Well, 2020 really has been a difficult year for many, especially local independent businesses. For some businesses though, adapting the way in which they can offer the services and products has revolutionised their business model and resulted in a dramatic rise in demand and orders.
If there’s anything this year has taught us, it’s that if you can nail marketing your business to the right audience and in the right way, your business will be transformed. Some examples of where we’ve seen this ourselves with our own clients:
1. Offering virtual experiences
When the first lockdown was announced in March of this year, every business shut up shop, either furloughing employees or setting them up to work from home. For a company like Norfolk Yacht Agency this also meant closing the marina, meaning potential customers were unable to visit and look around any boats they were interested in.
A solution to this was to offer a virtual walkthrough of each boat on the website. Therefore the team at NYA filmed tours of each boat for sale in their marina to be uploaded to the website, talking through selling features of the boat and in some cases they took customers on a live tour of the yachts upon request.
NYA’s biggest issue throughout this year has been a severe lack of stock, with many Brits looking for staycation options or a way to sort their own overseas travel.
2. Changing up the game
EAs previously mentioned, an important strategy was adapting the current service you offer, the perfect example of this is Norfolk’s leading glaziers, Norwich Glass Company.
Before 2020, to order cut-to-size glass, customers needed to call or visit the office with their required measurements. However at the start of 2020, we worked with Norwich Glass to provide a simple way for users to place an order for cut-to-size glass online that can be shipped anywhere across the UK.
Being one of very few companies that offer this, the service has been praised by customers looking to carry out long outstanding DIY tasks during lockdown and has continued to be popular throughout the rest of the year. On their website, users can expect to order the following:
● Float glass for the likes of replacing picture frames, shelving, furniture and windows.
● Toughened safety glass to install splashbacks, shower screens and commercial partitioning.
● Horticultural glass to replace broken greenhouse glass panels.
● Laminated glass, wired products, silver/mirrored glass, splashbacks and double glazed units.
3. Help out when you can’t offer your services
As the key thing throughout this year was to not allow customers to forget about your business or to be overshadowed. Despite being hindered by the current climate, many companies opted to provide guides about the services they offer to help out clients who they would normally serve. For example, personal trainers filmed workouts, medical experts offered
rehabilitation and self care tips, gardeners put together advice on how to grow your garden.
Our client Bluespace were no exception, interrupted by this year’s turn of events, they chose to put together guides on how commercial properties can ensure they’re safe and verified as a secure business to work in. Well-received by various businesses, as a result of this Bluespace have been inundated with enquiries to carry out their suggested changes inside
numerous commercial properties.
4. Taking the business online
As a web design and marketing agency, it was difficult to see many businesses at risk of going under due to an unprecedented issue when we had the means to help out. Therefore, we contacted as many local businesses as possible to propose the idea of having a temporary website built for free, should they have the logistics available to operate an online
business.
One of these being Norwich market stall owner The Cuppie Hut. By taking that step to manage a temporary website where they could upload which treats they would be making that week and putting a stock limit in place to prevent demand getting out of hand, The Cuppie Hut were able to continue running without putting their employees or customers at risk. A life saver throughout such a difficult time.
Nevertheless, this year has been up and down for everyone for different reasons. Adapting the way your business is marketed to customers and how users can still receive your services and products could be the driving force behind your business.
We’re sure 2021 is going to bring about more innovative thinking and changes, if you’re looking for some inspiration or help with how to market your business, contact us on 01603 859007 or via hello@nuimage.co.uk.