This May, we acknowledge the end of the school year, the unofficial start to the summer, and the businesses that have been approved to reopen. Yet even with changes on the horizon, we are collectively aware of the word “normal” becoming more elusive with each passing day.

Today, we want to wrap up May with a fresh perspective. How can our businesses continue to thrive in this new normal? We believe that your business can flourish if you break it down to the most important concept on which all good relationships hinge: communication.

All humans are wired for connection, and we want to stress the importance of your efforts to strengthen that connection between your clients and your business during this time. To support you, we’re sharing a few ways you can leverage your online presence to accomplish your goals:

• Communicate with Customers
  Start with the basics and update your hours of operation, any changes to services/product deliveries, new sales and promotions, and let them know how you’re prepared to serve them. Do this regularly, even if it means daily updates.
• Update Your Online Presence
  Tools like Google My Business Listing, Facebook Business Pages, and Website Content are all ways you can leverage your online presence for free. If you’re not using them, consider doing so. They lend to increased awareness, increased brand recognition, and strong rankings on Google.
• Begin Marketing through Emails
  Platforms like Mailchimp and/or Constant Contact (free up to 2000 contacts) allow you to begin a new campaign with your existing customers until you gather more contacts. You can update those customers with what’s going on, and provide a call-to-action at the end of each email. By keeping those emails relevant to current events and updates, your readers will continue to feel connected to your business.
• Promote Your Business
  If you’re looking for added awareness because your business cannot operate as it once did, consider Social Media Advertising, Pay-Per-Click Ads (Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising), or starting a Facebook shop.
• Make Irresistible Offers
  Right now, you have clients and customers who are still in need of your products and services. Take this time to not only connect with them, but offer them reprieve in the form of more attractive discounts, gift cards, or percentage off sales.
• Consider ECommerce
  Leverage DIY software like Shopify, SquareSpace, and Wix to build your online store- or check to see if your POS System has an extension to accommodate ecommerce sales. Consider your potential for new yields from an online shop and entertain the idea of outsourcing to a professional to migrate your brick and mortar store to a stellar online shop.

We’d now like to feature three businesses who have used Jason Hunter Design to help them leverage their online presence and optimize the time they’ve had navigating their new “normal.”