Staying creative

As we enter week 2 of lockdown and initial crisis management activities are beginning to take effect, businesses need to look to adapt quickly and act innovatively in order to prevail. Some of the world’s greatest ideas have been born from extreme times of adversity and this time is no different.

Align with people’s needs and diversify
Whilst the business world has dramatically slowed, this doesn’t mean that your offerings are no longer needed. Re-imagine your products and create ways to offer them ‘on the go’. With restaurants and bars now closed, some are instead opening their doors for deliveries or selling off stock in bulk. People still need to eat (and drink!) so it’s a great idea to bring the restaurant or bar to people’s homes instead. Craft businesses are making ‘quarantine kits’ to keep customers busy and garden centres are offering delivery services for those green-fingered souls amongst us. Those who offer classes – be it educational or fitness – can now offer these classes online and reach customers all over the world, rather than just those local to them. Take the time to explore new ideas that align with what people need now, as well as in the future, and your business will thank you for it for years to come.  

Offer complementary services or products
In these financially uncertain times, the last thing on your mind might be to give your services or products away for free, but it’s a great way to keep your name out there and help others at the same time. People will remember the positive things you did during the pandemic, so have a think about what could really offer value. Some businesses are even trading services with each other - perhaps you need some marketing or branding help and you can then offer your services in return. Now is a time to collaborate and come together, and who knows what may come from it in the future.

Virtualise your business
Technology has never been more important than right now – which is great news if you’re a tech whizz, but not so much if you’re used to face-to-face operations. Once you get your head around it, technology will be your greatest friend and there are lots of great virtual business tools to enhance productivity. For video conferencing, Zoom, Google Hangout and Microsoft Teams are great to stay connected with your employees and clients. For smaller businesses, Trello is a great list-making software to keep on top of key tasks and stay organised, and HubSpot is a great CRM tool used for sales and management. Some companies are even making use of Virtual Reality to promote their products and it’s revolutionising the ‘try before you buy’ concept.

Engage with customers using creative marketing
With more people online than ever before, get on top of your marketing strategy. Whilst we are all looking for ways to reduce costs, cutting out your marketing budget would be a massive no-no. Maintaining visibility is essential for the long-term – you need to stay actively engaged with your customers or you risk losing them. Of course, marketing messages will need to change, and empathy is hugely important. Take this time to build trust for your brand and get active on social media. Post messages of positivity and show what you are doing to help – this might be offering free or discounted services or useful advice. People have more time on their hands to sit and watch webinars and videos so think about incorporating these into your strategy. Your aim is to stay at the forefront of people’s minds (without being insensitive to the current situation).  

A note from the blue umbrella team
As a remote working team, we’re lucky that we have long been used to the challenges of working from home and online, but many of our clients are not – and without them, we don’t have a functioning business. Many of our clients usually work face-to-face which has meant a huge switch up in how they operate. But, if we act quickly and think outside the box, we can grasp this opportunity to not only survive but to really thrive in the face of adversity.

If you have any tips for staying creative, drop us a line at info@blueumbrella.co.uk