“What the heck is going on?!”

You’ve probably said that line or some variation of it a lot in the last week. If you’re a business owner, you’re likely following the CDC’s updates closely and are constantly having to modify strategies to make sure you stay afloat, keep your employees paid and your customers safe.

Here’s a quick list of what you need to be doing to keep your customers informed at a moment’s notice.

1. CHANGE YOUR HOURS ON GOOGLE AND MAKE GOOGLE POSTS
   We talked about how do this in a previous post. Chances are, the first place a customer is going to look for info, is Google. As soon as you make the decision to modify your hours or move to only pick-up over dine-in, change your Google listing. Login to your Google My Business listing, change your hours under “info” in “special hours.” From there, add a post and select “what’s new” as the kind of post you’re posting. Then type away in the box to let customers know what has changed and what to expect from you in the coming days. This post will appear with your listing when someone Googles you, making it one of the first things they see. (Hint: It’s a good idea to add a picture or graphic to get their attention.) These posts expire, and Google will email you to remind you to replace it with a new one. You can have more than one up at a time, but be sure the posts don’t have conflicting info. For instance, if you were “open for business” on Monday, and you aren’t now, be sure to take that original post down. You def don’t wanna confuse the masses!

2. CHANGE YOUR INFO ON FACEBOOK.
   Whether we like it or not, people rely on Facebook for info on businesses. Be sure to update your hours accordingly in the settings, and make a post about the updated info. It’s also a great idea to change your cover image right now to a graphic with that updated info, so people see it as soon as they come to your page.

3. PUT UP AN UPDATED WEB BANNER WITH THE NEW INFO ON YOUR HOMEPAGE.
   You want to be sure the same info exists everywhere a potential customer may look. If by some chance someone gets your website through a link other than Google, other search engines or Facebook, you want to be sure the same info exists there as in those other places. Putting a notice on your homepage theoretically shouldn’t be difficult, but if your web designer can’t help you right now, call us. We can help you out ASAP.

4. CHANGE YOUR PHONE GREETING.
   When people call your business, they should hear this same info on your hold message or your voicemail greeting. Be sure to re-record it (most phones give you the option for a temporary greeting) and provide the latest updates as soon as you humanly can.

5. BREATHE.
   It’s not the end of the world. It’s not the end of your business. We will all get through this together, as long as we work together and stay positive. If you need motivation or help, email, call or Facebook message us. We can help you feel better and look for inspiration!

Lucky for us, we work remotely so we’re used to this “work from home” stuff. But that also means, we can still help you if you need it. Keep calm and call the Maltshop. We’ve got you!