Preparing to Return to Normal

The UK government today announced that lock down measures are staying in place for at least another three weeks. That feels like a long time, but what we now have is a potential timeline for when things will begin to get back to normality.

It is very important that you use these next three weeks to prepare yourself and your business for this return to normality, even if that will look a bit different to how it was before.

After lock-down, customers WILL return to what they know and trust. To know you, they must see you. To trust you, they must be able to rely on you. You can achieve this through a strategic approach of visibility and consistency.

Visibility

Staying visible doesn’t mean you have to offer a daily PE session on YouTube (all hail Joe Wicks!). Staying visible means showing up whatever way feels comfortable for you. Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn posts? Newsletters, individual emails, phone calls, video chats?  

Whatever works for you is totally fine but find your thang and rock it with intention.

I like writing. I feel most comfortable being here, or writing in a social media post. So that’s what I do. You must find your way.

Consistency

Consistency is what most people give up on first. Consistency means being reliable which is how trust is built. That’s not just showing up, but showing up regularly.

It doesn’t mean there can’t be some flexibility in your schedule - you aren’t supposed to kill yourself to get a newsletter written every week. But doing something twice then giving up because you didn’t see any immediate return shows nothing but a lack of commitment.

Building Community

Last week I wrote about how to sell sensitvely during the COVID19 Pandemic, if that is possible for you. Not everyone is able to pivot and offer a completely different type of product or service, but what every business owner can do is stay visible and consistent.

Invest in your audience, especially now and especially if you can’t sell your products or services. What you do when you have nothing to sell is way more important than when you do.

It’s how you build community.

It’s how you become known and trusted.