We can’t shake hands. But we can still connect in 2020.

2020 has come with a reckoning. Small businesses globally are still picking up the pieces, some less fortunate are already closing their door for good. Now, I don’t want to sound like it’s “doom and gloom,” but there’s a lesson to be learned in all of this. 

While I’m aware that there are businesses that thrive and survive on storefront locations and hand-to-hand combat with customers, those who they end up building close personal relationships with, we can no longer ignore or put off the changes taking place.

COVID has brought industries to their knees. It’s given small business owners a new challenge and has forced us to think outside the box. It may even push us toward the technology we once thought was not necessary. Right now, it’s the ones who have realized the power of technology and have used it to their advantage that survive. 

Scroll through your LinkedIn or Facebook feed and you’ll realize familiar faces popping up. These are the communicators who have seized the moment to make a pivot and to turn their business COVID-proof. These are the ones who took COVID on the chin and decided to consciously put themselves out there in the social media and digital communications world.

Leveraging communication platforms and tools has now become the norm for most small business owners – those who must take on the challenge of survival and growth once more. 

One way many small businesses are taking advantage of their situation is through WhatsApp Business. WhatsApp has allowed business owners to personally connect with customers, answer questions and relate on the fly. And through technology like this, Zoom or Slack, businesses are exploring new avenues to create their brand.

For all that has changed, one thing that hasn’t is people. People are still human-beings. They are still emotional. They still yearn for connection. They still desire to be heard. And as a business owner, the opportunity is still here to reach out and share your story. The opportunity is still here to be authentic to who you are, what you do and how you really can help them through these challenging times. 

There will always be the need for goods and services, and depending on how you decide to communicate, you can foster a better future and a better relationship with those who matter.

Those who can use digital media in a time where social media consumption is on the rise, and where content is a driving force for business right now, will survive and thrive in the time to come. It’s the one who is able to harness digital communication and marketing and make it a part of their changing business operation that may come out of 2020 with at least a semblance of a smile. 

Over the past few months, I’ve heard the complaints and the difficulties. I can’t say I have feared any better. It has been tough. Yes, business operations have changed. Yes, the landscape is not what we thought it would be. Yes, I get down on days when I realize I’ve tried everything there is to move forward and nothing seems to work. But there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel. And that shining light is your customer. And the tunnel to them has now become communication, relationship building and empathy in the new normal.

And it has been my pleasure to help my clients through this period, helping them hone their communication strategy and their digital marketing promise to make digital a part of their plans and their progress. Thinking about how to get past 2020 and build a better 2021? Let’s chat.

Nisha Lee- Archibald
Managing Director/CEO
Evolving Marketing Concepts Limited

WhatsApp Business/ Phone: 868-780-0699
Email: info@evolvingmarketingconcepts.com