Are You Prepared to Meet New Customer Needs?
We’ve been forging our way through uncertainty for a few months now, and I have to say: small business owners are resilient.
In a time of stress and sadness we pivoted, we adapted, and I hope everyone, their families and their small businesses are OK.
I’ve written a lot about managing your small business during the pandemic, from “How to Pivot Your Small Business Strategy During the COVID-19 Crisis” to “How to Build a Crisis Response Landing Page”, on our website.
Now, we focus on the next step: emerging from the coronavirus pandemic not only in one piece, but as successful entrepreneurs who have learned some valuable lessons.
As we move forward, it’s obvious that some things are forever changed. In a recent survey, 81% of Canadians agreed that the crisis will create a new normal and have a lasting impact on society.
So as my province of BC, Canada starts to reopem businesses, it’s time to look at your marketing and evaluate if it still makes sense to your target audience.
How to Define Your Customers’ Needs
Let’s go backâ -all the way back to 1943, when Abraham Maslow proposed his hierarchy of needs. According to his theory, people are motivated to fulfill basic requirements (food, shelter) before they move on to more advanced ones (intimate relationships, sense of accomplishment).
During the coronavirus crisis, people were focused more closely on basic necessities like staying safe from COVID-19 and getting groceries. These differing needs may also have led them to buy things they wouldn’t normally buy, like lots of hand sanitizer or takeout food multiple times per week.
Some of the customer behaviour we saw during the pandemic may be here to stay, like:
Continuing to wear masks in crowded areas and washing hands more frequently
Thinking more carefully before buying “wants”
Working/studying from home more of the time
Choosing brands that are the most empathetic and conscious
So ask yourself: how have your customer needs changed during this time? What are they expecting from you?
How to Evolve Your Business Model to Meet New Customer Needs
Just because we’re slowly returning to a “new normal’ doesn’t mean everyone is going to be hopping on planes and heading to big parties. Especially for those who have been personally affected by COVID-19, it’s going to be hard to reintegrate back into society, so to speak.
Here are a few ways you might have to pivot to meet new customer needs:
1. Maintain/increase communication around health and safety measures.
A large part of pivoting your business model will include how you communicate with your customers.
For example, salons and spas have been closed for months, and even once they reopen, consumers want to know what steps they’re taking to protect their health.
Some clients won’t feel comfortable stepping into a hair salon unless they know there are certain health measures in place.
Don’t be too hasty to remove your COVID-19 landing pageâ or health and safety messaging from your website or Google My Business listing-rather look at updating copy with new information to put your clients’ minds at ease.
2. Address new patterns.
If you’ve started offering heat-and-serve meals, curbside pickup or telemedicine sessions to customers, they may expect that going forward.
This can be a good opportunity to take a closer look at what worked and evolve your business model accordingly.
If you don’t sell essential services, you may have to pivot your marketing strategy to approach different spending behaviours. Many people have been hit hard financially and won’t have as much disposable income.
Others will have become accustomed to a new way of doing things. Similarly, to what I mentioned in #1, COVID-19 has changed the way that people consume certain services.
For example, a school may have to integrate more online learning into their model to attract students who are now used to and more comfortable with totally remote classes.
Many organizations are rethinking in-person conferences and other events. Will employees want to travel to huge convention centres to network with other attendees? Or, will they be happy with a virtual conference next year, too?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
READ:”3 eCommerce Challenges & Solutions for Tough Times” on our website:
There’s no arguing this pandemic has led to increased internet traffic as people work, socialize, and entertain themselves online. But an increase in internet usage doesn’t necessarily translate into increased sales for your small business.
Many consumers are hesitant to buy, either because they aren’t sure when they’ll be able to use the service you sell, or because they’ve been laid off or have had their hours reduced.
That’s why I’m sharing 3 eCommerce challenges and solutions to help you maintain and even grow as an entrepreneur during this crisis.
~~~~~~~~~
How Can You Best Meet New Customer Needs?
No matter how you evolve your business model, it’s important to remember that meeting your customers’ needs is an ongoing process. Whether it’s two weeks post-pandemic or two years, always:
Listen, listen, listen. From monitoring your customer reviews, to sending out a questionnaire, it’s never been more important to take your customers’ feelings into consideration.
Listening on social media can also be a great way to “pulse check” how your customers are interacting with your brand and content. Then, use what you’ve learned to tweak your marketing strategy going forward.
Always be engaging. I hope you’ve been doing this during the pandemic, but it’s also critical post-COVID-19. People will still be spending lots of time at home in the near future, so create uplifting, inspiring and/or informative content for your website, social media accounts, paid ads and newsletters.
Pay attention to changing trends in your industry and customer behaviour to guide your content strategy.
Here’s an example: during the pandemic, DIY was bigâ -from home renos to crafts. Nielsen reported that sales of yeast were up nearly 650% from a year ago, as homebound folks baked up a storm.
So think about how your customers might be using your products or services and give them good content, whether it’s bread-baking tips or how to get out of debt.
No matter what your company sells, communicating with and reassuring your clients is still paramount. And remember: your customers can tell the difference between a sales gimmick and authenticity, so make sure you’re communicating value every time.
So what comes after the crisis? Nobody really knows for sure. But by pivoting your business model as needed now, you’ll be ready for whatever the future brings!
Susan Friesen, founder of the award-winning web development and digital marketing firm eVision Media, is a Web Specialist, Business & Marketing Consultant, and Social Media Advisor. She works with entrepreneurs who struggle with having the lack of knowledge, skill and support needed to create their online business presence.
As a result of working with Susan and her team, clients feel confident and relieved knowing their online marketing is in trustworthy and caring hands so they can focus on building their business with peace of mind at having a perfect support system in place to guide them every step of the way.
edrgroup
commerceowl
danielrosephotography
prairieband
rehauhome
topsonic
alperenerol
warsztatmarketingowy
splendidcity
gayjoy
destnikprotidrahote
139
newline-soratemplates
dowlingoaks
saladcosmo
rodrigobates
dentech
f88tv
demarchielectronica
watchpeoplecode
00txs
huckleberrydesignstudio
itcoverage
westsidebasketball
4dsgn
boluhazirwebsite
thomsonhospitals
topbatterycharger
chenealpierre
libreriagiuridicato
safearound
sophro
buy-trusted-tablets
evolveum
liveobeauty
oportunidadsinbarreras
hl16888
kanko-shakotan
ephr
artecoloridav
phonecheck
coralights
ic-arg
gautegjoldahle
tadikatwinklestar
hitechlegion
nosimydziecko
asteur
aarquiteta
interactiveideaz
d3m79pznqer0b2
techchn
diydifm
2848hd
lgpki
baixin
ownup
news-research
seat
klachtverloskunde
eagayrimenkul
e-archivos
fcce
hanayuu-menzstyle
formation-wordpress-lyon
sagaprise
premiumbola
sibran
equilibre-et-instinct
convergementor
fmbank
languagelink
oe3
chartcrushers
wornlimproject
sitedeapostasonline
cwbstore
dependablehomebuyerssanantonio
traditom
joshbauer
youlk
jarvisregister
switch3d
hnmeida
ccfei
b8st
actorsandothers
azizamar
tenriyorozu
shogacinvestment
bendstudio
leonspok
7418825
slopeunblocked
absolutedouble
heytempo
kester-demo
turigest
adeoclouds
miraelectric
eclipse-foundation
yunxingbao
wilmotte
gulfdunes-dubai
hedgerwow
flippdf
kgimg
cook-book
quimafif
saga-furniture
dilrubaerkan
noize2018
zillertal
luluwebdesign
ciosp
mandibhavkhabar
thomsonhc
burlingtonstudents
wri
selftaughtguitarlessons
smjasmos
intercam
mandoemedia
smk
microworx
plugins
wcl-mft
getarchivistjobs
primekreation
undertheglaze
100acress
mbientlab
myweb
klimaherbst
insidecostarica
timeminer
ppm-rekrutmen
rentlife
teigitur
carina-binkanhada
unlockyourlegend
defactosmartreach
tiptopjob
alphalitletters
488147
banjarmasinkota
aquilainformatique
stoyanoff
mendoza-restaurant
butterflyweddingsny
vet001
lettering-daily
wd22wx
tuo-dominio
studiocinnamon
20m2
runte4mayor
fifainqatar
lovelineshow
youcan
senyum
drivesmartva
youstal
cardsandpockets
simplysafemods
law999
ptcfoods
masksfordocs
adhdaware
evamaker
technoxol
aquaresorts
ipt
chaussuresxlouboutinpascher
naijacontacts
clarksbears
adke
neoalarm
jaguar
toyentho
ipao
wetterstation-discount
pangaro
altour
subscriptions-mps
across-ent
yeace
pozycjonowanie-lubie
86ve
pprc
msport
rajasthanonline
bradleyjstratton
awenta
venuspace
lvpin100
successchina
d3kwtionx0p7im
xn--e1aauiafedlab9c
biznes-sms
blissfultoday
tfoumax
highereducationdata
makaylasophia
hottakepod
91muzhi
apkmission
trtavaz
hendonpub
vfthemes
gzmzmyw
homeplusdeals
khai2020
scoopcoupons
ridgeroofing
dithodesign
hornchurch-electricians
swfdec
whohit
telex
gasunie
wfculture19
kimmynotkim
ilsevandermerwe
thisishardcore
xenfaq
jolf
foreseeuniverse
lostcoast
mercurymarine
newlink4u
petitsfreres
snowpeak-bs
enpee
nordiclabs
richardmillebuckle
whatshallwe
animalsheltercrisisaid
tizerbank
auterion
bebras
bpsc
albet-immobilier
fenghuiwgb
mcgamer
0471-114
premvilipo
cadz
toshiba
bibo232
danfarrow
teenclips
tochno
mvc-asp
ciccalpha
oriondomacipotreby
hfjdkq
sessionstour
cam-content
kst-akademiet
cesvisl
ivoclarvivadent
dovtiefenbach
herschmann
cooperativeenergy
esrifanminowim
netdeptinhte
pilatus
visitlyntonandlynmouth
neighbourhoodcollective
daniloercoli
askdevweekly
my
langshop
cepher
viewmedia
mallorca-webdesign
long766
haoli9966
ezshop
ekeguan
tpm-agglo
laligue24
davidcardozo
ipodderlemon
topsfieldfair
dolyacafe
ecommercebg
zement
hostingnsb
swiftsites
efm
torcs
hostname
ebicology
nakadefarm
newtabdigital
yourgodaddydomain
downtown-blg
baplandnatabcidi
ibk
msxiaomi
4567
pcworldenespanol
adcoconstruct
noasystem
salehkamel
dsm-productswithpurpose
mamapeacockbabyowl
tmontec
europa
radiovideo
castelfidardo
chromeuxreport
dasimonsayz
hot-sushi
acgn
nunnsby
dreampadsleep
simplystunningbridalaz
femininewisdom
pgslotasia
krimidinner
codeshelter
estheticsbyelle
vimeoapi
printerhive
concordbank
freshessays
715866
kakaowebtoon
happycrossroads
bradgolden
i-ori
string
blincmagazine
optium
nenepark
strefaplyt
china-zhida
theforgeparkroyal
montedio
ukrfinservice
benz
silvio
rpc
instituteofpersonaltrainers
everymans
followhat
embroideryredditch
interbroad
ekon
betterdiscord
fun-und-witze
theforexviet
snazzy
hirlevelmegoldas
lochnessprod
360shuoshuo
adesdesign
pted
shawneecourt
txylove
ka31
silvervine
devppl
yelpspringsforcleaning
wplevelup
hailiangchen
nearctica
getinsha
vn
vektal
jagsfoundation
ctekingegneriasismica
acef
goynaweacenme
helion
cosmic-speculation
side
voycefirst
zxzl
whatsgb
coremediagrid
miviet
pioneerelectronics
risemartialartsroc
sqs-public-images
sgpetch
hyunjong-lee
webspero
dxpmedia
wideimage
schneider-electric
gutenbee
bamaka
ilfanale
nikti
thearabiancuisine
localnet
colegiowexford
dreamplay
fikedis
dmhnzl5mp9mj6
patrona
lemola
persepolisdm
powuta
bisaudio
medicalworldnews
homebaking
rideformissingchildrenbuffalo
ccig
compupal
seasonscounselingcolumbus
bstbk-gremien
comskills-ukraine
agarprivateservers
zealousweb
islamicsuite
homerhickam
ftp-astaro-com
jeffdentonfit
huckfinn-umzug
iwebcontrol
elkanaoosterveen
nenglian
gundambattle
gyanpoint
toshin-h3
design-on
elsevierkorea
miranda-templatesyard
eclair-soratemplates
concierge-public-resources
mrnx
firsthotels
noarblanc
ypgo
lx1032
calfeedesign
cashbuyersny
egi
ahmongwoman
dantase
fuentecoffeeco
nts
lessinly
xawb
skateshoesbrands
covidracism
xwq
frontiersconference
trendrecipes
karolinakanon
average-weather
health-eheartstudy
paypal-recharger
helixdesignandtech
kursr
orlandoprintingfirm
k-innovations
wpugdavao
php-homepage
lqwjj
pc-mania
nmgjhgc
drewf
zg2sc
wp-zuri
araplus
vachan
skynamo
sj3w
jlins
wearewaste
acquyvietnam
virtufon
loox
exercisewithstyle
harpcoventgarden
artvalue
reeng
renewaltedclark
landsea
yifanvote
omisli
4dprizewla
nadiabenbouta
sailer-ele
csopa
fruginercredfi
mine
marafet
iwantsandy
ljwcw
172
fotoexperten24
local
oshushi
acadecraft
bridges4kids
lifelongmedical
cnworld
huyiweb
xiuning
gssjc
ouman
itachibe
animage
withoutyourhead
mccw
morganestes
yishuzi
uralopera
lottabull
resnewsputtantrepha
in47
westernjournalism
drouot-estimations
yc800
wucaiju
hengdadx
sanaibags
mediaplustw
shopstyle-cdn
citroen100years
pacterepublicain
menvideo
capelyffynnon
entwurf-neu
sautikuufoundation
nurinamu
serverstandby
stokcoding
todosreciclamos
sopacultural
bestbonus
praktibuh
planetgranite
jbex
cellkey
guixi
vermittlungsausschuss
xehinosaigon
rental-fashion
cfc-blues
petermayhewfoundation
ivymoda
rhinocoffeegear
lk-kunst
skillvalue
gardeningproductsreview
ltwell
dezynfekcjawroclaw
sweetrevelryevents
usailighting
famma
w2tcanvas
hostadministrator
blauwekei
ginmi
57thstreethairsalon
awsugmum
wallinmusic
mccradysrestaurant
beonhome
adexchangebuyer
admob
koi
sczytv
idoctorz
walletobjects
limpomilk
bfh
eucomed
myorangecrate
emf
techwarrior
sasportal
mein-haustier
cpu-net
biat
dsfreelance
mitaoav2
svak
amoena
cadalincge
steelbrooks
clarifycapital
chichengseo
pediatricminds
netlinking
yogakids
al3abfarms
ieec
globalcurrenciez
thirdeye
contium
ypnmiami
boot
pepfx
yogamaargdarshan
devcommittee
gzmzb
nourishplate
supdeski
chenglongyi
na-yeon
ys-sharon
osirisphotography
zadh2
lvbaohuang
datxuongchinhchu
bhaseagulls
visualfreaks
armesnowak
ageeksview
haseebalam
buzzfilepro
mexia
thebokehstudio
blogsbrasil
psoriasisforbundet
rapidefiling
facileristrutturare
kavehtofighi
blogger-hints-and-tips
daode
hif
lesguidesagir
nosan
mmojugg
saveandcase
amsamoa
ggxg
fansnap
auto-online
planculherve
fetobe
channelevolutioneurope
biggo
eiv
logiva
wiseguyscripts
p200m
optomcas
blender
dontequilawny
hessekhobcafe
tashkeel
feratel
ips
gevork
nmxadd
chaosandcornflakes
nrha
laurengroff
riorecono
nelez
imasterspro
thearcticcircle
gx51gr
dhawa
namayesh
rojek
castaways
leogopal
foodanddrinkfestival
fistenet
sugarprojects
nengming
dnipro-m
mustangseats
drinkpb
beolder
domainsheeter
sdzbsjh
bloggersrefuge
chicklit
sky361
weeklyhumorist
waikikibeachwalk
seattleprophotography
w2tcraper
courtneyhenryrealtor
actlocal
evolving-hockey
restaurant-kei
flcourts18
wilderness-soratemplates
gcanalytics
craftycity
bbkl
mybusinessbusinessinformation
rideformissigchildrengcd
lennartwretlind
zqhgz
gregmarchal
rebelrebel
etl-kindertraeume
toolresults
swordofthespirit
deltapolice
monaco-dc
venture-multilingual
3hospital
mybusinessaccountmanagement
forms
analyticsadmin
realtimebidding
mybusinessqanda
mybusinesslodging
gmailpostmastertools
mybusinessplaceactions
playdeveloperreporting
mybusinessverifications
mybusinessnotifications
authorizedbuyersmarketplace
fcmdata
reseller
licensing
chromepolicy
chromemanagement
firebasedatabase
terrorizer
globalcentr
pmi23
fsgw
endofthetour
cmgbaltic
doubleclickbidmanager
energy-consulting-meyer
showbox
drivelabels
oreka
fs-ad
otwayfly
yohanboniface
ciegadeput
websitedesignstudio
dfareporting
paymentsresellersubscription
landhaus-mueller-hessigheim
incolide
ezekiel-gonzalez
schuetzenbezirk-schwaben
langer-webmedia
thebeachbodychallenge
gregg
travelimpactmodel
influencer
ellispaul
owensborodiocese
pgpnotes
ultraviolette
kuaiso
phytomed
census-backup
mission-internet
marthemekuria
nativeamericannetroots
93phut
mserwer
antiques-science-jouets
bbraun
216
oceanfinance
javatogo
aspirantus
getcontact
srk-gr
greatlakesequity
bbq-hope
idc2000
korik-poyu
openwa
sh1ps-testing
dietz-training
taladpage
atro
lojautilitamai
gesundheitswanderfuehrer
awsiamguide
impact360institute
kjn65qf
seek-oss
lava-online
nicht-wahr
nguyenbatuan
xytmodelart
maonitgaquagconsfe
arthurelliott
armandoeditore
focusonmicroscopy
itility
ecodepontecaldelas
wp-temp-mail
meesoft
szpiaomei
mycatholicfaithdelivered
axzai
medi-dyne
stringtree
ecommercetricks
azov-club
year2000
vancheer
forma
freedomains
tango-campus
bojansudjic
cookdee
betvictorapp
casajoserestaurant
gymonsays
centaurtheatre
mobil1
toroadvertising
shopsieure
ashleyleeart
gbzhishuidai
queenshistoricalsociety
chinacloudapp
freeteeny
yidatec
goodenergies
xemlon
bjysj
kloningspoon
thevietdish
rethinkmarketing
chicaspoderosas
screen-heroes
rawalker
helpforfelons
ard-mittagsmagazin
ttn
factoryprice
bordergirlcollective
mundoginett
trustpromotions
disigns
klastertepla
corbin-design
rpy2
sixt
martinkiland
kinkmen
acconciaturevenus
hipoteca123
lakeplacidlegacysites
gydingcheng
walkee
etsymudteam
andimetz
markgelhardt
ohanah
flickr-s
louyblog
tayarut
bethcolman
antmoves
enterprisemarketingportal
spora
isuzuengines
bebooda
streamlogics
alohi
acting-summer-camps
cervantesmasterpiece
feedingthecarolinas
scdn
ifsociety
katzenworld
syncbilisim
1000journals
rawfitnessnj
dancecommunity
statspanda
limonads
rightnow
imeldadulcich
sv-muellenberg
monassemblee
dinacon
hjartat
raphaelhertzog
saints1885
byousca-fx
pocket-anwalt
worldwidemos
freiwilligenmesse
dotgeek
2kbgm
userfirst
numberinc
nokiaresearch
techneto
3dsnippets
0816-6385678
medela
dthiemermann
192
anokatornadoeshockey
ventadellantas
npgop
coffeehunter
hostsobserver
runrunlife
cegnev
s12d
localbd
flasco
kerstin-maria-lehmann
pachosting
kaiboer
talk
zpjrt
he-va
aigpol
