there is no such thing as as an Offline Business Anymore

“And that one thing will require you to make a fundamental change in how you do business…you need to move from offline to online services.”

By Kevin Snow

Transitioning from brick and mortar retail to online is relatively simple. It’s not easy, but it is simple. Set up a website with shopping cart capabilities, link a payment gateway, upload your products, add in a little SEO juice and BAM! you are now an online business.

But I want you to imagine that instead of a brick and mortar retail shop you own and operate a business that relies entirely on you performing a service in person or at your clients location for income.

Depending on where you live, at some point during February or March, you woke up to a world where social distancing was the norm, you couldn’t go to your client’s offices, your clients couldn’t come to you, and you couldn’t even go into your own office….indefinitely.

At that moment, the only thoughts going through your mind were…

“Oh fuck! How am I going to pay my employees? How will I pay all my expenses? Will I have to close my business forever?”

As all these thoughts are racing through your head and taking your anxiety and stress to all new levels, you realize there is one thing you can do to keep your business operating. And that one thing will require you to make a fundamental change in how you do business…you need to move from offline to online services.

So how do you do that? Here are three steps to move your business online

Step 1. Figure out what you are going to sell online.

This is going to be easier for some of you than others. If your business provides a service like coaching, consulting, or marketing, you may do some in person meetings, but really, you can do everything you normally do for clients remotely and meet virtually. If you are in an industry where clients traditionally prefer in-person meetings, legal and accounting for example, you can still transition everything you do to online. You just need to have a conversation with your clients about how you are changing how you interact.

But what if you are one of those people who can’t work remotely because you are a [insert profession]?

It may take some creative thinking, but you can still do it. There are five questions you need to answer to identify what your online offer will be.

• What part of your services could you offer online?

• What are the related skills you have you could use to create an online offer?

• What existing assets can you turn into an online offer?

• What would your audience be interested in learning from you?

• What specific problems can you help your client solve right now?

As you develop this new offering you may notice that this new offer does not have to disappear when social distancing disappears. These offers can become a permanent offering that generates additional revenue for your business.

Step 2. Embrace technology and virtual meetings

Obviously if you are going to be doing business online you are going to need some additional technology to facilitate your online communication and support for your clients AND your employees.

Video conferences are the new norm for business, and they are most effective when others can see your facial expressions and body language, so don’t keep the video off and be aware of how you present yourself. Approach each meeting with purpose. Avoid multitasking while in the meeting, arrive on-time and prepared, and if there are more than two of you meeting; assign a facilitator to keep the meeting moving and on task. For video, I recommend Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

In addition to a video communication tool, there are some other cloud-based business applications that help you stay in sync with your clients and your team. These include Instant messaging, project management and file sharing. Some of my favorite tools include Microsoft Teams and Slack for chat; Asana for project management; and One Drive and Box for file sharing.

It is also important to be smart with how you use your communication technology. Emails should be used for single messages, such as setting up video meeting times or sharing files; not long drawn out back and forth conversations. Instant messaging should be used for discussing a project casually or having brief catch-ups with coworkers or clients. For more in-depth conversations that require a lot of back and forth, make a call via phone or video conference.

“While it may be tempting to spend downtime catching up on paperwork, emails, and inquiries, it will benefit you ten-fold if you focus on other marketing efforts, business building, and strengthening your connections.”

Step 3. Ramp up your marketing

The brands that come out ahead from this quarantine are the ones that keep their marketing machine moving. This is the time to build your brand awareness and your email list so when things return to some semblance of normalcy, you are front and center in your clients’ and prospects’ minds.

Think about the value you can offer your audience right now. People will be online and on social media more, so the businesses that keep showing up and being visible will be top of mind when things turn back around. But you can’t be all “Hey come buy my stuff!” Be real, raw, and open about your struggles navigating through this as well as offering solutions to your audience’s pain points. Be authentic and provide as much value as possible to your potential clients and when they have a need you can fill; you will be the first person they think of.

Review your marketing spending. Make sure you are putting money towards campaigns that are generating results. Now is not the time to pay $3 for $1 worth of revenue. With that being said, ad costs have gone down, meaning you can stretch your budget further and reach more of your target audience. But you need to be super targeted on your social media. Do your ideal clients for your pre-social distancing products match your new product offering? If not, update your Ideal Client Avatar and adjust your social media ad campaigns.

Ok so I mentioned email. If you aren’t already building an email list… get started! Of all the marketing mediums out there, email still has the highest return on investment. If you aren’t using email automation to communicate with your prospects and clients you are missing out on opportunities to shorten your sales cycle and generate repeat revenue from past clients. My email tool of choice is a system called Ontraport.

While it may be tempting to spend downtime catching up on paperwork, emails, and inquiries, it will benefit you ten-fold if you focus on other marketing efforts, business building, and strengthening your connections. If you bring in a remote worker and delegate those administrative tasks to them it will free up your time and make you more productive during this time in your business.

The world of business is quickly evolving and if you are afraid of doing business online your business will struggle to survive.

Yes, businesses are in a difficult time right now, but it is possible for a business to undergo a digital transformation and generate revenue. As a business, you have a lot to gain when you market your services online and a lot to lose if you don’t. As millions of people permanently transition to purchasing products and services online, the greatest risk to your business isn’t losing customers; it’s becoming obscure to the point of irrelevance.

Kevin Snow is the founder of Time On Target, a digital marketing agency that helps businesses effectively use technology to grow their business. Kevin has helped companies all across the United States shorten their sales cycle and increase their closing rates by utilizing sales automation to increase the time sales teams are in front of prospects selling. You can reach Kevin at kevin.snow@time-on-target.com