7 ideas to use "Time found" During COVID-19

It is no longer about “business as usual”, to say the least. During this COVID-19 pandemic, nothing is business as usual.

You may have found yourself working from home, with or without children to care for, or discovering that many of your clients have closed operations, wondering what to do with this “found time” on your schedule.

This could be an ideal opportunity to tackle items on your company’s “to-do” list that you have neglected for too long. Here are 7 ideas to help you regain some control of your business and prepare for when things get back to “normal.”

1. Look at the competition.

Get online and “drag” your competitors. What are they doing? What new products and services do you offer? What are they saying?

Obviously you don’t want to copy what they do or say, but this may be an ideal time to find out how you can differentiate yourself.

Take a look at the competition in your area and then see what others are offering in other countries. Then consider what you can do differently or what you can add to your list that shows you are a leader in your industry.

2. Review your website and other marketing materials.

Time for an update? Often times, creating new or updated content for your business takes a backseat as you attract new customers or work to deepen relationships with existing customers.

Now is the time to read your website with fresh eyes, the eyes of your customer, and make sure that the message you are sending is the one you want others to read.

For tips on creating conversational content and maximizing its impact, see https://www.susanregier.com/tips.php for more information.

3. Update all social profiles.

Make sure your profiles share the results you provide and are not read as a job search summary. And make sure your profile is accurate for where you are today. Share your achievements. Share your story.

4. Update your presentations.

If you are a speaker or trainer, please review all your presentations and update them thoroughly. Statistics change. The way we do everything changes. Make sure your presentations reflect your changing industry.

Look at their talks, their slides, and their signage. Would a few small adjustments have a significant impact or do they look tired and benefit from a full overhaul? Keep in mind that if you’re bored with your presentation, chances are your audience is too.

5. Research new perspectives.

This may be a good time to do your research and find new clients. LinkedIn is the ideal platform to find B2B contacts. Please note that this is NOT the time to sell. If you want to share useful information / knowledge, please contact us. But building a list of potential contacts now will make work a lot easier when things start to get back to normal and you have a ready-to-use list of new connections.

6. Create videos.

You can easily create quality videos using your computer or smartphone. These can be a great way to train customers or staff, provide industry information and helpful advice, showcase products, or introduce employees to “humanize” your company.

They don’t have to be perfect! I always recommend that you check your background to make sure it is not distracting. The focus should be on you and not on all the things behind you. With that said, Gary Porter, president of Flash Displays, offered this brilliant suggestion to use your trade show screen (or part of it, if it’s huge) to use as the backdrop for your video. What a great way to bookmark your videos! You can then use these videos to send to clients, use on social platforms, webcasts, etc.

When I create my videos, I like to do several at once and post them over time on a schedule. This makes perfect sense if you’re setting up your display once, shooting multiple videos, and you’re done.

Also, Gary mentioned that since many trade shows have been canceled, you can still set up your booth and record your screen and share your presentation, training, or information about your company.

7. Communicate with current and past clients.

This is a great time to pick up the phone and reconnect to find out how others are dealing with this crisis (again, not to sell). These are extraordinary circumstances and many people are not coping well with the forced isolation they find themselves in. Your registration call could save your life on many levels.