10 things you can do to help your business grow during Coronavirus lockdown
It’s safe to say the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the face of just about everything…and we’re only really at the beginning of it all. Whilst we may all feel frustrated by an impending house arrest, there’re plenty of ways to use the time to build or strengthen your business from the comfort of your own home.
Get reading
Shifting commute time from your day will open up lots of spare time and there’ll only be so many house chores or self care activities you can fill it with. Setting time each day to read more will open your mind to new ideas, ways of thinking and help give you some fresh perspective on your business.
Reading both non-fiction and fiction, will arm you with a new layer of creativity and knowledge so that when normal business resumes, we can bring that fresh approach and apply it to our business strategies.
Need some reading inspiration? We’ve got a handy list of business books we love right here.
2. Review EVERYTHING
We’ll most likely naturally start to do this as we’ll have time to think harder about the things that are working for us and the things that aren’t. Instead of waiting for this to happen, book some time into your day to take a deep dive look into your website, your copy, your branding, your business plan…everything. Start by writing out a list of all the things you need or want to change and then start mapping that into an order of priority.
Need a fresh perspective on it? We’re offering Audit Hour consultation sessions. Via Zoom, we’ll virtually sit and go through any area of your marketing with you and provide you with a report afterwards that breaks it down into a workable strategy. We can look at your website copy, website performance, social media, branding, brand copy and blog content.
£75 +VAT without a report, £100 +VAT with a report
3. Write!
You are the expert in your field. Use this time to write some thought leadership pieces to post on LinkedIn, your business blog or to use as an email for your customers. Start by writing a list of all the things you could talk about as a business owner that would add value to your audience. Think about what questions your customers ask you the most?
Writing doesn’t come naturally to a lot of us - don’t worry too much about tidying it up or posting it live, just get it lined up and ready.
Thought leadership posts can really help position your business and give it more of a personal touch but also fundamentally can help boost your SEO, helping your business get found by more people.
Need help with copy? Get in touch to talk about how we can help.
4. Build a website
Have you got a business idea or blog concept in the pipeline? Use your time to build the bones of a new website. If you’re not sure how to do this, start to map out what you’d like your website to look like. Research examples of other websites you like the look of, colours that appeal to you, copy you’d like to include, images you’ve got to hand to use etc.
Are you going to sell from it? What products will you be selling? If it’s a blog you’re starting, what topics would you like to cover?
Start by securing your URLs and associated social handles. We’re partial to recommending Squarespace - it’s simple to use, stylistically offers lots of options and provides good integrations with other tools.
Need help getting set up?
5. Schedule your social content & engage
It’s a bit of a mundane task but get ahead and use a tool like Later to schedule your social media content ahead of time. Schedule content across all channels: Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. Organise your content into themes so you can see the areas you might need to fill.
Also use this time to engage more with like-minded brands, relevant influencer content and your customers. Comment on their posts. Like their posts. Slide into DMs. Start AUTHENTIC conversation.
Clean up your followers too. Block any accounts that might be fake or redundant and unfollow anyone who’s irrelevant to your business.
6. Join a community
There are some phenomenal online communities out there, all packed full of incredible like-minded business owners who can lift and support you in ways you couldn’t imagine. Running a business can be lonely but these communities, often run from Facebook, lighten the load. They act as a soundboard for just about any business dilemma you’re facing and help beat loneliness of working for yourself.
Here’s a handy list of some of our favourites.
7. Get your finances in order
It’s unavoidable. We’re heading into rough waters when it comes to the economy and that’s going to impact us. Take the time to review your finances. Look at any debts you have and how to navigate repayments if money coming in is tight. Make sure you’ve got a pension set up (we recommend checking out Penfold who make it super easy for self-employed/freelance folk to set up a pension) - it’s easily forgotten when you work for yourself but preparing for your future is essential. Review your revenue streams - can you do more with your skillset to bring in income? Assess your outgoings - cut anything unnecessary.
Also check out our friend, This Girl Talks Money who shares lots of tips and ideas around all things finance related!
Don’t forget to keep an eye on this page from the HMRC on the latest guidelines from the government for the self-employed.
8. Go live!
Self-isolation, social distancing…it’s leading us to some lonely times. Use Instagram and Facebook lives to connect with your online communities. Find out how they’re feeling, share knowledge with them, build personal connection. Having even a little bit of “face time”, even if through a screen, can really help fight the loneliness of working from home. Set a time each week where you’re going live and think about some topics to touch on. Don’t script your lives - be natural, fluid and inquisitive as to what your audience want from you.
9. Learn new skills
Use this time to diversify your skillset. There are a host of incredible resources at our fingertips these days to make learning a new skill easy. Think about skills that compliment your existing work. Psychology is a really interesting subject to dive into for example if you work in sales or communications. Rubbish at finances (like me!)? Learn about how it all works. Want to get savvier on a channel you’ve not used much? Now’s the time!
Check out Udemy, Skillshare, CreativeLive, General Assembly and Future Learn to get you started.
You can also join our Digital Doers group - going live on April 1st. We share tools, how to guides and tips and tricks to improve your digital marketing strategy. £17.50 per month (minimum 3 months membership).
10. Don’t panic!
We know this is easier said than done when you’ve got overheads you know you need to cover and income grinds to a halt - we’re with you on this. But we have to remember the context. This is impacting all of us - employed of not. In the wake of adversity, good things come. Get yourself ready for the change. Prepare to take every opportunity you can and be more creative than you have ever been. We will get through this together!
