When the pandemic started, businesses had to adjust for them to survive. While many businesses adapted to the situation, a lot closed due to the lower demand for their products. The situation has changed around a year after the health crisis started. And businesses are starting to reopen, especially with the continued release of the vaccine.
With this, people may be thinking about starting their businesses. Even as challenges remain, the opportunity to start a business has come. But before working on a plan, it’s good to look for a business suitable for the situation.
Businesses Suitable for a Pandemic
With businesses starting to reopen their physical locations, a cleaning service is a good business opportunity for people who want to open a business during the pandemic. They can check the guidelines set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the cleaning and disinfecting of public places and workplaces.
Delivery service is another good business idea since people rely on food and grocery deliveries as they are staying home to avoid the virus. Offering landscaping services is another option since the industry saw an uptrend after the pandemic started. For fitness enthusiasts, offering virtual fitness classes is a good option.
After selecting a good business to start, people can start making plans for the business.
Consider the Consumers
The first thing to do is to consider the habits of the consumers. It has changed significantly after the start of the pandemic. Before the pandemic, people often visited physical stores to shop. These days, people are shopping online rather than going out to buy.
Additionally, the business should consider what the consumers are buying. When the pandemic started, sales for vitamins and supplements increased while beauty products saw a dip in sales. These days, the trending products in the United States are household storage containers, kitchen towels, and bike saddles. Businesses can look into these trends and the reasons behind the popularity of the products. They can also look into other products associated with the ones that are currently trending in the market.
Develop a Long-Term Plan
Working on a long-term plan is also another thing to do when starting a business during these times. Since the business landscape is quite different, it’s advisable to adapt to the changes. For instance, the business can use candidate scheduling software to streamline the scheduling process for applicants.
Making the business recession-proof is another thing to do through proper financial planning. While everyone wants the pandemic to end soon, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for the possibility that it will continue with the recent emergence of new variants of the virus. Taking this into account will reduce the risk of losing money for the business.
Create a Digital Marketing Strategy
With many consumers going online, it’s only practical for a business to have a digital marketing strategy. The strategy allows the business to connect with its customers and encourage them to buy its products and services. It is also one way for the business to build up its brand and attract customers.
The pandemic has made it challenging for businesses to use the regular marketing channels since people are now staying at home. Physical launch events are not anymore feasible at this time. Due to this, the business should focus on digital advertising to reach its market. Additionally, the business can also use customer referrals to increase incoming website traffic to expand its market online.
Connect with the Consumers
Aside from reaching its customers online, it is also important to engage the consumers to promote the business. And one way to do this is through social media. With more than 200 million social media users in the United States, this is among the best way for a business to reach and engage its customers.
But they should not focus mainly on selling. Instead, businesses should use their accounts to engage their customers and increase their curiosity about the brand.
Besides sharing the products and services the business offers, it can also share content relevant to its niche. For instance, a business selling fitness equipment can share content about good nutrition and how to stay safe in the middle of a health crisis. Once the business builds up a good following on its social media page, it can start working on collaborations with other brands. It can also look for ambassadors that can promote the business.
Even as the pandemic has yet to end, people can start looking into starting businesses that can thrive in the current situation.
