Behind The Scene Consulting was born as a digital company.  The recent months of COVID 19 have confirmed the imperative for small-and-medium-sized businesses to update their time trusted business model. What worked for decades suddenly changes as customers have had to find new ways of shopping.  Business owners need to be able to meet their needs in an online world. For some businesses, this may be their only option for survival.

Case in point, Debbie ran a small wind chime shop in a mid-sized town.  Passionate about wind chimes, Debbie had served her community for the last thirty years in the same location.  She knew everyone personally, and her wind chimes were well-loved.  When COVID 19 hit, Debbie’s customers suddenly stopped coming in.  Her sales went to zero, but the expenses continued to accrue. Existing and new customers still wanted to purchase her wind chimes but had no way to do that outside of going to her physical location.

Like Debbie, up to thirty million other small and medium businesses in the US find themselves in the same situation.  The feeling is very much like starting over and can be overwhelming when your livelihood depends on contact with your customers.  Add to this the mounting expenses of each day delayed.

Moving your business anywhere, including online, doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  Expanding to online can be fairly inexpensive and will likely provide you with access to more customers than your current brick and mortar.  The critical path, however, is to move, and move with speed so your customers find you vs. your competition. 

 There are three initial components to a successfully going virtual:

Do not go it alone

Engage a trusted partner to take you on the journey.  One who has done this before, will listen your unique business needs, feel your pain, and provide a comprehensive solution.

Create a digital home for your business

This includes building out a strategy for your web presence, logistics to ship your goods, and a catalog of products and/or services.  Think back to when you first moved into your current space.  You found the right location, then built or modified it to fit your brand and appeal to your clients.  Online is very much the same but takes an even deeper thought-out strategy.  

Tell your clients you are open

A comprehensive marketing strategy and communication plan is critical.  You need to reach your current customers and let them know you are now where they are.  At the same time, you have a fantastic opportunity to attract customers who would have never found you in your local community.  It is also an excellent time to re-visit your branding to ensure it is on point for the future.  

Moving your business online is not insurmountable, the timing is right, your customers are waiting for you, but speed is crucial to reaching your goal. 

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