If you’re a small business owner, then you know just how hard the pandemic hit local shops. While many businesses shut down for good, some were capable of adapting their business from a brick-and-mortar location to one focused almost entirely on online sales. So how did they do it, and how can someone replicate their success?
Using Social Media to Generate Sales
While many often lament the impact Facebook has on society at large, a business owner looking to create buzz around their product or service would do well to give it a chance. Facebook especially has become a great marketing tool for savvy business owners around the country. Kim Livengood, owner and operator of a local indoor Bazaar, found success on the platform after being forced to shut down her brick-and-mortar establishment. She turned to live streaming on the site, starting a show called The Bazaar Shopping Network. Bringing her unique brand of charm to the internet at large, she was able to bring attention to the products of merchants that had previously sold their wares at her physical location. This isn’t the only way social media can help to generate sales either. Facebook also offers a marketplace feature, allowing local sellers the opportunity to list their own creations and products directly on the platform. For marketing, Twitter and Instagram can be invaluable tools for reaching key demographics, although depending on what good or service you provide, your mileage may vary.
Creating Your Own Website
Another option many turned to after the restrictions were put in place, creating your own website can bring many benefits to a business. Before the creation of the modern website builder, designing and building your own from the ground up was squarely in the domain of expert web designers. Now, however, companies like Wix or Squarespace have given small business owners the ability to make their own marketplaces themselves. Offering up a number of different tools, these websites make it easy for someone without a working knowledge of things like HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, to create a stylish and functional website to help bolster their online image. One of the major perks of owning your own site is being entitled to all of your profits. When it comes to sites like eBay or Amazon, a cut out of each sale goes directly to the company you’ve listed on, but when you list products on your own site, you get to reap all the rewards.
Building a Better Connection With Clients
Modern technology also lends itself well to business owners that need to see their clients face to face, like teachers or private tutors. Once a rare spectacle, video calling services like Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime are now ubiquitous throughout the country. Allowing you full access to your clients without violating any of the COVID restrictions put in place. This can also be a benefit to your pocketbook, without the need to travel to and from your client’s homes, you’ll save both money and time. Adapting to the changing landscape of the business world can be difficult. But for a business to survive, and thrive, it’s an incredibly important skill to have. Especially in a world growing increasingly reliant on technology in all aspects of life.