We here at ViziSites hope you and your colleagues are staying safe during this life-changing pandemic. Many are worried about their businesses at this time, wondering what COVID-19 will do to the economy, small business, and more. Because many of our valued clients are small, family-owned businesses, we wanted to provide some direction on a few important steps to take online to help your business.
The following steps are easy to complete and can make a world of difference in retaining your clients and maintaining the health of your business.
1. Keep Your Website & Ads Up to Date
This helps keep potential customers aware of the status of your business.
If you are temporarily changing your hours of operation or services offered, make sure to let the public know. Most consumers check websites or directories (Google Maps, Yelp, Apple Maps, etc.) prior to visiting a business in person, so make sure the information you provide them online is current. This ensures you do not lose out on potential customers by having inaccurate information online.
Areas to update include:
- Your Website
- Maps/Directories (Google Maps, Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing, etc.)
- Social Media
- Paid Advertising (Google Ads, Facebook/Instagram Ads, etc.)
Your marketing provider should be able to take care of most of this for you. If they don’t – contact us today. Our team is happy to help.
2. Communicate Effectively & Efficiently Online
This helps maintain your existing customer relationships.
At all times, advertisers should look to build trust with current and potential customers through proactive communication via email and/or information directly on their website. This becomes even more imperative during times of uncertainty. And we recommend communicating these changes online AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
This may include:
- Notices on your website regarding temporary changes in hours or service offerings
- Email notices educating clients on similar changes
- Educational information/FAQs on your website to reaffirm client’s trust in your business
3. Keep Your Google My Business Profile Current
3. Keep Your Google My Business Profile CurrentIf your business is affected, Google recommends updating your business hours and description in your Google My Business profile (login here). Aside from letting people know when they can contact your business, you can also update your description to give more information regarding any additional precautions you are taking or if there are changes in services. Any changes you make on your Google My Business profile will update the Google Search and Maps.
4. Use Social Media for Proactive Communication
You may need to step up your vigilance in terms of monitoring comments on your social media pages. For Facebook and Instagram, it is extremely important to monitor comments within your posts. There is a lot of misinformation being spread and certain fear-based comments can detract potential customers.
COVID-19 has unfortunately affected the health and wellbeing of communities worldwide, and keeping communities safe should be our first priority. Many, if not most, businesses are already feeling the effects of the virus, and staying up to date with information is key.
As for ViziSites, it’s business as usual, and we are here & ready to help. We are fortunate to work in an industry where our entire team can telecommute if it becomes necessary in our area. As of now, we do not expect COVID-19 to cause any delay in our services or response time.
Please don’t hesitate to use us as a resource during these uncertain times. Reach out – because now more than ever we should embrace digital connection.
Sincerely,
Jesse & Rebecca Davis, ViziSites Co-Founders
& The Entire Team at ViziSites
