Open For Business: Three Years Post Pandemic

 

Back in 2021 – seemingly a lifetime ago – Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that around 33% of all small businesses in the US had closed because of the pandemic. While many have re-opened their doors as of 2023, they have faced immense challenges. Those persevering business owners who weathered the storm need the support of the community to keep their doors open.

Today on Highway 58 Herald, we’ll touch base on a few ways that you can support your local businesses and offer advice for our favorite mom-and-pop shops to help them spread the word that they’re still open.

 Marketing Matters More than Ever

If you’re a small business owner that managed to stay open for the last three years, congratulations. Hopefully, you maintain your business or pick up additional clients along the way. However, if not, it’s time to get serious about your marketing strategies. Consider hiring a few helping hands, including someone to manage your social media accounts and keep your website at the top of the Google search results page. There are a few things you can do as well, such as migrating content from PDF to JPG so that these professionals can share these files on the web, or you can get them to the printer for a print marketing publication. Using a conversion tool ensures that your images don’t lose quality; click for more information.

Learn to Love Local Collaborations

Now’s the right time to promote a sense of community among other small businesses in your area. Collaborate with one another by creating joint events, cross-promotions, or even shared advertising efforts. A great example here would be a bakery offering special dessert options for patrons of the next-door coffee shop.  Big brands collaborate all the time, including rivals Burger King and McDonald’s.

Prioritize the Personal Touch

One of the biggest advantages that you have as a small mom-and-pop shop is that you are in a unique position to get to know your customers. And by getting to know them, we don’t mean just their demographics; we mean getting to know them by name. Run Right Business Consulting explains that simply calling your customers by their given name makes them feel special. This can help promote loyalty to your brand and your business.

How Consumers Can Engage

If you’re on the consumer end of the small business equation, you should have a vested interest in keeping your money close to home. When you shop locally, more money stays in your hometown, and you contribute to the local job economy. Importantly, small businesses are more likely to support your local sports teams and charities than the big box stores that might offer convenience.

Choose local businesses where you can, and don’t be shy about attending all types of community events that may be sponsored by new or struggling small businesses. Another way that you can help is to simply like your local businesses on social media. A like is different from simply following a brand; when you like a page, it shows up in the About section of your personal profile, which other people can see. When you follow, you may receive updates. Liking is a passive way to engage in modern word-of-mouth marketing.

Ultimately, community engagement is important on both the giving and receiving ends for small businesses. As an SMB struggling to maintain or regain your share of business as we segue out of a pandemic mindset, make sure to hire helpers to help with marketing. From using simple tools, such as a PDF converter, to making sure your online presence is undeniably visible, everything you do can boost you that much closer toward success. And if you’re a consumer, choose local, and know that your dollars are well spent.

Highway 58 Herald is proud to serve our community. If you have any questions, we’d love to hear from you!