Managing a small business is challenging, and the global Covid-19 pandemic is making it far harder. Moving your business online can be the best way to keep it alive.
As many as 16.6 million jobs are potentially at risk as the pandemic has put an estimated 5.86 million UK small businesses in a financially precarious position, according to a new study from King’s Business School.
Nearly two-thirds of entrepreneurs said their business might not survive the Covid-19 crisis, with more than half predicting they would run out of money within the next 12 months. Separate research from the Federation of Small Businesses found small businesses laid off workers at a record rate in the third quarter of 2020.
Why is moving online the best advice for small business owners?
Right now, with hundreds of millions of people worldwide affected by the Global pandemic, everything is taking place online. It’s the only way to learn, chat with friends, or shop whilst isolating or under another wave of lockdown.
We are already used to carrying out regular daily activities online, like chatting, making transactions, and researching purchases, so moving your interactions with customers online won’t feel like a radical change for them. Covid-19 has just given people who resisted an extra push to sign up to virtual experiences.
What’s more, you have a whole wealth of online tools to choose from to support your business. Zoom video is a great resource. Google Hangouts, or solutions like Skype and Whatsapp video calls are also effective.
Which businesses can move online?
Almost any business can make this shift. For example, lawyers and accountants can share information, get documents and data from clients, and hold consultations online.
Life coaches, personal trainers, and therapists can all move to online sessions as long as they have the right equipment and platforms.
Many digital service providers already do almost all their work online. They might still hold in-person meetings in order to understand the client’s needs and plan how to deliver their services, but no reason why those meetings can’t be held online as well. If you’re a retailer then just shift your sales over to an ecommerce platform and continue doing what you do best, selling!
How can in-person service-based businesses go online?
For some businesses, it will be harder than others to move online, but most business can do it.
Here’s one example: We know a therapist who was in tears at having to close her private practice. She invests a lot of time into creating a nurturing and safe environment for the venerable patients in her care. It’s more than just a business; it’s her life’s passion.
She thought hard and found a way to make it work online. She now runs sessions daily online through her 1-1 and group video calls. She reaches more clients than she could ever physically fit into her practice.
There are other options too, like turning your service into a product. For example, caterers could sell cook-at-home meal kits, this helps to overcome the fact that people are trying to avoid supermarkets as the infection rates are going up again!.
You could create an online video course to share your knowledge, so photographers might make an advanced course in portrait photography or hairstylists could teach how to cut your own hair.
There are even more creative approaches too, like tour guide who replaced their in-person tours with virtual scavenger hunts so families can compete and do quests without leaving the house.
With the coronavirus pandemic rapidly accelerating again, e-learning platforms have been reporting a surge in the numbers of entrepreneurs and businesses moving their content online.
“We are seeing a dramatic increase in online course creation across every single industry right now – everything from business and marketing to personal development and fitness,” says Andrea Merson, the director of marketing at online course platform Thinkific.
Should small businesses be investing time and possibly money into a serious pivot?
Switching a business online is indeed going to be an investment of time, and sometimes money too, but it’s going to be worth it.
It might take some time and money right now, but that will pay off many times over in the long run. Once you find a way to deliver your services online, that revenue stream can continue to be a valuable part of your business even after life returns to “normal” and you’re able to resume in-person appointments and activities.
If you’re delivering value, your customers will still pay to download your materials or take your online course.
We’re just talking about changing the format, like redirecting lawn care services into tutorials and advice sheets or online videos about caring for your lawn yourself or creating a series of classes teaching how to give a massage at home.
What do small business owners need to know before they move online?
First, do think carefully about how you’ll pivot your business to deliver online. You need to make sure that you deliver value if you’re going to charge for your online services.
For example, people might love a free smokey eye makeup tutorial, but if you want them to pay you to need to offer something more.
It’s also important to find the right platform to create your digital products. Zoom and Google Hangouts are great for live classes and consultations. Kajabi is good for building online courses, Canva for cheat sheets and infographics, and Buzzsprout or Soundcloud for podcasts.
You need to put the technical pieces in place before you launch your online services. Make sure you set up secure payment options if you don’t already have them on your website. If you’re offering online coaching or other virtual sessions, include a frictionless way for your clients to schedule their online appointments directly within your website by using an online scheduling platform like calendly.
Don’t forget to use your CRM to track the details of your online customers and leads, so that you can nurture the relationship over the long term.
Remember to focus on your online marketing, uses social media to reach out to your prospects and existing customers for support.
Keep them updated about your situation, and showing that you care about how they are doing. Share free resources so that they continue to benefit from your business.
At the same time, you should be investing in your business right now, so that you’ll be well-placed to bounce back after restrictions end.
Plan your marketing strategy, refresh your website, adopt better tools and processes, rethink your business plans, and get everything fine-tuned so that you’re ready to bounce back.
If you want professional help to get your business online fast, then we can help get you up and running, and generating your revenue online.
Social Media Authority provides a complete strategic digital plan and a full cost-effective service package to get your business set up and selling its product or service online fast. Get transacting online and generating targeted customers for your business.
Click here now to book a free, no-obligation call, and get a complete digital assessment to help get your business up and running fast and effectively online.
