By Michael Mance, Owner/President – Mance Creative, Inc.

Right now, many companies of all sizes are experiencing loss of business due to quarantine restrictions.  It has become necessary for some companies to reduce or reorganize staffing and hours.  As it turns out, many business owners and managers are doing more of the work themselves and don’t feel like they have time for luxuries like business development.

If you are a business owner like me, or perhaps an organization leader, you probably have a lot more work to do and are working harder than ever before just to keep things moving along.  You may not feel that you have the time for things like marketing, advertising or networking, but in reality it’s more important than ever to take the time to work on these vital business necessities.

Are you pursuing new business to replace lost income?  

Maybe you received government subsidies or loans to help you get through these tough times.  But what comes after the subsidies or loans are all used up?   Be sure to set your company up for success in the months to follow.  To adapt to this changing economy, some of my existing clients (and including myself), have already begun creating new revenue streams by offering new services and products.  Maybe you have a new service or product that you’d like to promote?  Now is the time to start figuring out ways to promote your new service or product.  Here’s a quick checklist of ideas and areas to help you focus on when developing new business:

• Newsletters & eBlasts – Newsletters can be the quickest and most direct way to keep in contact with your customers.  At the very least, newsletters let your clients know that you’re still around!  Keep them informed of what’s happening in your business or organization with a newsletter.  Remember, your existing clients are one of your best sources for referrals.  If you don’t have a lot of time, you may want to just send out a quick eBlast to your client list every once in a while just to stay in touch.
• Update Your Website – Keep your website current with any new information that might interest your existing and potential customers. Your website is one of the first places your customers will look for new information.  They’re looking to you to keep them informed about new advances in your industry which may benefit them.  For many of our clients, we continually post important health information or changes in business operations just so their clients know what is going on with them.
• Proposals – If you bid on large projects for potential new work, why not make your proposals stand out from your competition?  We find that most managers when reviewing proposals are more drawn to accept proposals which are better organized and look good!  You’d be surprised what a well-designed proposal can do for your bottom line, as I have found out from many of our own clients we design proposals for.
• Visual Presentations – Even though conferences and events are not being done in person, many organizations have begun to provide online speaking engagements to their members. Presentations, especially online ones, are more important than ever to keep your audience engaged and interested.  A well-organized, visually appealing presentation helps keep them focused and makes you feel proud during your presentation.

This is just a quick list of ideas to help keep your business or organization moving forward. Remember to keep that “marketing wheel” turning!  Feel free to get in contact with me to see how the Mance Creative team can help support your company or organization during these challenging times.  Consultations are always complementary.