As your Chamber of Commerce, we are here to help your business succeed. We are open, taking calls, and responding to emails in an effort to best serve you. We’ve also come up with a list of creative way to keep your business strong and overcome these challenges, while also being supportive of the highly-encouraged social distancing guidance, so together, we can fight this common threat and restore business as usual.
Take It to the Screen
Almost any business can find a way to sell their product or service online, host a meeting, share a screen, or hold a video conference through other channels than face to face.
You can use tools such as Facebook Live, Zoom, GoToMeeting, or Skype to run an online meeting, event, live chat or demonstration, or educational class. Each platform is different, so choose the one that works best for your needs!
These platforms allow you to leverage digital media and showcase how-to videos. Host a class, sell products through tutorials, etc. to keep your audience engaged! Schedule the class, take online orders, and snail-mail or deliver your products!
Add Conveniences
In an effort to reduce social interactions, here are some ways to keep your doors open by adding conveniences to the shopping experience your clients have.
- Provide delivery
- Offer curbside takeout
- Ship items free of charge
- Start or elevate an e-commerce section of your website
Ideas for Various Industries
Local gyms and fitness studios. Offer member and drop-in online workouts. These online workouts can come in many different shapes and sizes — a live class feed, a video, family workout ideas, or even outdoor-focused fitness themes. Even pack a pre-recorded subscription service for the next month that sends a workout per day.
Flower and gift shops. Sending flowers and gifts to people who are sick, healthcare professionals, and missed family members can be a great way to stay connected and offer a ray of sunshine.
Professional Services: Work from home and stay connected with clients and employees through phone and web conferencing. If you need to send them something, email it or snail mail it.
Retailers: Have you been meaning to update your website or post more pictures on social media about your products? Well, now is your chance! Do you know how many people are decluttering right now, organizing and rearranging their home? Do you know how many people will be in front of their screens with more time to shop online?! Clothes, furniture, art, decorative, houseware stores take heed. Make it easy for customers to buy from your local shop by having an online presence.
Restaurants: We all love going out to eat, but curbing our appetite for social interaction is important, but so is eating! Restaurants may opt to start lunch or dinner delivery and curbside pick-up services, and encourage customers to take meals to go. Why not host an online cooking class and teach customers how to prepare a special meal or cocktail at home? You can pre-package the ingredients for families to take home and make together. Put together a 2-week virtual cookbook to sell and download online. The possibilities are endless…
