Brand Building During Covid
The Coronavirus truly hit the world like a ton of bricks. Our schedules have all been restructured due to social distancing and attempts to Stop the Spread. Being at home can take some getting used to. And I know you’re all tempted to sit around and binge watch Tiger King on Netflix. But this is actually the perfect time to give your business and your brand a little TLC. As we make room for this new wave of business interactions, brand management is still a very essential part of growing a sustainable business.
We’ve all seen how the Big Box brands were able to pivot so quickly during the impact of COVID-19. Many immediately changed their policies and procedures to offer options that would fit into our new social distancing norm. While companies like Domino’s and Burger King may have been able to implement changes right away, it’s not always that easy for smaller businesses. Small businesses don’t always have the staff, technical infrastructure, or standard operating procedures to provide seamless business activity during a crisis. For most small businesses, implementing new products and services can take months. But taking a few hours out of each day during quarantine can help you plan for potential shifts in your business structure. Furthermore, looking at these changes while things have slowed down a bit can give you enough breathing room to make changes without feeling overwhelmed.
The first thing to consider is the current state of your business. This is where we have to be brutally honest. What things are working well in your business, and what things are causing you the most stress? The thing you love and may be holding onto so tightly may be the very thing that’s holding you back from being successful as a business owner. Just because we are passionate about something doesn’t mean that it’s a good fit for us in terms of making a living. If it’s causing you an immense amount of stress, then it may be time to change your offers. Having some down time during quarantine may be the perfect solution to reevaluate and revise your offers.
Who are your clients? Are you happy with the people you do business with? Sometimes, in the midst of trying so hard to make a living we forget what it’s like to live. We put up with clients we aren’t happy with because they are attached to our bottom line. We tell ourselves that we HAVE to endure the relationship in order to be financially stable. But what if you didn’t have to endure the pitfalls of those relationships? How much better would you feel about your business? Again, this is when we have to be brutally honest with ourselves. If you aren’t happy with the clients you have now, what is the reason behind your unhappiness? Are you taking on an area of business that doesn’t suit you? Or perhaps your offers are attracting the wrong people. Experiencing an unbearable client is not always just because the client is difficult. Sometimes the difficulty lies within the nature of the relationship. When people are unhappy, it’s important to ask questions to get to the root of the dissatisfaction. You may end up finding your solution underneath their dissatisfaction.
So where does that leave you? Realizing that you aren’t happy with your client base is just the beginning. Once you’ve identified the issue, it’s time to take action. Once you’ve identified it, follow up with revising your written mission statement and identifying the traits of your dream clients and collaborations. This will give you a clear view of how to proceed with your brand management strategy. You’ll quickly discover whether or not you should keep your current offers and simply refine, or come up with completely different offers for an entirely new client base.
It sounds like a lot to think about. But the short term discomfort of implementing a new solid brand strategy is much better than the long term pain of running a business that you don’t love.
Download the FREE Brand Emergency Kit today. It will give you quick tips, guidelines, and templates for planning out your branding strategy!