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Due to COVID-19, we’ve seen a 50% drop in small businesses that are still open in the US. These businesses have closed either out of concern for their employees’ health and safety, or due to local government mandates. 

If you have closed your business’ doors (or feel that you might do so soon), you might be feeling pretty powerless, but please know that you are not alone. After looking into these resources through the Small Business Association, you might be wondering what more you can do at this time to enable your business to hit the ground running once you’re able to open up again.

Here are some of my best recommendations on activities you can work on that will bolster your brand and help you in your future marketing efforts.

1. Continue to engage with your followers on social media.

Now more than ever, people are spending a ton of time on social media, either out of boredom or simply because they’re craving social interaction. Feed into this need for them by posting fun, informative, and engaging content on your social media pages. 

If you’re feeling kind of lost on social media right now, take a look at this blog post. Here are some other ideas for posts that you can repurpose for social:

• Behind the scenes: Snap a picture of some of the goings-on that patrons of your business don’t normally see. This could be a back room on-site, a video detailing your process, or a sneak peak of a new product or service coming soon (more on that later).

• Ask a question: If you’ve built a loyal fanbase in your social media followers, they’ll likely engage with a question asking what their favorite thing about your business is. For example, if you’re a restaurant, ask your followers what is the first thing they will order when you open your doors again.

• Quarantine life: Give your followers a brief look into your personal life by showing a photo of your family, pets, or other activities that you're spending time on or with while self-isolating. This gives a more human side to your brand and will build stronger relationships with your customers.

• Words of encouragement: A lot of people are scared right now. We’re all going through an unprecedented global event, and your followers are probably just as afraid of the unknown as you are. Provide some words of encouragement to build comradery and to, again, give a more human side to your brand.

Remember, just because your business is temporarily closed, that doesn’t mean you need to go radio silent to your customer base online.

2. Adjust your value proposition and offerings, if necessary.

Right now is a good time to take another look at your value proposition. With everything going on right now, will your business’ product or service truly serve the changing needs of your customer base when you open again? 

We’re entering a new, very different economic market, and this market will be challenging for many small businesses. Take a good look at your current offering with this in mind. Does it differentiate you from your competitors? Does it help support your goals to scale back up? Does it truly create value in this new market?

If necessary, brainstorm some new products or services. You can also think of some innovative ways to change the way you serve your customers. For example, if you are a retail store, it’s possible that customers will soon prefer to order your products online for shipping or in-store pickup.

3. Do some reading.

If you’re a reader, there are a ton of awesome books out there for small business owners and entrepreneurs that are looking to developing their craft. These books might help you find inspiration for a new value proposition if you struggled with the first step! Here are just a few of my favorites:

• The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen: Have you ever heard of the term “minimum viable product”? This book introduces the concept by outlining a framework for launching a product that fits the basic needs of your customer base and evolves based on rapid feedback from this customer base. I read this book a few years ago—it was published in 2015—and I still find myself referencing its concepts today. 

• Inbound Marketing: Attract, Engage, and Delight Customers Online by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah: You know I have to recommend this book, written by the founders of HubSpot, because inbound marketing strategies can really evolve your business. This book is another older one, written in 2014, but the strategies outlined in it can still be applied today.

• Friction by Jeff Rosenblum and Jordan Berg: I haven’t had a chance to read this one yet, but it’s on my “quarantine list”. This book talks about branding in this new age, where consumers are constantly bombarded with advertisements, and how to create a “passion brand” that is more focused on engaging with audiences and building stronger relationships.

If you’re not a reader, check out some of these TED Talks to keep your ideas fresh and your mind motivated.

4. Start writing a blog.

I realize that a blog may be the last thing on your mind right now, but hear me out. We already know that blogs can help you generate more website traffic, which in turn will provide you with more leads and a better ROI for your marketing efforts. If you need a refresher on that, check out this previous post of mine. 

This is the perfect time to start writing a blog related to your business for a number of reasons. 

1. You finally have the time to spend on it.

2. Nobody knows your business / industry / product better than YOU do!

3. Writing can be extremely therapeutic, especially in tough times.

4. As stated previously, people are spending more time online. Give them more content!

If you don’t think you’re a writer, just start jotting down ideas. Write what you wish your customers knew about your business, what you can offer, and just focus on tips that they would find helpful as it relates to what you do. You’d be surprised at what you come up with when you just start writing things down. Structure the information into an outline and fill in the gaps with any needed context. Before you know it, you’ll be writing blog posts!

If nothing else, the most important thing you can focus on right now as a small business owner is your health. I’m not just talking about your physical health (even though we’re in the middle of a global pandemic), but also your mental health. If your body is telling you to use this time to get some rest or spend some quality time with your family at home, do it. There is no rule that says you NEED to be working on your business when it’s closed. These tasks will still be available for you to work on when all of this blows over, too.