As this Covid 19 Pandemic unfolds, It is now make or break for businesses. Everything from business models, customer service delivery structures, new market options are all being changed. They are also called on to assess, create and leverage their digital assets and understand how to make it work for them. Pivoting to remain in business is standard right now.
The businesses that are not online or do not have a digital strategy, are the ones that will struggle the most as the world, their industry, their customers, their competitors have gone online in unprecedented numbers. There is no better time to Look at the cultural shifts and changes in consumer needs and begin your digital transition.
I’ve been doing a bunch of mini strategy sessions with entrepreneurs and businesses since mid-March, to help them think about their next right digital step. They are in various industries — events, food and beverage, wellness and fitness.
This prompted me to share with you pivot ideas that may inspire you to get going and leveraging the Internet to survive right now and thrive later.
1. Restaurants & bars
Problem: People are staying at home for the next few months as restaurants and bars have to only pick up, curbside or delivery because of social distancing rules.
Pivot Ideas:
– Curate a smaller menu of your best sellers with new sweet deals also for ease of Online Ordering and Delivery.
– For Bars, Create Unique Cocktails to go, and leverage your digital channels, email lists, SMS community, and delivery services to get it to the marketplace.
– Is your restaurant focused on the wellness trend? Then share your recipes on your digital channels, show people how you do it and how they can make it at home. Share what you know about the ingredients and their benefits to health, wellness, immunity and energy at this time. Sign up to an online ordering and delivery service and offer a smaller special menu that’s ready to eat, easy to store later.
See: Plantry, Uncorkedja, mixherja, livingfoodandjuices, kukupoutlet on Instagram
2. Music Festivals & Tours
Problem: The In-person Events Business has rescheduled and in some places canceled.
Pivot Ideas:
-Produce Live Online concerts with options for brands to sponsor you, for people to buy tickets or send you money via Paypal, Venmo, Cash app payments. Donate a portion of the money to a coronavirus cause of your choice.
-You can also think of Repackaging past concerts/performances around themes that match the mood of the times and offer merchants and showcase them across your digital channels. Remind people of what they have experienced in the past and dream about what it will be like in the future.
See: Tmrw.Tday Festival on Instagram
3. Entertainers + Creatives
Problem: The In-person Events Business has rescheduled and in some places canceled.
Pivot Ideas:
-Produce Live Online concerts/Readings/Conversations with options for brands to sponsor you, for industry brands to collaborate with you and enable people to buy tickets or send you money via Paypal, Venmo, cash app payments. Donate a portion of the money to a coronavirus cause of your choice.
– Go Live on Instagram to document and show people what a day In your life looks like now with Covid19. Share your thoughts, people you’re hanging with, the music you’re listening to, what you’re reading and watching. Some of your Go Lives can be spontaneous, but it’s best to schedule them, tell people ahead of time and put some digital marketing muscle behind them.
-Keep building your brand, that connection with your online community, ask them questions, listen, comment and read the comments — get a sense of the mood.
– Give yourself a creativity challenge to create new music/poems/artwork and share it with your community on your social media channels.
-Check trending and long-tail hashtags and create content for them, comment and share content you like.
– Get on new platforms and places you are not yet on if they match your brand and where you believe your audience is spending time.
See: Tanya Stephens on Instagram | and DJ DNice on Instagram
4. Live Sporting Events
Problem: The In-person Sporting Events Business is delayed and in some places canceled.
Pivot Ideas:
- Learn more about eSports. The esports industry draws more viewership online
- – Create Payer-based Sports Cards around popular players especially those who are online and have a following.
- Create Fantasy Leagues of your sports team and create a fan community online.
- Don’t yet have a website or social channels for your sporting event or team? Now is the perfect time to launch one and bring fans closer to the players and your game and show what you are doing now in this time of Covid19.
5. Beauty Service industry
Problem: The In-person Clients Business is delayed and not allowed at this time because of social distancing rules and curfew orders.
Pivot Ideas:
- Set up Website/digital channels and share your story of why are you in the business, share stories of your journey so far, funny mistakes, photos or videos of haircuts and styles you’ve done and for whom over the years in business.
- Also educate people about how they can take care of their hair during this time, share why you use certain products and offer them through delivery.
- Share with your online community your own journey of dealing with the pandemic on a daily basis.
6. Gyms and Fitness industry
Problem: The In-person Clients Business is delayed and not allowed at this time because of social distancing rules and curfew orders.
Pivot Solutions:
- Take your classes online immediately and offer both group and one on one classes. Offer free taste classes for potential new clients and markets.
- Create a monthly subscription product for live and on-demand classes, for adults, kids, and older people.
- Keep your gym community close using your digital channels — social media, email. Let them know what you are doing, what is coming, ask them what they would love to have happened for them right now-create new online exercising experiences for them.
See: SpryLive , Express Fitness on Instagram.
7. Farms + Fresh Produce Providers
Problem: The big buyers in the Tourism Industry are closed or have severely reduced in operations, so demand has fallen off a cliff. Fewer people want to go to the farmer’s market but they still want fresh fruits and vegetables.
Pivot Solutions:
-If you are not there already, get online now. Set up your Instagram channel with gorgeous Pictures, Pricing, and Description of your produce. Create an order and delivery schedule. Offer Cash, Card, Direct Deposit as Ease of payment options. Offer contactless delivery as much as possible.
- Sign up with a delivery service and have them market and deliver your goods for a slice of the revenue.
- Create new products — bottled juices, frozen fruit to be used for smoothies at home or in restaurants and sell on your new Instagram channel.
- Focus on being the best at one thing: Become the supplier of the best fruits in season that people can see online, salivate, get prices, pay with cash or card and have it delivered based on a schedule you create. When you get fresh fruit, announce it on IG Stories and tell us where you got it, how it smells, the nutritious benefits for staying healthy and well now.
8. Theatre productions, museums and art galleries
Problem: The In-person Events are delayed and in some places canceled. No-one is coming out to see theatre productions, museums, and galleries.
Pivot Ideas:
- Museums/Art Galleries: Find artworks that match the current mode and also can as an inspiration to counter the current mood and showcases them on your Digital channels.
- Museums/Art Galleries: Create Virtual tours of museums and art galleries with online merch sites. The general mood, help people to reminisce as well as dream to plan to visit later.
- Theatre productions: — set up on Youtube and Instagram – offer one or two-person performances on a well-promoted schedule.
- Theatre productions: Pull out recordings of your most well-attended productions, edit them to 1-5 min clips and share them with your online community.
- Theatre productions: create new shot pieces that offer great storytelling that matches the mood and can also make people smile.
See: tribesankofa on Instagram