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Tips to Keep Businesses Going during Social Distancing, via JC Tech Meetup – NJ Tech Weekly


On the evening of March 26, Jersey City Tech Meetup broke ground in previously uncharted territory by holding its first-ever virtual online meeting, utilizing Instagram’s Live feature.

Hosting
regular online meetups will most likely become a regular feature of this group
moving forward, although monthly in-person get-togethers will recommence as we
all eventually get back to pre-Covid-19 conditions, when in-person restrictions
are lifted, the organizers said.   

Cohosts Ben
Yurcisin, the Meetup’s lead organizer, and Joe Cameron, founder and CEO of JLC Social Marketing (Hoboken), were
in high spirits and set a positive tone right from the outset.

JLC Social
Marketing offers its clientele social marketing services, including the tracking
of specific ROIs (returns on investment) for the money spent. The company also
offers online classes in skills such as how to boost online posts for maximum
impact.

The meeting that
evening focused on various tips and tricks for negotiating the current
environment.

Below are
some of the key takeaways from the virtual chat, which included an audience
Q&A session at the end of the hour-long session.

Some observations
and suggestions:

  • Marketing
    budgets are often the first expenditures that get chopped at the onset of difficult
    times.

    • Some
      service-based businesses may not be a good fit for translating their skills and
      offerings to the online world.
    • If
      you own or manage a business that has closed its doors, you need to do more
      than ever to engage with your customers and remain top of mind.
    • A
      lesson for many companies is that they need to have diversified products and/or
      service offerings — both brick-and-mortar and digital/online.

      • This is part of “future-proofing” your
        organization.
    • According
      to JLC Social Marketing, we are likely to experience a “tsunami” of consumers
      coming back into the marketplace once the current situation ends.

      • Therefore, as a business owner, you
        should be thinking about how to best position yourself to capitalize on that
        wave.

        • Send
          emails out now to let customers know that you’re still there and thinking of
          them.
        • Work
          to expand your email list now, especially if you are a brick-and-mortar
          business, as having a large email list will allow you to communicate with your customers
          even if your physical doors are locked.
    • Some
      positives will come from this.

      • Many people will have more time to
        take a breath, step back and think about their respective businesses, and to do
        some longer-range planning.

        • Many
          are working from home, so the time that was previously allotted to commuting is
          now available for planning ahead and learning new skills, among other
          constructive endeavors.
        • Reevaluate
          your goals and make sure they are properly aligned.
        • Capitalize
          on having more time to create content, such as videos, for future use.
  • Practice getting comfortable in front
    of the camera for video calls and content creation.

    • Use
      the time to virtually train your employees.
    • Improve
      your social marketing skills.
    • Think
      about ways you can help others, offering something for free that will help your
      community alleviate current pain.
  • Build more trust for the future, as others
    will remember that you were there for them during the tough times.

    • Other
      suggestions:

      • Sell gift cards for future use, and
        maybe discount them as a way of giving back.
      • Don’t be afraid to tell your
        followers and customers how they can help your business. If you don’t ask, you
        won’t receive.
      • Create an advance social media content
        calendar for planning future posts.
    • Here are some recommended tech tools that
      you can utilize when operating virtually (for now and in the future):

      • Facebook
        Messenger and Facebook Live — good for showing your face and
        catching up with friends and family
      • Houseparty
        — a relatively new social app
    • Facebook and Instagram have a lot of
      free instructional workshops and training tools online.
    • Now is a good time to catch up with people
      you haven’t spoken to in a while, to make sure everyone is OK.
    • During difficult times, you can still
      help businesses without any money changing hands.

      • For
        example, you can share and like their social posts, also leave genuine comments.
    • Now
      is a good time for businesses to conduct fundraisers and to help others that are
      more impacted.

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