Undeniably, it’s a tough time for businesses all around, especially those who employ a physical B2C approach such as retail stores, sundry shops, and food trucks to name a few. Especially those in the F&B line, from restaurants like Fierce Curry House, VCR, Go Lucky Tora, to food trucks like Mom’s BBQ and Griddle Grilled Cheese have shifted their business model heavily to employ the use social media marketing services, doing deliveries online as a means of a lifeline to their business, and for some of them, this is their final string to pull.

So in order for businesses to survive during trying times, they need to adapt to new, unorthodox strategies in order to ensure operations can continue as normal.

Adapting Your Strategy

The virus doesn’t choose who it’s going to infect, and as the public is strongly advised to stay at home, this in turn affects the businesses, especially the ones who have never had an online presence before. 

However, this presents an opportunity to get creative and be bold in new directions. The tools of social media marketing are omnipresent around us, and the power of the internet has allowed people to become closer even if they are miles apart. 

Despite this, it’s also important to note that such an expansion into the online sphere cannot be a one time venture. The business landscape will change 100% as soon as the COVID-19 clears out and life resumes back to normal, hence it’s paramount that the online segment is able to stand on its own feet, and still be relevant after the pandemic passes by.

It’s also important for owners to be up to date with their operational capabilities, because from there, it smoothens the process of what kind of digital marketing agency you require for effective social media marketing. 

To break it down simply, if your company is strong operationally and has the know how to navigate digital marketing but struggling to get conversions, outsourcing lead generation may be a good idea. However, if your company’s operations are unstable, you may want to engage with a 360 agency for support in digital marketing. But if you’re unsure whatsoever on what needs to be done, it’s in your best interest to get advice from consulting agencies for clearer and more effective decision making.

Creating a contingency plan during times like these will also benefit the business immensely. It’s dangerous to assume that just because your sales online have skyrocketed doesn’t mean it will stay the same after the lockdown is completed. A report by McKinsey & Company urges companies to reimagine the new normal, and it’s high time for businesses to adapt in order to move about the landmines of COVID-19. Who knows, you may find success in automated solutions, and the flexibility of your services may just be the hook on the lifeline to fish you out of the water.

Using The Downtime To Refocus Your Brand, Direction, And Team

With every dark day, there is always a silver lining. Working from home means less physical disruptions and distractions, and more time to focus on the remainder of your task list, and during this time, it’s best to look forward, and plan a strategy. Putting in a few hours to brainstorm with your team, and coming up with an action plan will pay dividends for when you hit the ground running.

It’s also important to remember that your employees are the lifeblood of your company, hence now it’s a good time to provide them with training and self-development, but most importantly, the bond between you and your employees must be maintained. 

Working from home can strain relationships as there’s no body language to read, hence the chance of miscommunication and misunderstanding increases drastically. Communicate with your employees clearly to ensure all miscommunications are minimised.

Embrace Digital

In the age of globalisation, it shouldn’t be a surprise any longer and it’s becoming increasingly rare for a business to not have a digital footprint.

In fact, some do it so well, that people can get literally anything and everything under the sun. Example being like Shopee or Lazada, who have successfully capitalised in the era of digitalisation in order to provide consumers with whatever they desire. Necessity, truly is the mother of all innovation.

And why wouldn’t you invest in technology? The benefits are aplenty, the drawbacks minimal. Apart from the usual gamut of pros that everything can be done much faster, your workflow can also be streamlined with the help of automation, which leaves you more time and space to expand and maximise your business capabilities.

General Manager and Vice President of Zoho Corporation Pte Ltd Asia-Pacific had this to say, “As a business owner, you need to list your products online for sale, collect payments from customers, pay taxes, as those things go away. SMEs still need to do that and compete globally. How technology enables us is that we’re able to automate these tasks.”

In this sense then, more mundane tasks are no longer a front facing concern as businesses are able to shift their time and energy to be more efficient in other areas instead.

And to stay ahead of the curve, businesses have to stay in the game, and engaging with a digital marketing agency is one of your best bets when it comes to gaining the competitive edge in a now broadening market. Of course, learning from step one in the realm of digitisation will take up valuable time, so it’s best to leave it to the experts while the business focuses on more important things. 

Innovate To Survive

Of course, it’s easy to turn to the government and ask about compensation, and what they can do for the business owners, but the more pragmatic approach is to act fast, and it’s time for leaders, and CEOs of companies to step out to the frontline and provide quick and smart solutions to confront the current crisis.

Often in dire situations like these, time is of the essence, and taking the necessary steps now rather than later means your business will be better prepared to absorb the impact and continue to stabilise as the pandemic goes on. In a global effort to assist the frontliners, many companies have made game changing moves. Gardenia has donated approximately RM150,000 to the National Zoo to support its animals. Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, or better known as LVMH have shifted some of their luxury house’s factories to produce hand sanitisers and masks to be given out to the nurses, doctors, and patients, at no extra cost. 

New Balance has halted its shoe production in order to create masks for the American citizens. With the power of social media marketing, global efforts such as these strengthen the brand’s footing in the minds of the audience, subsequently building loyalty, and retaining their support even after the crisis is long gone. 

However, saving the earth does not need to have a global ambition. In fact, we can all play our part by helping out each other, as now is the time to forget about the competition for a little while, and focus on our survival. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]