Local businesses help define a community. They are an integral part of giving a city its character and personality. However, they’re typically small businesses that run on narrow margins. A massive economic upheaval like COVID-19 is always going to hit these kinds of companies hardest. With that in mind, we’ve gathered the following tips to help local business owners figure out ways to keep things running despite the pandemic.
Moves You Can Make While Closed
Area shutdowns don’t have to leave you completely stalled.
- Take advantage of an empty shop to upgrade with new paint or fresh carpet.
- Update or create your business’s website.
- Consider hiring freelance pros to knock out short-term projects.
Local Marketing Tips
Focus on your neighbors — they’ll carry you through.
- Leverage social media advertising to attract local customers.
- Collaborate with other businesses to create a local business coalition.
- Maintain connections with regulars through punch cards or other loyalty programs.
Community Safety
Focus on prevention measures to keep your employees and customers safe and healthy.
- Require employees to wear masks, and ask customers to do the same.
- Clearly mark six-foot spacing to maintain distancing in lines.
- Sanitize frequently throughout the day.
- Run temperature and symptom checks on employees before each shift.
Small, local businesses will have to fight hard to survive through this time. Focus on connecting with customers through all available means. In doing so, you’ll remind them that small businesses bring something special big companies just can’t replicate.
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