If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past eight months, it’s that as business owners we need to be prepared for the unexpected. For brick and mortars especially, this time has taught us that having a digital contingency plan shouldn’t be a distant goal but rather one to focus on now… and FAST. However if you haven’t, there’s no better time than the present to create one.
A good digital contingency plan looks different for every business because it should be customized to your business. Can you charge for a virtual experience? Consulting? Zoom calls? Can you shoot new collections or launches with a socially distanced shoot? Can you offer curbside pick up or local delivery? Can you shorten your shipping time and offer free shipping? Can you use a social contest to get your social media followers involved and reward them for engagement?
Discover our top tips for creating your digital contingency plan below.
Embrace video: Use Instagram Reels to land yourself on the Explore tab and gain new followers. You can use this feature to launch new collections, do try on sessions, show behind the scenes, sneak peeks, live interviews and more.
Keep inventory stocked: Make sure you have the inventory to make shopping easy and hassle-free for the end-user.
Cross-promote and co-create: Team up with a like-minded business for collabs to drive more traffic, engagement and followers.
Stay active on social: Don’t send the wrong message to your followers by leaving them wondering if you are open for business or not. Be quick on the draw with your DMs and comments to ensure your audience feels heard.
Create a content calendar: Stick to a set posting calendar. Frequency matters!
Use hashtags: Include a mix of custom and general in both your bio and posts to promote social sharing. You don't know what's working if you don't examine the data, so swipe up to your insights and see how many non-followers your posts are bringing to your feed. We like the Command App for further insights.
Include a call to action: Every social post should have a call to action. Tell your customers what it is that you want them to do.
Give back and talk about it: Serving your community in any way? Tell us about it. Use donate stickers in your stories and add a link to your bio so your audience can join in on your efforts.
Do YOU: Do not copy your competitors. Figure out what differentiates you and own it with every post.
