Smarter working when running a small business during the pandemic

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The pandemic has hit millions of businesses around the world, causing them to make major cuts in employment, budget, and for some, permanent closure. If your small business has managed to make it this far, then you’re probably looking for ways to work smarter, decrease expenditure, and appeal to your target audience more than ever. Thankfully, even though the pandemic is still at large, many restrictions are being lifted, which is allowing businesses to continue trading. However, staying smart and vigilant is essential to help your business stay on track. Here are some amazing tips on how to work smarter during the pandemic.

Outsource marketing
Cutting back costs in 2020 might have been a priority for your business, and if you had to cut back on marketing costs and begin tackling it yourself, you’ll know how much time and effort it takes. However, you can have the best of both worlds! While a permanent in-house marketing team would be ideal, if your budget doesn’t stretch that far then you may run into issues. Outsourcing marketing allows you to let an experienced professional create and run your marketing campaigns - but only as and when you need them! Paying a freelancer say, once a month, rather than for every day of the month will save you money and prevent your marketing from falling down the drain.

Look bigger than you are
One of the downsides of being a small business is that quite often, customers would rather entrust their money with larger businesses because they think larger businesses are more trustworthy. While this isn’t necessarily the case, making your business look like a larger corporation may help you attract more customers. You can do this by:

• Paying for a business phone number will help your business instantly look more professional.
• Using a virtual office address. This often gives off the impression of a larger company and initiates loyalty from people who live nearby. Using multiple virtual addresses around the country will only increase this.
• Pay for a professionally designed website. A professional site will give your prospects more confidence, and by default make you look a little bigger (or at least more accomplished) than it would otherwise.
• Market one or very few niches. If the whole corporate team is just you, a concentrated focus on one niche market gives you the time to appear at all business events. You will often encounter the same individuals by focusing all your energies on one industry niche. The more frequently they see you, the more likely they are to believe that your business is bigger.

Sell COVID-friendly products or services
Finally, we’re living in an age where anything to help survive the pandemic is something people will want. Find ways to incorporate COVID-friendly products or services into your niche. Whether it’s a branded face-mask, an app to help cure boredom, or even hacks to help stay safe, people will be interested in buying from a company they know and love. Appeal to the COVID market and you’ll notice a considerable improvement in sales!