[MainstreetManagers] Businesses/COVID-19

[Buffy Hughes]

Happy Friday!  On The Point there has been discussions on how to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The discussion began with the Washington coordinator and the issues in Seattle.  Below are a few ideas, as well as using this time to focus on strengthening parts of their businesses that they haven't had time to work on.

  *   Retail businesses enhancing their online shopping experience. or finally getting moving on creating one
  *   Small-Medium businesses intensifying their social media presence
  *   offer facetime, skype, or chat channel services for selling virtually face-to-face, answering questions, providing the same customer service interaction you would get in a M&P atmosphere at location
  *   When people work remotely, they are more susceptible to online shopping, checking in with social media more often, etc. Encourage businesses to take advantage of this.
  *   Encourage businesses to publish their commitment to public health, outlining their actions for offering a clean facility and healthy staff
  *   Keep customers updated on new experiences or products you'll offer when things subside
  *   Coffee shops who roast  can set up a customer membership for "subscribe & save" delivery or pick-up of beans, get people to order for the next couple weeks
  *   Small grocers can offer to receive online grocery lists and shop for their customers to pick-up products or deliver them
  *   promote the value and reliability of locally sourced and local supply chains
  *   Stay in touch with customers by livestreaming. Show what you are doing to stay in business and get excited about the strategies you've come up with to meet customer needs during this time. Ex: Coffee shop that welcome people to connect with them every morning at 8am for the local news downtown, the local history story of the morning, the morning joke, or a meet your barista spotlight, etc.
  *   look into business interruption insurance
  *   local physicians to offer telemedicine services
  *   Breweries can keep offering trivia nights by livestreaming and using an app that polls people's responses, customers being encouraged to drink their brews while participating or getting extra points for posting a picture of them and their brews at home.
Have a great weekend,
Buffy

Buffy Hughes
State Main Street Director
Oklahoma Department of Commerce
900 N. Stiles Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73104
E: Buffy.Hughes at okcommerce.gov
P: 405.815.5249
C: 405.664.1260
OKcommerce.gov/main-street


[OKLAHOMAMAINSTREETCENTER]

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