So it’s been about a year since the pandemic hit our state. And without a doubt, it’s been difficult for everyone, especially small business owners like yourself. Coronavirus has most likely caused you to make significant changes to your routine. It’s almost likely to have impacted your bottom line as well. Growing your customer base and generating new business is critical to your company’s growth. It can, however, be challenging at times to grow your San Antonio business during Coronavirus.
Over the past few months, we’ve seen small companies not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity. Every day, we see small-business owners make the transition from surviving to flourishing. It is still possible to develop your local business in this setting, but you must be astute in your approach. In this post, I’ll show you how to do just that. But first, a little background on why this is such a difficult time for companies like yours.
Why this is such a challenging time for businesses like yours
People are afraid. They still need services and products, but they don’t want to get Coronavirus. So they avoid it like the plague. That’s bad news for small businesses, but it’s also good news for local entrepreneurs. Small businesses are more likely to be successfully operating in a vulnerable business climate. It’s less likely to put pressure on them, which is good news.
When the Coronavirus started sweeping through Texas, one of the first places it hit was small San Antonio businesses. Smaller businesses paid the highest price because they were shut down first. This really put a strain on small business owners in all types of industries, especially the foodservice and entertainment industries. Unfortunately, from the Cadillac Bar to Cooter Brown’s Saloon, many iconic businesses had to shut their doors.
Businesses are facing a growing number of challenges. When the economy is slowing down, competition is getting tougher, and hiring can be difficult, it can make it even harder for a business to start growing. However, if you have the right tools and strategies, you can develop a strategy to help you turn your business around.
Coming Up With Innovative Ideas To Get Customers
People are afraid. They still need services and products, but they don’t want to get Coronavirus. So they avoid it like the plague. That’s bad news for small businesses, but it’s also good news for local entrepreneurs. Small businesses are more likely to be successfully operating in a vulnerable business climate. It’s less likely to put pressure on them, which is good news.
In other words, as a small business owner, you must find ways to cater to your customers in ways that you may have never thought of before. We see this being done by many types of businesses, including restaurants, grocery stores, and more.
Examples of businesses that strive during the pandemic
For example, if your business is a restaurant, make sure that you are set up with all local delivery companies, including UberEats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. If you sell products, find economical ways to deliver them to your customers. A perfect example is Smoke To Live, which delivered their products to San Antonian’s by using their own staff to do it. You can also make sure that your website has a live chat and live video calls to provide great customer service.
As a business owner, you can also ensure consumers that you are taking every precaution possible to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. A perfect example of this is San Antonio Auto Detailing that guarantees that the last person to touch your vehicle does so with gloves for a completely disinfected vehicle. Or Clear Path Real Estate Group that provides virtual tours and Zoom calls for their clients.
Letting your potential customers know that you are available
Once you’ve come up with a few innovative strategies, it’s important to spread your message like wildfire. Use social media platforms, create updates on Google My Business and reach out to your prior customers through email and text messages. We have a few more recommendations below to make sure that your business strives during these unprecedented times.
Strategies for Growing Your Local San Antonio Business
Growing your local business during this difficult time is not as difficult as you might think. In fact, it can be quite easy. The key is learning how to market in your community in new ways and knowing what tools and methods work best for your business. Here are some tips on how to grow your local business:
Become an authority in your field
Once you have a solid reputation and lots of information about your business online, people will be more likely to visit you over your competitors. This can increase the number of visitors that come to your website as well as increasing your sales. As a result, many local small businesses choose to become informative articles to increase their trust and credibility with our community.
Create a strong online presence
Well, for starters, I’d recommend that you get started by creating an online presence if you haven’t done so. Obviously, you need to make sure that you have a well-designed business site since it will be like your storefront.
Then you need to make sure that your business is listed on as many online directories as possible, which is known as citation building. After that, you should create your social media presence on as many social media platforms as possible; this includes Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and even Tiktok. Try to post daily to increase engagement and get more followers.
You can do many things to get a foothold on the Internet and make sure that your brand is consistent across the web. When you set up an online presence, you increase your chances of having someone actually find your business.
Be a grapevine for your community
You must keep up with the latest news and information in your industry. This can keep you ahead of your competition. Additionally, you may find that spreading the word to others can help you generate interest and new customers by bringing them to your social media channels and website.
Become an educational resource
Many people want to know more about their niche and often search for such information. If you provide them with relevant information regularly, they will continue to come to your site. Also, you can grow your business by offering free training or product information on your website.
Contribute regularly to local newsletters, events, and forums
As you know, people love to get information, and they love to share it. By contributing to a newsletter, attending events, and participating in forums, you will reach many people who would otherwise not be aware of your presence.
Take part in local media events
Most people have access to the internet during these times. Join local forums, podcasts, and webinars. These venues often feature interviews and other segments with current and former local business owners. Be sure to include your contact information so that people can reach you with any information that they may need. You never know who will contact you or what they may want to know.
Grow your marketing list
The Internet provides many opportunities to market your products or services. If you don’t have a list, consider purchasing one. The Internet makes it easy to reach people you would otherwise not reach based on print publications. Furthermore, you will be able to build your brand name with these people.
As you can see, there is more than one answer to the question, “How to grow your local business?” There are certainly several different strategies that you can choose to grow your business. However, you will need to determine which strategy fits best for your particular goals. If you use the suggestions mentioned above, you will have an easier time growing your business.
Expand your knowledge
It is easy to get wrapped up in how to grow your local business? If you have a business with a specific geographic location, you may not think it would help broaden your knowledge. However, this is important. You may find that by visiting other businesses in the area related to your business, you understand what the competition is doing. By visiting these businesses, you will have the opportunity to gain new ideas to get more customers.
Networking is vital
When do you know how to grow your local business? It means that you know who to approach when to approach them and make a great first impression. By networking, you can share ideas, promote your products or services, and build partnerships. Networking also helps when you need to expand your business or look for new ways to advertise your company. For example, if you want to grow your business but do not have a lot of advertising budget, you could talk to other companies in the area that might help spread the word about your business. Reach out to relevant sources on the San Antonio Chamber Of Commerce and offer a discount to their customers/clients so that they can recommend them to your business.
Invest in technology
To grow your business successfully, you need to invest in marketing techniques to increase your bottom line. Some of these include websites, e-mail campaigns, and social media. It would be best if you decided early on when it comes to which of these marketing methods you will utilize. While it is possible to grow your business using only one or two of these methods, chances are you will not see much growth. It may be wise to use all of these methods together to increase overall growth.
Final Thought On How To Grow Your San Antonio Business
As a local San Antonio digital marketing agency, we decided that we would not let our clients down no matter how bad things got. We decided to go to work and offer innovative marketing strategies beyond what our clients were signed up for. Due to this, none of our clients had to close their doors and are now doing better than ever before.
Coronavirus has shaken the whole world. In Texas, its biggest effect has been on small-business owners. In the face of this, we’ve seen small business leaders emerge who have been able to take this hit and turn it into an opportunity; if you’re one of those people, congratulations! Keep going. It’s really worth it.
If you’re a business owner looking for a way to strive during this unprecedented time and you want to grow your business like never before, contact us today. Let our team show you what we can do for your bottom line!
