Maximizing Your Downtime – Tips for Local Businesses

Asking for reviews should be a natural part of the customer journey in your business, but it doesn’t hurt to follow-up now and then. Reconnect with your recent customer with a simple email asking if they’d be willing to leave a review. Be sure you include links to the relevant review platforms.

If you use a review tool like Locallogy’s Review Builder , the process of reaching out to your customers can be automated with custom emails.

And when you receive a review, take the extra time to respond. This reinforces your commitment to customer service to both the existing customer and your potential customers.

In a perfect world, local businesses would spend time reviewing their marketing plans fairly frequently. Unfortunately, that’s not alwaysthe case. Take some time out now to evaluate your marketing plan. Examine what’s working in terms of your marketing, what’s not working, and what you’d like to see happen.

As a business owner, you may also act as head of marketing in your company. In that case, you’re already familiar with the marketing plan and can review it on your own . If you’ve entruste d marketing responsibilities to someone else in your organization , now is a great time to regroup with them . Set up a call or video conference dedicated solely to discussing your marketing plans.

If you find you’d like to make some alterations to your marketing approach, this lull in business may be the perfect time to implement those changes.

And don’t forget, you don’t have to go it alone. There are lots of resources, like Locallogy’s blog , full of useful information and tips on local business marketing.

B randing is certainly part of your overall marketing plan, but it’s important enough to warrant its own, separate review. Remember, your branding is your company’s identi ty . It’s the message you send to existing and potential customers. For this reason, it’s critical your branding aligns with your company’s values and mission.

If you’re like most small businesses, your website is a big part of your branding. It’s the face of your company that most prospects see first. Does it reflect your brand, your values , and the quality of work?

Set aside some time to evaluate your branding and the message it sends. If you feel it still accurately portrays your company, great! If not, this is the perfect time for a refresh.

Part of running a successful business is keeping an eye on your competitors. But when you’re busy with the day-to-day operations of your own company , it’s not always easy.

Carve out some time to check on your competitors. Take a look at their websites . Pay attention to the content t hey’re providing, the online features available, even the photos they’re displaying. Use this to gauge your own site.

Next, scroll through their social media feeds. Again, take note of the content they’re sharing. Pay particular attention to any services or features they may be providing that your company doesn’t. This might give you some insight into how you can better compete with the other local businesses in your field.

It’s easy to get discouraged when customers aren’t coming through your doors. But a lull in face-to-face business doesn’t mean your company can’t grow. Use this downtime to better your company from the inside out. Reconnect with your customers, beef up your marketing and when your doors re-open, you’ll already be prepared to take your business to the next level.