Cost-Effective Marketing Ideas for Reopening Your Small Business

If you’re preparing to reopen your small business amid COVID-19, you’ll need to develop a cost-effective plan for reopening—all while keeping everyone safe and healthy in the process. And as part of this reopening process, you’ll need to identify potential safety concerns and problem areas, conduct a hazard assessment and make any necessary changes to your physical location AND communicate these plans to your customers and employees.

As you prepare to reopen your small business to the public, the following ideas will help you do it as safely, responsibly and cost-effectively as possible. Read on to learn more about reopening your small business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVER YOUR BASES

Before reopening your small business to the public, there are several important steps you’ll need to take to ensure the safety of your customers and employees. First, you’ll need to review the reopening guidelines in your state and make any necessary workplace modifications to allow for social distancing, improved air circulation and good hygiene. The State-by-State Reopening Guidance from the US Chamber of Commerce is one great resource for learning how to modify your workplace, screen employees, encourage social distancing, and clean and sanitize your physical location before and after your reopening.

Moreover, the CDC has free print materials to display throughout your workplace and videos to share on your business website and social media pages. Your state’s official website will also have free signs, preparedness plan templates and other materials for your website, social media pages and physical business location.

Second, you may wish to form a limited liability company (LLC) before reopening your small business to the public, as LLCs offer advantages like increased liability protection, pass-through taxation, management flexibility, and less filing paperwork than other business structures. Plus, forming a limited liability company is easy and affordable if you use an online formation service or file the Articles of Organization by yourself.

PLAN AND COMMUNICATE

Once you’ve taken steps to protect your customers and employees from COVID-19, you’ll need to create a cost-effective marketing plan for reopening your small business to the public. Start by setting your marketing budget, looking for grants and loans if you need financial assistance, and communicating your reopening plans to your target audience. Several affordable marketing strategies for announcing your plans to reopen include:

• Updating your website and social media pages
• Emailing your website mailing list
• Modifying any automated responses to include information about your reopening plans (e.g. automated website emails and social media responses)
• Updating your customers via text messaging
• Writing a press release and publishing it on PRWeb
• Advertising your reopening plans on Google and Bing
• Updating your Google Listing (Google My Business)

If your budget allows for it, hire a marketing and advertising agency to create a marketing strategy for reopening your business during the pandemic. L&S, for instance, handles everything from digital marketing and design to web development and video production.

THE BOTTOM LINE

We’re all anxious to resume our lives and businesses after nearly one full year of coronavirus disruption, but to protect our customers, employees and the future of our small businesses, it’s important to follow CDC and local guidance—and clearly communicate reopening plans to target audiences. By doing so, you’ll keep your valued customers and employees safe and comfortable as you once again adapt to the next phase of COVID-19, and you’ll improve your chances of thriving in a post-pandemic world.

Amy Collet is the creator of Bizwell.org, a website that helps professionals and entrepreneurs build and strengthen their personal brand. She is also the author of the upcoming book, “You, Exemplified: The Role of Personal Branding in Your Professional Life.”