

So, their community might be looking to them to solve these new problems now.” The right message? An authentic and empathetic one "Our customers who are small businesses created their small business to solve problems for their community,” Griffis said, “and now their community has a new set of problems. Podium, for one, has compiled a list of best practices across industries to serve as a resource to the business community, Steele said.Ĭoronavirus Small Business Guide Create compelling content on the right social channelsīusinesses don't have to be on every social channel right now: They should instead focus on one or two platforms where their customers are already spending time and engaging them there, said Griffis of Buffer, the social media management platform.Ĭonsumers are now turning to social media for compelling content that offers solutions and even advice, she said. Seek out best practices in your sector via industry resourcesīusinesses would be wise to identify how industry peers are navigating the crisis effectively, and then adapt accordingly, panel members said. “That is a major source of information.”ĭavis explained how he tapped into The Breakfast Klub’s customer database of thousands of email addresses, phone numbers, and culled through thousands of social media posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to reach out and connect with its guests. “This is where years of data building has come into place,” Davis said. It might sound simple, but reaching out to shoppers in mass at this time is critical.

Leverage your brand reach via customer data “Businesses need to stay open and customers need to transact,” Steele said.
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Tap technology that keeps you open for business: touchless payments, texting and video callsĭennis Steele, co-founder of Podium, which provides messaging tools to local businesses, said the crisis has transformed technology like touch-free mobile payments from a nice-to-have tool to a must-have tool, as today, “the only experience you can have with your customer is messaging and touchless, so it’s forced our customers to adapt,” he said.īusinesses across industries are shifting their in-person transactions to virtual ones, like a jewelry store that has added mobile payment capabilities and video calls to its toolbox, and a car dealership that is now conducting “virtual tourism” on its lot, Steele said.Ĭreating a friction-free process for consumers now is more important than ever, which is why Podium is also offering a free Text-to-Takeout feature to enable online ordering, payment processing and customer pickup all via text for local restaurants affected by the pandemic. “The pandemic forces you into a position to listen to the marketplace and create what the marketplace is calling for,” he said. I have a stack of boxes table-high that have to go out,” Davis said. “Right now, we have sold the most products than we have sold in the history of our company. It also forced his attention to neglected areas of the business, such as The Breakfast Klub’s product line of items like seasonings and pancake mixes, which has now become an unexpected new revenue stream. That meant closing two locations, and shifting his two other locations into takeout, delivery and online-ordering hubs. Adapt to the marketplace’s immediate needs, explore untapped revenue sourcesįor Marcus Davis, entrepreneur and founder of Houston restaurant The Breakfast Klub, the pandemic has forced him to swiftly pivot his business to what the market is calling for now.

Here are seven critical takeaways from the discussion.

Marcus Davis, entrepreneur and founder of Houston restaurant The Breakfast Klub Hailley Griffis, head of public relations for social platform Buffer and Dennis Steele, co-founder of Podium, which provides messaging tools to local businesses, spoke with CO-'s content director Jeanette Mulvey. Struggling to stay connected to your audience during coronavirus? CO-'s expert panel served up insider perspectives on how businesses are managing to keep customers engaged during the crisis while adapting their strategies to weather the storm. Our panel of experts discusses how you can stay connected with your customers during the coronavirus outbreak.
