Hey beautiful people, I hope my message finds you well. Wow, what can I say that hasn't been said already? Probably nothing. It's all already been said. I'd really just like to add to the positive messages going around about looking after your current online business or perhaps even starting one. These past few months have been practically life changing. Things as we knew them are not the same. Corona virus came and has shaken our lives up. In fact, Covid-19 has shook the world.
Lets take a moment, relax, have a cuppa and breathe deep. The shock is over and now it's time to embrace the new norm and focus positively on the business of serving our customers online. Not only does this help to keep each and every one of us a little safer but it gives us the opportunity to take stock of what online business is all about.
So in the manner of sharing, I'd like to share with you 5 tips on continuing to run your online business. If you haven't yet got an online business these could be tips that you could think about in your planning.
Tip 1. Allocate time daily to carry out business activities. If you don't plan time to run your online business you may just find that millions (well not really millions) of other chores and activities fill your day and before you know it, you've missed an opportunity to move forward. It's easy to slip into doing this and doing that but if you are serious about your business it's a must to allocate time daily.
Tip 2. Brainstorm how you can add value to your customers during the quarantine. In fact, not just quarantine but all the time. Okay, so you have a great online business or are even thinking of starting one. It's always a great idea to add value so that your customers know that you are thinking about them. It could be as simple as adding offering a discount off of their next purchase or adding a little thank you card (business card size) to their purchase. The ideas are endless and when you brainstorm you are more than likely to come up with a few ideas of your own based upon the type of business you are offering.
Tip 3. Check emails daily for sales. You don't want miss orders (shamefully puts my head down). Okay, I have to admit it but yes, this too has happened to me. The good thing about this bad thing is that it happened earlier in my business and shock me up. Lesson learnt the hard way. However, if you should find that you have accidentely missed an order from a customer; reach out to them, apologize and add a little something extra in their package :-)
Tip 4. Update your website stock after each order. I'm quite guilty of not doing this on a regular basis. If you have an automated system, this will help you out greatly. The last thing you want is for someone to place an order for an item you don't actually have in stock just because you didn't update it. (Been there, done that. Ouch!).
Tip 5. Post on social media to let your customers know that you are still in business. Spread the word that your shop is open. It might seem a little silly to you but believe me if you don't continuously communicate with your customers via social media, they may just think that you're no longer in business.
I hope my 5 tips have been a little helpful and if you are already implementing the tips above I salute you. If not, what are you waiting for ;-)
It's been lovely. Stay safe, stay beautiful, stay blessed.
Nefateri xx