It’s not a stretch to say that the coronavirus pandemic drastically changed the business landscape and these changes will persist for a long time.
Some of the things that have changed are the way you market your goods and services as well as how to engage customers with your business. With the pandemic instilling the importance of wearing a mask and staying physically distant from other people, your marketing and customer engagement strategies before likely aren’t going to work in a post-pandemic world.
But sometimes, the only way to survive is to go forward. For businesses, this means adapting their operations to the new normal and finding ways to re-engage customers and assuage their fear of visiting physical stores to dine, shop, or browse. Below, we’ve outlined the techniques you can use to re-engage customers and continue your business’ operations.
1. Advertise your return
Customers won’t know to come if they don’t know you’re re-opening your business. So a week or two before your re-opening day, make sure to announce your return on different platforms. You can post a banner or some other kind of sign in front of your business’ physical location stating your re-opening date or use social media to tell people who are already following your business that you’ll be back in operation soon.
2. Update your GMB listing
During the pandemic, you might have had to set your Google My Business listing to “Temporarily Closed.” People looking for your business online will continue seeing this and might opt to shop or get the services they need elsewhere. This is why your online listings must always reflect your day-to-day operations. Before re-opening, update your GMB listing so it shows your current operating hours and days that you’re open.
3. Offer re-opening discounts
The pandemic has affected many people’s finances, something you might have also experienced. Because of this, your customers might be wary of spending money on anything that isn’t necessary. Splurging on restaurant meals, going clothes shopping, or getting a health boost at an IV clinic franchise might not be at the top of their priorities, but you can entice them by offering re-opening discounts or free subscriber resources so that they engage with your business.
4. Practice proper precautions
One of the most critical steps of re-engaging your customers is showing them that their safety is your priority. This means clearly letting them know that your business is practicing proper health and sanitary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing masks, enforcing social distancing, and having your store sanitized regularly.
5. Deliver a great service
After months of the pandemic, it can feel like everyone’s stressed, tired, and angry all the time. As a result, the quality of service can deteriorate. This wouldn’t inspire customers to continue engaging with your business so make sure to provide an excellent experience for customers all the time. Delivering a great service fosters customer loyalty, which is extremely valuable for companies in a volatile post-pandemic economy.
Don’t let your existing customers fall to the wayside when you re-open. Apply these re-engagement techniques for the benefit of both your business and customers.