Staying Afloat. Even when it feels like you're sinking.

It seems like every day I talk to someone who owns a small business and who is STILL struggling mightily to stay afloat, stay ahead of Covid, stay relevant, and stay connected to their customers and clients.

None of us has EVER been in this kind of a position before – and it’s definitely taking a toll on us all. And while things ARE getting better, I personally believe that 'going back to normal' isn't going to happen any time soon.

It’s exhausting to keep juggling all the balls we have in the air, all day every day.

Here’s the thing I keep going back to, though. When your business has a following, those people will continue to stick with you. Definitely not in a normal way right now, but they will stick with you.

The relationships you’ve worked SO HARD to cultivate can continue, but you’re going to have to pivot (such a good word, don’t you think?) in ways that keep you on their radar. Why? Because their radar is jam-packed right now with ALL the other stuff. Work. Or no work. Kids. Everyone at home. Worry. It’s a lot. And they’re as exhausted as you are.

So how can you stay top-of-mind with your customers and clients right now?

Here are 4 tips that I know will help:

1. If you have an email list – even if recently you’ve been too focused on other things than sending a newsletter – get that list out and reconnect via email! You may not be able to invite people into your business, but you sure as heck can talk about what you’re working on, and plans you have for when you can reopen.

2. If you don’t have an email list, get busy on your social media channels to stay connected. Same thing as sending email newsletters – maybe you can’t be open, but you can offer all kinds of content via social media.

3. If you have clients, call them up and find out how they’re doing. We all need to hear friendly voices right now, and they need to hear from you. Ask how you can help them. Maybe it’s not business help they need – but they need a resource for something, and you happen to know someone.

4. Follow others in your industry and see what they’re up to. What are they doing that you could do, too? Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, take the wheel and add your own spokes to it.

Want more ideas? Give me a call and we’ll come up with some. No charge.

Just me ... wanting to help you ... so that when we all come out of this awful year ... you’re still afloat and ready to rock again.