As a nation, we breathed a collective sigh of relief a week ago when the Prime Minister laid out the roadmap to easing the lockdown restrictions. While the dates are extremely cautious and subject to change depending on the ever-surprising Coronavirus situation, the four-stage plan gave an element of certainty to businesses all across the UK.  

As we creep ever closer to the normal we recognise, here we have set out some tips to consider for marketing your business between now and your opening date. Whether that be April, May or June, use your time to remind your customers that you are here, ready and open for business. 

1.     Focus on safety first 

One thing you will need to be crystal clear about in the lead up to your reopening, is that you are strictly following Covid health and safety guidelines. While the majority of the population are eager to return to normal life, they will also be looking to remain as safe as possible while the virus remains a threat.

Use your social platforms to share video content or images of behind-the-scenes looks at the measures you will be taking to ensure the safety of every customer. You can also utilise email marketing and newsletters to update your regular subscribers, allowing them the chance to offer any feedback or voice concerns they may have. It will also do you good to include a health and safety section on your website, ensuring it is kept up to date with the changing guidelines, so any new clients can refer to that before visiting.

2.     Build the suspense

It is an exciting time for many and customers new and old are keen to support the businesses that have suffered during the pandemic. Slowly build the suspense in the lead up to your re-opening, reminding your customers why they love your brand and making features of best-selling products and services.

When building your social media schedule over the next few weeks, try to fit in one reminder per week of your opening date. To add an element of fun you can do a ‘counting down the days’ post or include a countdown clock ‘pop up’ on your website. Other ways to entice customers back through your doors is to create sharable content in the form of a challenge or game. For example, why not offer a prize to the best ‘shop front selfie’ after they have made their first purchase after lockdown. This will encourage your customers to continue talking about you long after they have left.

3.     Pace yourself

One positive aspect of the pandemic was the opportunity for a lot of us to take a step back and review how our business is going. It allowed people to slow down and really look hard at the smaller details. Now, think back to all the times over the last year you had an idea for improving your shop or salon and said to yourself ‘when lockdown is over…’ and if you haven’t already, write them down. If the list is fairly long not to worry, ease yourself in gently and take on one new task at a time, dedicating at least a month to each one. This should be enough time to test, review and decide whether keep or scrap your new idea before moving on to the next.

You also need to prepare and pace yourself mentally and physically, especially in service-based industries. With the extra marketing you will be doing in the lead up, you might find an influx of enquiries and appointments and in your eagerness to get back on track after a lost year, it could lead to being overworked in a short space of time. Try not meet every client demand right away and don’t feel guilty for taking breaks when necessary.