The Golden Rules Of Local Business Success Post-Lockdown

For local businesses, COVID-19 has been a challenging situation. Many small shops have been forced to shut down temporarily for safety reasons. Businesses that provide essential items, such as grocery stores, have also noticed significant fluctuations during the lockdown. The pandemic anxiety has led to stockpiling routines, making it hard for some businesses to adapt to the next demand. Reduced opening hours and extensive safety measures have also transformed your relationship with your customers. 

However, COVID-19 has also offered a unique opportunity for every local shop and business to evaluate their customer interactions and growth strategy. You want to give your local business the best chance of building reliable success in a post-COVID market. 

Is the location right? 

The perception of a convenient location before and after lockdown has changed dramatically. A shop that is easily accessible by car or via public transport, for instance, might have struggled with the limitation of a strict lockdown. A lot of Britons have chosen to stay at home and reduce trips with the car. Shops located at a non-walkable distance have experienced a drop in visits as a direct result. The definition of an accessible and conveniently located shop is changing as a consequence. You may, therefore, want to reconsider where your local business is. Perhaps, now is the time to sit down at the drawing board and reach out to commercial real estate agents to figure out where to find shop lot for rent meeting your criteria. What are the main elements you should consider to redefine your business location?

Ideally, you want a location that is close to residential areas, so that most of your customers can still reach out to you, even in the event where traffic is limited. Additionally, making it easier for visitors with health and mobility issues to come to your shop is another crucial factor for success. Indeed, wheelchair users and people who wish to maintain social distance should be able to visit your business safely. This will require a convenient entrance and width across the whole site. 

Can people find you ONLINE?

Your online presence plays a significant role in building success. Potential visitors are likely to find you online before they come to your business. Whether you run a small and independent shop or manage a medical practice, an indexed and response web presence can help drive visits. There could be a variety of reasons why people might want to check your website. Firstly, they may not be familiar with your business. The website will serve as an introduction to your services and products. Your audience group may know your brand, but they may not know the physical address of the business or its opening hours. Your website can tackle these questions. People who are regular customers may simply want to check whether you’ve got new products in stock, for instance. During the pandemic lockdown, a lot of customers stayed away from businesses that couldn’t provide the answers they needed. Therefore, your online presence can ensure you’re always sharing the most up-to-date information at any time. 

What do customers say about you?

Let’s be honest. It’s the 21st century. Most customers are tech-savvy, which is why many choose to check your brand before visiting your physical business. Your website can provide insights as to what your brand stands for. However, when it comes to making up their minds, customers prefer a more immersive approach. What do people who buy from your business think about it? Online reviews have become an indispensable tool to find the best local business, especially in lockdown. Google My Business, which lets you create a business page, is the first place potential visitors will check. Indeed, your business page enables the display of reviews. Positive reviews can help attract more footfall. Negative reviews, on the other hand, can have a negative impact. Managing reviews becomes a necessity for businesses. There is no way you can remove negative reviews that are real and justified. But you can use them as a learning mechanism and respond to them. Google can help get rid of fake reviews. But if the review is real, you can try to win the customer over by addressing and fixing problems. 

Is social media worth the hype?

Social media management can take a lot of time for small local businesses. Indeed, not every business can afford to maintain an active social media presence. If you wish to be visible on your audience’s favourite platforms, you need to be willing to interact and answer questions in almost real time. Under lockdown, it became more damaging to have a social media profile that is left unattended than to have no profile at all. If you don’t have the resource to manage your profile, the best approach may be to erase it altogether. 

Go above and beyond simple services

Every customer will have questions about a new product or service, or even how to make the best use of their tools. During the lockdown period, face-to-face interactions were impossible. But, that doesn’t mean that businesses can’t provide an answer for their customers. Offering informative content, such as recording vlog on how to use more complicated products or services or how to troubleshoot them can help keep your customers happy and engaged. Blogging can also inject new life into an independent deli shop, for instance, by sharing recipes or cooking tips. In other words, fresh content that helps your customers keeps you relevant. 

Say thank you

How often do you thank your customers? The people who stick with you before, during and after lockdown are the reason why you’re still around now. No customer expects a grand gesture, but feeling valued can go a long way. You can reward loyal customers with a discount or invite them to a launch event, for instance. Additionally, reaching out to loyal customers during self-isolation can also create a new relationship. Not everyone is ready to come out of lockdown. You can ask self-isolating customers how you could support them, such as by arranging deliveries to the most vulnerable. 

The lockdown experience has pushed many local businesses to reconsider their priorities when it comes to maintaining their relationships with their customers. From choosing a location that works for your audience group to handling negative reviews, you can show you care in more than one way. 

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