Creativity
The use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. Quarantine: A restriction on the movement of people and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. Creativity supports freedom. Quarantine supports restraint. How can your business navigate through the quarantine and combine these two opposites to boost your success?
With COVID-19 prompting many business owners to make the decision to close their doors for good, people wonder how smaller businesses can succeed during this quarantine. Consider this: Isolation doesn’t necessarily mean inaccessibility, especially in this technologically advanced world. For your business, experiencing a quarantine could be another opportunity to get creative with your audience engagement! We’re looking at the glass half-full, not half-empty.
While certain trends might not suit your business, when it comes to affecting your audience, it’s important to consider making adjustments to what you communicate to them. If your audience cares about a specific current event, your website should redirect current messages to show that you care about what your audience cares about.
Regarding COVID-19, for example, there is no bandwagon or trend; whether directly or indirectly, everyone is affected by the pandemic and people want to know that the business they’ve supported up to this point is interested in showing their support. While it is a unique circumstance, being under a quarantine doesn’t need to be an end-all when it comes to keeping your business afloat. In fact, quarantine is helping some businesses increase their foot traffic by forcing some to implement creative quarantine-friendly business initiatives to their website, marketing, and design.
Website Creativity
Who are you, what your business is currently doing under quarantine, and what your client can take away from visiting your page while under quarantine.
If you don’t have a website, you should consider making one. If you do have a website, do you know how people are using it during these times? Your website could play an important if how your business can stay relevant during the quarantine. If people are visiting your website while under quarantine, chances are one of the first pieces of information they want to know is if and how you’re operating during the quarantine. Then they most likely want to know if you’re currently offering the same products or services. Have your hours changed as a result of the quarantine or protests? Do you have changed hours on the weekend now that curfews have been administered in a variety of places? This type of information is vital for your customers and should be at the forefront of your website.
“But, C7D, what if our business isn’t able to operate as usual…what do we tell our customers?” The easiest rule to this is to be straightforward (still tactful) and let your customers know why you’re not operating. People have many questions these days regarding businesses’ hours. If you actively endeavor to provide your customers with updates on what’s going on and the reason behind it, you’re establishing a consistent line of communication that results in trust-building. Your website should be updated regularly, especially during these times when there are many events affecting many people. You don’t want your business to come across as being out-of-the-loop or uninterested in such matters. Doing so might make your audience feel like they’re supporting the wrong business.
Marketing Creativity
Run a campaign or get people interested in your business by tying in COVID-19 specifics to your services.
One way to keep your business creative during quarantine is by focusing on your marketing. Millions of people have been under quarantine which means that they have more than the usual amount of time to do stuff online. People aren’t just looking for news and updates on coronavirus or protests. They want engaging and interesting new content, too. Some pre-quarantine marketing campaigns are simply irrelevant. In fact, some pre-quarantine campaigns might actually undermine current-quarantine endeavors. Keep your customers feeling refreshed when they visit your website by removing information that is no longer relevant.
Something as simple as replacing that original “In-Store Summer Promo!” homepage banner with “Quarantine Like A Pro With Our Summer Stay-At-Home Code” could make all the difference. Creating content for your website that is educational and informative can place you in a position to receive greater visibility. Marketing strategies such as giveaways and online promotions will prove useful and appealing to a range of audiences. Are you a restaurant that’s now offering only curbside, delivery, or takeout orders? Your website could host a giveaway that prompts customers to engage in something specific which could result in an additional code that could be applied to their order. If quarantine has your customers in a rut, maybe you could develop a marketing campaign where the customer who can create the most words from “quarantine” wins a stay-at-home meal prep from your restaurant. There’s a range of creative marketing campaigns your business can create that are quarantine-friendly and can get your audience involved and committed to your business.
Design Creativity
Implement current events into your designs. Suit your audiences’ circumstances while still promoting your service.
Having a successful website design is often about keeping up with the latest trends and staying consistent, including the color you choose and what kind of images you use throughout your website. It could be that you’re finally designing that logo you’ve been putting off. No matter the case, when it comes to updating your designs, it’s important to consider current events.
If your designs are not aligned with the current quarantine conditions, you might want to reconsider how you can enhance your design creativity during the quarantine. If you’re a catering company, having images of people hugging, shaking hands, or hanging out in big gatherings just to showcase your catering services might not be suitable and your audience might take offense to the fact that you’re promoting a specific environment that isn’t practical now. Having images that show a family enjoying food with accompanying text that highlights the importance of staying safe but still being able to enjoy good food with your family at home might be more effective.
More than anything, make sure your business stays active.
Complacency during these times might be your business’s biggest enemy. The fact of the matter is: People are actively perusing the online world and your business is part of that world. Work with your website design team to consider ways you can build your creativity and keep your business visible during the quarantine. In doing this, you can still maintain your relationships and even build new ones. Remember that what you do now for your business will leave an impact a few weeks, months, and years from now.