.
- Optimization. To exit the site he needs to carry out optimization: technical work, register meta tags, and a lot of other information that may be unfamiliar and not understandable to you. Try not to give up this stage in order to save. This will give a delayed, but tangible result in the future.
- Publication. When the contractor has completed work, this opens up for you a new area of activity that you will need to get used to and adapt to. Here a lot depends on you. Take the time to analyze and try to add exactly those trading offers that will hook your customer. To help you can take yourself someone from the regular state, so as not to reduce the workers. Assign the most responsible to administer or respond to applications and calls from the site.
- Make yourself known. The site is ready, but by a wave of a magic wand, it will not be able to be in the TOP 10 upon requests on the network. It takes time, but you don’t have time. In this case, an advertising campaign will help. It must be thought out. We do not recommend you to use the services of non-professional firms and private specialists. Especially if you are promised once to set up ads and … that’s all! This process requires, even after startup, analysis, and adjustments. Otherwise, there will be no result. For most companies, social media advertising or retargeting may be most effective. Be sure to pay attention to this and listen to the opinions of the experts you will contact.
If you still have a website, you must go the following way:
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- Decide on its value and profitability. If the site is very outdated, it will be easier and cheaper to develop a new resource. To do this, go back to the previous block.
- Carry out technical optimization. In fact, this is what needs to be done in the first place, because if there are any gross technical violations or errors, there will be no result. You most likely will not be able to do this on your own, so choose a contractor who will perform the complex of work for you described below, and not each separately. This will allow a more competent approach to the development of the resource.
- Refine the look. A neglected and inaccurate resource will create a feeling of insecurity and it is unlikely that anyone will be interested in your proposal. Works should include not only design changes but also usability (usability of the resource for the user). It draws attention to the logic of the structure and to the functional elements.
- Create high-quality pages with the provision of what you are trying to implement, whether goods or services. We comply with the completeness, usefulness, and uniqueness of information with the recommendations of search engines. A competent specialist to cope with this task without much difficulty. Do not forget to just be in touch and provide the necessary information.
- Take care of the methods of ordering and communication with you – these are the most simple to fill out forms, phone numbers. Any person who lands on the site must understand how he can receive a product or service. The most ideal option is to give you the opportunity to choose, communicate with you by correspondence or call, as not everyone willingly makes contact with strangers by phone. We take into account that the excess and lack of forms equally adversely affect the conversion since excessive obsession sometimes causes only negative.
- Order. To realize the possibility of online purchases by bank transfer – we recommend connecting an online cashier and Internet acquiring, then 54-FZ is not violated. This is what it was all about. If a client cannot come to your store or office, let it be available to him directly from the couch.
- Mobile version. A huge amount of traffic falls on smartphones. If you forget about it, then everyone who comes to you from the phone, most likely, will not be able to choose and buy anything. The site should be equally convenient from all popular devices.
- Elaboration. As soon as the minimum requirements are met, do not drop everything as it is, bring the resource to mind – expand the range, twist promotions, come up with a loyalty program for those who will come back to you more than once.
A good site = a convenient site – do not forget about the simplicity and convenience for a client with any level of Internet use, because now more older people will appear here. Search, calculators, selection filters – all this will come in handy and simplify the interaction.
Hear About me!
With the transition of some active entrepreneurs to the Internet, do not forget about the growing competition in the niche. For comfortable development, you need to earn a name and reputation on the network, and for this, you need to not only care about quality but also collect traffic from several channels. First of all, they should know about you. Therefore, an integrated approach will give the most tangible result. Analyze yourself or contact specialists to determine the places of the effectiveness of your target niche and ways to influence it. A well-developed resource is part of a large system in pursuit of a buyer, where a large share is occupied by social networks and advertising.
Also Read: How much can you earn on freelance
What if you are not food delivery …
If your business has its own specifics and does not provide for complete online care, try to be flexible, not just wait. Based on customer demand, you can come up with temporary solutions that will partially satisfy the needs and stay afloat. Even in the most severe crisis, people do not stop completely buying familiar goods but try to make their choices more carefully, based on conditions dictated from outside. Do not try to go into the “finishing off” by constant imposition, it will only cause even more stress and negative.
Do not overestimate or reduce excessive prices. The first will scare off buyers, and the second will ruin you even faster than a protracted crisis. Instead, think of some special (but temporary!) Promotions or create a separate line of products at more loyal prices, where you can save and maintain interest in the market.
For fitness centers and training courses, there is an option to switch to online training. Some companies have already begun to practice this type of activity. For example, “DigitalGrowthWorld #1 Digital Marketing Training Institute in Varanasi” conducts training on video communications for those who do not want to interrupt their classes during the quarantine. If some customers do not want to go this way, offer to freeze the subscription or add a few visits to it as a gift.
In the end
The main thing – do not despair and do not panic. After any fall, the ascent phase begins. Stay tuned for daily news and adjust to your situation. If you develop the online sphere, then after the economic recovery you will have not only the business format that you had before but also a new development branch on the Internet. This will save your favorite business and enhance the brand’s prestige.