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Frankly, it’s a scary time for businesses right now. Quarantines and shut downs and closing doors means feet not hitting showroom floors which translates into purchases not being made. However, businesses have a tool that they might not be taking advantage of during this time. Social media has a unique advantage in that almost everyone has access to it, AND they’re going to be on it more than ever in the coming weeks. Businesses can use social media as a weapon to boost their bottom line during this time of crisis. Here are 5 ways you can utilize social media to promote your business and make sales when your doors are closed:
1. Use Facebook Live
Facebook live is an amazing tool that’s often overlooked by business pages. Now more than ever, this can be an amazing feature for added value for your followers. If you are a gym owner, doing a live class every day is a great way to promote your brand AND help people stay active while you’re not open. Showcase the services you offer that they might not know about, or allow them to get to know your business on a deeper level through Q&As or behind-the-scenes looks. Livestream shopping events where you showcase your inventory and allow people to send you a Facebook message to make a purchase. Utilizing Facebook live to interact with your followers is an awesome way to provide value to them, garner purchases, and create fans who feel a deeper connection to your business.
2. Promote Online Services
For service based industries, promoting online features is KEY to keeping business. Since people can’t interact with you face-to-face and we live in a world where people aren’t motivated to make phone calls, having online ordering, online quote forms, online payment systems, etc. will give you an advantage over businesses who aren’t equipped to provide any services online. Limiting face-to-face contact can be a HUGE hindrance for your business right now if you provide inspections, repairs, or replacements within or outside homes. Making sure you can limit contact with online forms and processes ensures safety for your team and customers. This also translates to online ordering for commerce based businesses. Take your business online easily by utilizing Facebook to showcase products and allow people to message you to purchase.
3. Special Offers
Motivate prospects to make purchases through social media specific deals and coupons. This extends to providing services you might not have offered before. If you’re a restaurant, now is a great time to implement curb-side pick-up and delivery into your business model. In a social distancing world, providing services that allow people to feel comfortable and safe is CRUCIAL to making sure your business stays afloat. You can also offer bonus gifts or services (free roll of toilet paper with every pizza?) for purchasing. This may cost you a bit, but it means the world to the customer AND will create a repeat customer.
4. Community Involvement
Now more than ever, people seek connection to the world around them. We’re all feeling isolated being quarantined in our homes, so businesses who do some good definitely stick out. Showcase what you’re doing for the community! Not only will it make you look good, you’ll be a difference maker to the people that you’re helping. There’s no better way to create fans of your business than to help out and provide added value to those doing business with you!
5. Gift Card Sales
This is CRUCIAL to those businesses who can’t necessarily be open to the public right now. Bars, restaurants, family fun centers, etc. have to get creative in order to make sure they don’t end up with a 0 on the records for the month. Promoting gift card sales on social media is a wonderful way to ensure that dollars are still rolling in AND plan for future purchases. The people that visit your businesses make plans to be there. This allows them to support your business, plan for a day later, and they won’t forget you because they’ll be thinking about that gift card sitting in their wallet.
It’s a time of unease right now as we all learn to navigate through a world without face-to-face contact. Utilizing social media to stay connected to customers and prospects not only helps create loyal fans, it can help boost your bottom line during this time of uncertainty.
