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You may be disrupted, slowed or shuttered. This is the time to stay top of mind.

By Roy Harryman • Principal

I can’t imagine how many business owners must feel. They certainly desire the best for the public health. Yet staring at an empty restaurant or meeting hall is beyond sobering.

Everyone, including me, will feel the impact. However, I want to encourage you to do something other than drink heavily, wail and barricade yourself in your basement.

What could you possibly do?

Be of value to consumers. Now. Really.

I write often about the vast superiority of educating, inspiring and entertaining vs. direct sales pitches. If you have the misfortune of downtime, serve your public now with information that is helpful to their lives. More people than ever are at home. You have a short window to capture their attention.

I’m not talking about educating prospects on public health (unless that’s your business). No, here’s what I mean:

If you sell cooking supplies, share ideas on how cooking tools can make meal preparation more effective. Demonstrate it.
If you’re a caterer, share ideas for meal planning, hospitality and selecting a venue.
If you run a meeting venue, share party ideas and introduce new occasions on which people may wish to rent your facility. Give a virtual tour.
If you provide educational seminars, then keep educating. Moratoriums on attendance may limit your in-person events, but you can give away free advice (not all of it) online. Engage people directly through Facebook Live, YouTube and other streaming platforms.

Whatever your business is, add value to people’s lives right now. This is (1) the right thing to do (2) will introduce you to new prospects (3) helps you stay top of mind for the time when emergency edicts are lifted.

It will also keep you focused and productive, even during the downtime.

We can get through this together.

www.royharryman.com Yes it's true. You've got a story to tell. But you may not be telling it. Instead, many small business and organizations are stuck in "sell" mode when it comes to marketing. Of course, stuff must be sold. Donations and members must be solicited. But there are ways that work ... and there are ways that don't. By resolving to educate, entertain and inform, you show prospects you're on their side. You build trust and credibility. You get on their radar screen. Then when it comes time to sell, much of the hard work is already done. Intrigued? Let's talk.