Small Business Support

Businesses are having to close their doors to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean you have to put your business into hibernation. Many businesses have transitioned to work remotely, but what if your business has a hands-on or in-person product/service? 

“Instead of focusing on what you can’t do, focus on what you can do.”

Now’s the time to get innovative and keep your business running. The government is doing what it can to support small businesses with loans, but in the meantime, if you can keep your business self reliant, you’ll have a greater advantage when all this is over. 

We want to support local businesses by letting your customers know how they can continue to show their support. If your brick-and-mortar location is closed down and you’re unable to make sales online, you can sell gift cards to be used when stores reopen. That’s just one of the ways to keep your business going. It’s also important to let your customers know how they can support you. That’s where our Social Media Pack comes in. Check it out if you want to sign up, otherwise, let’s go through some ways to keep developing your business while it’s “shut down”.

Work from Home

If you’ve got a product that can be sold online, you’ve got an advantage over many businesses. It might mean turning your living room into a mini warehouse and shipping station, but it can help keep your business going. There are a variety of ways to sell products online with your website and print shipping labels from your home, keeping your business going while maintaining social distancing. VantagePoint Marketing can add an online shop to your website and create an e-commerce store for your business. We know how to integrate shipping programs to minimize manual data entry on your end.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are a great way to keep cash coming into your business if your sales are slowing down. For businesses with products/services that can’t be sold online (massage, salon, acupuncture, tattoo, etc.), gift cards are a perfect option. To incentivize customers, you can offer discounts on high-dollar amounts, giving the customer some savings and generating some quick income for your business. Once your business is open again, customers can redeem these gift cards in person. We can set up your website to allow customers to purchase a gift card or gift certificate and receive it in their email, so they don’t have to worry about losing it and you don’t have to constantly fill out gift certificates and mail them. This solution is great for salons and other hands-on services that can’t be digitized or shipped.

Build an Audience

If you’re stuck at home, unable to run your business, there’s still plenty you can do for your brand. If you can’t sell anything, the best thing to do is enhance your reputation. While potential customers are sitting in their own homes, give them something informational or entertaining. As the subject matter expert for your business, you can be a valuable resource for people to become more informed or interested in your products/services. Give them tips they can use at home and they’ll be more willing to buy from your business. By giving without expecting an immediate sale, you can make the right people interested in your business, making them feel like they want to give something back to you. This isn’t just a sales tactic, in order to work the best, you need to be genuine and offer something valuable for free, knowing that it won’t have an immediate Return on Investment. Be genuine and you’ll find the right people who want to support you and they’ll attract others like themselves.

Deliveries/Pick-Up

Many restaurants have been able to keep their businesses running but don’t want to risk the health of customers or employees. A couple very popular solutions are deliveries or curbside pickup. Customers can order online or over the phone, and the business offers a way for them to get their food without violating social distancing. Is your website optimized to handle online orders?

Other Ideas

Do you have information that people would be willing to pay to learn about? A monthly subscription could work for your business. Getting enough customers to sign up for a low monthly fee can generate a decent recurring income for your business during this downtime.

Start an online apparel store on VPSWAG.com. You can supply your own design or have VantagePoint create a custom design for you. Once your online store is up, all you need to do is promote it. Orders go directly to the VP SWAG department, we order blank shirts, print ‘em and ship ‘em!

Even if your doors are closed, your business can still function. If you’d like out help reaching out to your customers, sign up for the Small Business Support Pack today!