HOW WILL YOU REPURPOSE YOU BUSINESS

As we progress further following the discovery of COVID 19 it is estimated the amount of jobs in the world will reduce by 50%. Massive change is ahead. How will Channel Islands small businesses re purpose their business in order to survive.

Mark Shields – The CAM Coach explains...

REPURPOSING YOUR BUSINESS

As I write this during week 7 of the lockdown in the U.K. at this point we are all in the dark about what is coming in terms our home life, our jobs and the economy. We can only go by each day and wait for the news that COVID has gone but…this may be some time. So what can you do in the meantime to futureproof your business? What will be the new “Normal”? We have all gone through t he DISBELIEF, SHOCK and FEAR stages in trying to get our heads around what is happening and what will happen in the future. As a Life and Business Coach I can tell you that fear brings a lack of creativity, focus and straight thinking so the past few weeks have been a time to digest the reality of the situation ahead and make plans in moving forward with our business. You are probably hearing and seeing o thers in your industry either using COVID19 in their marketing or adapting their business to an online virtual platform. So what do YOU need to do…??

1. BREAK IT DOWN

What do we know about the future? • Things won’t change until we get a vaccine so we are in this for the long haul but so is everyone else • The economy is going to shrink meaning less money in people’s pockets i.e. less disposable inco me • So cial distancing is going to be in place until a vaccine is available which means face to face services will continue to be a challenge • EVERYONE is suffering around us – we are all in this together. The four most important areas of our life are Health, Finances, Lifestyle and Approval – ALL of these are affected at this moment in time.

2. ACCEPTANCE

Accept that this is the new “NORMAL” – it wasn’t i n the plan but it is what it is for now. We need to embrace a new way of working at a social distance with our customers and peers.

3. PIVOT

You need to manoeuvre your business model into your new NORMAL. By this I mean take a look at how you can make changes to your business to see you through during this uncertain time and meet the demands of the new world. Below I have touched on a few pointers to help y ou.

GO VIRTUAL:

If you are renting premises for your business and now cannot see clients

(Est. in Jersey since 1997)

TREATMENTS RANGING FROM

• DERMAL FILLERS • LIP ENHANCEMENT • WRINKLE RELAXING INJECTIONS • A VARIETY OF LASER TREATMENTS

FOR TATTOO REMOVAL, RED VEIN, SUN/AGE SPOT & HAIR REMOVAL

• HYDRAFACIAL™ • NON SURGICAL PROCEDURES

INCLUDING THE NEW PLASMA PEN

The Laser Centre. Island Medical Centre, 14 Gloucester Street, St Helier. E: info@thelasercentrejersey.co.uk. www.thelasercentrejersey.co.uk

WE ARE UNABLE TO LOOK AFTER YOUR BEAUTY NEEDS RIGHT NOW BUT ASSURE YOU WE WILL BE BACK WHEN COVID19 HAS PASSED.IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE TO BOOK FOR LATER IN THE YEAR; Give Julie Naidu or

Kathrin Baumert a call on 888272 to book your consultation.

It’s all in the detail

Whether you're looking to hold a wedding for 80 or 280 guests Vibert Marquees is second to none. We stock a variety of beautifully crafted, high quality marquees and are here to advise you every step of the way, nothing is too much trouble for our professional and experienced team.

Let us create your perfect wedding day. Get in touch today on 482970 or visit our website vibertmarquees.com

WEDDINGS CORPORATE EVENTS SOCIAL EVENTS EQUIPMENT HIRE

face to face you need to look into going “virtual”. This is a stumbling block for many because it might be something that you have avoided up until now and managed to run your business successfully without it. However, now is a good time to look at other ways in which you can engage with your target market. By using the internet there are a whole host of things you can do with Instagram, Facebook and YouTu be that are interactive now. You can offer “one to many” groups, as well as, one to one consultations using Zoom, Webex, Facetime and Whatsapp. Before now you may have put off “going virtual” using excuses like “I don’t have time to learn”, “I’m not very techy”, “I don’t like what I look like on camera”, “it scares me” - these are all limiting beliefs that you need to overcome. We also call them conspi racy theories - a decision with limited data points and little “other” information where we have filled in the blanks with our values and beliefs. PRICING: Look at your pricing – can you lower it now that you may not premises? Its very normal in the current client to lower your pricing using lockdown discounts and promotions. PROMOTIONS: Offer a special promotional pricing structure during this time only s o that you can put your prices back up as we get back to normal. BUILD YOUR TRIBE: Time to “get out there and show yourself” on Social Media, build your tribe even if they do not buy your product or service right now they will remember you if you have said something that resonated with them or supported them which could turn into a “sale” later down the line.

DEVELOP “QUICK TO CREATE” PRODUCTS

 Develop a n ew product that fits with your current business proposition and sell it online. E.G If you’re a trust company offering services face to face, package solutions and market them online. Pivot quickly and create some security with passive income streams. I am seeing a lot of these.  Pre-corded or Live Q&A’s or demonstrations of your work and its benefits.  Educate yourself with Zoom, Skype and get pr oficient at using them.

Doing business virtually isn’t going to go away.  Try and make home working permanent as it cuts massive costs and many people are commenting they are getting much more down.

And most of all its safe.

REVIEW YOUR ADVERTISING STRATEGY:

It is important to think about what your target audience might be looking for right now and what devices they will be spending more time on. St udi es have shown an increase in Instagram use during the lockdown as many were looking for connection with the outside world during that time – use yourself as an example, are you looking at social media more than you did prior to COVID19??

It is also important to consider whether your potential clients would be fearful of face to face situations despite having to “socially distance” and realistically w ould t hey book a face to face business meeting with you right now when they are praying that they keep their job and lifestyle that they have been used to. Google Adwords is used to gain clients by sponsoring certain keywords that your target market might search for in the google search bar and need right now.. For instance, the keyword search of “accountants in jersey” would trigger your advert to pop up as a listing in the Sponsored ads section at the top of the search page. So ads would go to those who are looking exactly for accountants in jersey right now. Organic SEO Spend a day reading the top tips on organic website optimisation. Its free and a lot of people don’t like companies that pay for google advertising. Facebook and Instagram ads go to a targeted audience that you decide. So you look at gende r, location, what they are interested in, what do they read, hobbies etc. It is less pinpointed because let’s face it anyone could be interested in investments – corporate, biker, mother, teacher, scientist, alternative medicine follower, someone who likes knitting and someone who does not. So if Social Media platforms are where you need to now focus your marketing there is so much you can do for free t o get known, be liked and trusted by your audience:  Create and build a Facebook group – create discussions, offer Lives, share posts, stories, case studies, do a poll, ask questions, Q&A days  Pre-recorded videos where you offer free insights into what you do, why you do it, how you got into it and how it can help people. You can also use these videos to demonstrate your skills  Recorded audio i .e. To p tips for businesses. How to reduce costs. How to drive down margins Points to remember when uploading video:  Instagram live – 1 hour time limit  IGTV upload from web – 1 hour  IGTV upload from mobile – 15 mins  Facebook Live - 4 hours from a mobile  Facebook video upload - 4 GB or 120 mins

DO SOME PR

 Contact The Jersey Life magazine and ask if there are any features they are doing for local busin esses – if you are offering a freebie for NHS workers tell them!!  Contact Local TV - Right now, the news stations are all talking about

COVID19 and they need more “real-life”stories about how people are affected. You could write and tell them how you are adapting as a business and give it a positive slant. I hope that some of the above have given you some ideas about how to go forward in your business plan ning. None of us have a crystal ball but one thing we can be sure of is we need to be flexible, re align to our new market in the new world, look at our prices, and PIVOT and direct your business facilitating the amount of change needed to keep you on the business map

Article Authors: Mark Shields & Karen Shields CAM Coach Team Life Practice UK Ltd http://www.lifepractice.co.uk/ Life Practice Acade my h ttps://courses.thecamcoach.com/

A wide variety of CBD products, including; CBD COFFEE • CBD EDIBLES • CBD OILS

Some of the recorded Health Benefits; BETTER SLEEP • PAIN IMPROVEMENT REDUCTION IN STRESS & ANXIETY

GREEN MACHINE CBD JERSEY

BROWSE AND BUY FROM www.greenmachinecbd.co.uk

Free Delivery Island wide • Tel: 07700 700765 greenmachinecbdjersey

'The Sunshine Vitamin' Spending more time inside during lockdown...

✓ Quality Assured ✓ Organic ~ 100% Purity ✓ Suitable for Vegetarians