Many thanks to Lum3n for use of this Pexels image.
A recent headline in the Wall Street Journal jumped out: Target Posts Record Quarter.
Really? Month 6 of a pandemic. Life is anything but normal. Shops still closed. Restaurants going out of business. And Target can’t get out of their own way.
What’s Target doing that others aren’t? It’s simple, really. They’ve listened to their target market. And provided solutions.
Their customers want to be safe. They want to shop from home and pick up purchases without getting out of their cars. Or get deliveries. They also want convenience and to save time.
Smart small businesses come up with solutions.
Target ramped up their online presence and made it easy to shop their website. Don’t want to go into stores to browse back-to-school items? Their robust website has everything your kids need online. So you can easily shop from home, then pick up at a dedicated pickup location or get your items delivered.
No, it’s not the same back-to-school experience we knew. No browsing the aisles so your kiddos can find the right color glittery folders. No picking that perfect pencil case and backpack. No trying on new clothes.
But this is a new school year unlike any we’ve seen before. And these are the realities. The retailers who GET it……like Target….are seeing sales soar. And they’re not alone.
What can you, a small business owner or an entrepreneur, take away from Target’s example?
Here are five things you can do right now:
- Pay attention to what keeps your customers up at night. Then find a solution that you can offer them.
- Let them know. Share those solutions/new services on your website, in emails and newsletters and on social media. And ask people to retweet, reshare and tell their friends.
- Reach out. As soon as you’re aware that your clients are having trouble, let them know you’re there to help.
- Make it easy for them to contact you. Everyone has different ways they like to connect. Give them options — phone, email, text, Facebook Messenger.
- Research new products or services you might provide. Can you offer free delivery? Extended payment terms? (Be careful about that one). You might discover some new income streams, and that would be a win-win for you and your customers.
These are challenging times but that doesn’t mean your business can’t survive…..or even thrive. These are conditions that smart entrepreneurs look for.
What opportunities for growth do you see?
Now is the time to figure out exactly what you can do to move forward. Need more inspiration?
Read about some companies that are household names that successfully launched during wretched economic times:  13 Massive Companies That Started During a Recession by Kelly Bertog. You might be surprised. You’ll probably be inspired.
And if you end up coming up with some ideas, let us know. We love small business success stories!
Read some of our other articles to help you market smarter:
Small Business Marketing in the Throes of a Pandemic