Taking control of your online presence is essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers are gathering more information online than ever before. They need timely, accurate information and communication. Read on for some high-level action items and join us in supporting the local businesses who are doin’ the dang thing!
Claim your Google My Business (GMB) listing and keep it updated
When you Google a business or keywords that lead you to a business, Google gives you the information they have, whether it’s accurate or not. By claiming and updating your listing, you are in charge of what people see, how they find you, and what they learn about your business. GMB is a powerful, easy-to-use tool, yet only 44% of local businesses have claimed a GMB listing.
Your Google My Business listing is more important than ever as business hours, days of operation, and operations, in general, are changing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your customers want to be able to see if you’re open, if you’re serving curbside if you’re making masks mandatory, or even what times of each day you’re busiest.
We’ve gotta hand it to…
Whether they’re closed, serving curbside only, serving in-house at 50% capacity, serving at full capacity, or just doing take-out and delivery (whew, that was a lot), their Google My Business will let you know everything you need to know before making the trip downtown to see them and their tasty queso.
Same with your website
It’s important to remember that everyone uses social media, websites, and search differently. While you might go to Google to check reviews, you’ll probably head over to Instagram to check out a business’s aesthetic, and you’ll likely go to their website to learn more about them and their offerings. Keeping your website up to date is just as important as keeping your GMB updated. A different segment of your audience is looking for all the same information, just in a different place.
Be mobile-friendly and/or offer an app
People are searching and shopping on mobile more than ever, and the pandemic is pushing that trend even farther. Because we can’t or don’t want to enter stores or restaurants, we’re spending more money online, specifically on our mobile devices. Be sure that you’re giving your customers the best mobile or app experience you can.
We’ve gotta hand it to…
Their app is a life-saver! We were all hankerin’ for some sushi during quarantine, and they delivered…literally. Their app makes it easy and social distancing friendly to order in-app for curbside, pickup, or delivery.
Offer clear and informative two-way communication on social media
You know when someone asks you where the scissors are, you tell them, and then they inevitably say that the scissors aren’t there…even though you KNOW that they are? Moral of the story, most people are not great at finding things. In an age where information is so readily available, we’ve gotten pretty lazy. When consumers want information spoon-fed to them, they’ll go straight to your social media profiles to direct message you or make an inquiry in the comments. This method of gathering information has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. By offering clear, informative, two-way communication on your social media outlets, you’re grabbing every opportunity to connect with those prospective customers.
We’ve gotta hand it to…
They’re active, they’re responsive, they’ve got specials, and they want you to know about ‘em! Block 16 has done a great job leveraging social media to keep their audience up to date on their latest offerings and changes in operations.
Be creative and flexible
Staying open to creating new offerings, different ways to reach your audience, and a new way to conduct business is essential right now. Many companies who made pivots in their business model early, quickly thrived, especially local businesses. No one had a playbook for this pandemic, but you could tell right away which businesses jumped to the drawing board to find a way to stay afloat and, in some instances, even more relevant than ever!
We’ve gotta hand it to…
Vintage Ballroom
Seeing the beautiful pictures of their social distance balcony weddings was…well…we’re not crying, you are! It wasn’t what anyone planned, and it probably wasn’t what the couple had dreamed of, but in their words, “It was perfect.”
We know that your online presence is a lot to stay on top of, especially with everything else going on around us. That’s what we’re here for! We like to say, “You handle everything else, and we’ll take care of all the online stuff.” And that’s precisely what we do. We make sure that your online presence is up to date, user-friendly, informative, and inviting. Want to talk about handing all of that off to a local professional? Let’s talk!
✉️info@kreativelement.com