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How to Support Small Businesses During COVID-19

How to Support Small Businesses During COVID-19

Time To Read: 3 minutes

How to Support Small Businesses During COVID-19

 

 

 
 

With the uncertain season COVID-19 has imposed among us, many small businesses are forced to limit their services, in an effort to avoid spreading the disease. GreenFox has a heart for helping our fellow business owners. Times like these can either push us apart or unite us through supportive measures. Our team is choosing to support. We’ve created a list of our best tips to support small businesses during this time.

Call-In and Pick-up Orders

Let’s be honest. Most of us were not cooking every single meal of the day, so why start now? Help small restaurants in your town by continuing to make food orders. It will look different now since you won’t dine-in, but you can still enjoy the delicious meal with your family. Turn it into a picnic if you want to change the scenery that dining-in provided. Ultimately, you are supporting small business owners and helping in lay-off prevention.

 

Buy Gift Certificates to Use for Later

If you know of others who are struggling financially, consider providing them with a gift card from a small business. This helps small companies through the cash infusion during a hard time. Think of it as a no-interest loan you provide the business. And if you give the gift certificate to someone who needs it, you end up helping more than one person.

 

Shop Online

Some small businesses that are not considered “essential” are being forced to close their doors and resort to online only. Shopping online is the only way they can make sales. If you’re able to financially, consider shopping online for items you’ll need in the coming months. Think ahead, like birthday presents, special occasions, etc. Purchasing now will alleviate small businesses during this season.

 

As the Employee 

If you work for a small company, now more than ever, your company needs you to step up. You can support small businesses by being more efficient, productive, and reliable. Provide even better service especially since business will be slower than usual. Find ways that you can go out of your way to support the small business you work for.

 

Checking In With Business Owners and Employees You Know

This season brings a lot of uncertainty to small companies. The unknown of when this will all be over or how long the recovery period will be can have business owners and employees worried and anxious. Reach out to those you know and offer an encouraging word, ask how you can help, and support them with your business.

Remember that COVID-19 is bearing a unique financial burden to the small businesses in your town. Consider these tips to support them and their employees. Just because we are instructed to practice social distancing, it doesn’t mean we can’t unite and support each other. Let us know how you are supporting small businesses during this time!

Covid-19 Update (We’re Here To Help)

Covid-19 Update (We’re Here To Help)

Time To Read: 2 minutes

Covid-19 We’re here to help

 

 

 
 
Along with many of you, our company has been directly impacted by the change in economy due to COVID-19.  Our clients are each seeing some sort of effect or effects as well.
We want to do our best to walk through this season of uncertainty with those owners who are filled with questions about what do next.  
 
In trying to brainstorm what we could do to help, our team did what we do best and got creative. We here at GreenFox would like to extend our invitation to those business owners with questions to reach out and meet with our team of talented creatives, via online conferencing, to “team up” and consider what may be those “next steps” for this uncertain season we’re in.  Let me be clear, this is a completely free service we want to offer.  There is zero obligation to hire GreenFox Marketing for services.  

It is our goal in this season to stand alongside local businesses to do our part to be a company that serves well.  

If you’re interested in meeting with our team of creatives, please click the button below to get to our contact page and click “schedule a consultation.”
 
We’re all in this together and believe that when all of this passes, we will come out stronger as businesses and as communities. We believe that hope comes from the Lord and have faith that the best is yet to come.
 
 
 
 
 

Thank you,

Zeke Dorr
Chief Operating Officer 
GreenFox Marketing
Best Practices for Working From Home Like a Boss

Best Practices for Working From Home Like a Boss

Time To Read: 4 minutes

10 tips for a productive day working from Home

 

With the recent outbreak of the COVID-19, many of us are advised to work remotely, in an effort to avoid spreading the disease. Our team at GreenFox has created a list of our best tips for working from home.

1. Create a workspace away from where you sleep

Designate a workspace in your home or at a coffee shop to help you get in the “right mindset” to get work done. Avoid your bedroom, especially working in bed, to minimize the temptation to fall asleep. This also helps for good sleep at night, since you won’t associate your bed with work.

 

2. Stick to your regular routine as much as possible

Though the scenery is different, your routine shouldn’t be. Maintaining a sense of structure prevents you from taking longer on tasks than it usually would. If you typically take time at the beginning of the work day to plan out your tasks, do that at home, too. For example, if you typically take lunch at 12:30pm, stick to it. This assists in keeping you focused, and where it typically would be at work.

 

3. Continue Socializing During Social Distancing

If needed, find a “work from homie” to keep you company. Unless you’ve been exposed, it is important to not isolate yourself completely. If you don’t have a buddy to work from home with, rely on FaceTime and phone calls with loved ones to keep your spirits high and help you feel connected.

 

4. Keep Your Day 9-5

When working from home it may be tempting to work more than your allotted hours for the day. It’s easy to justify skipping lunch or working until 5:30 since that’s usually the time you would spend commuting to work. The issue is you run the risk of burning out.

 

5. Reduce Distractions

When working from home, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome is most likely distractions. To help you stay efficient during this time, we recommend you find a designated workspace free of distractions. Although your boss isn’t there to look over your shoulder, you should still avoid picking up your phone for quick scrolls through social media. Studies suggest it takes 23 minutes to refocus once we engage in small distractions such as checking social media or responding to a text. Similarly, we recommend you cut out other background distractions such as TV.

 

6. Don’t See This As An Opportunity to Sleep In

It may be easy to view this as an opportunity to sleep in and wait until the last minute to get out of bed. This may hinder your work performance. We suggest giving yourself time to wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, drink your morning cup of coffee, and mentally prepare for your day just like you’re going into the office.

 

7. Get Dressed for the day – Don’t hang out in your pajamas

Working from home can tempt you to stay in the clothes you slept in, but this impacts your productivity. Get ready like you would normally for work.

 

8. Over Communicate

Probably the most important tip we will share is to practice over communication. Your company is counting on you to complete your job and you are likely depending on others to answer your questions, send you files, return your emails. Some of our favorite methods and platforms for this here at GreenFox are:

  • Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts for video conferencing
  • Whatever you do, make sure you are accessible to your coworkers at all times. Keep your phone nearby, check your email regularly, and respond immediately.
  • Schedule a morning phone call with your team to debrief everyone’s tasks for the day and celebrate accomplishments from the previous workday. This will also assist in keeping each other accountable while working from home and will ensure everyone feels connected.
  • Task management platforms such as Asana can help keep track of everyone’s workload. Message apps like Slack and GroupMe aid in instant communication.

 

9. Create a To-Don’t List

While working from home, you may see a pile of laundry to fold or a stack of dishes in the sink to wash. Create a list of non-work related tasks that you won’t let yourself complete during your normal scheduled 9-5.

 

10. Tips For the Parents Working From Home

Working from home can be a challenge for anyone, but working from home when children are present can pose a new challenge. Create a habit of checking on your children between each work task. Spend the time you would usually spend catching up with coworkers spending quality time with your kids and making sure they have everything they need.

 

We hope these tips help you maintain some normalcy during COVID-19. To sustain a level of work efficiency, it is helpful to not treat your time spent working from home as a vacation. GreenFox wishes you all the best during this time!

 

 

 

 

Optimize Your Marketing During COVID-19

Optimize Your Marketing During COVID-19

Time To Read: 3 minutes

Optimize Your Marketing During COVID-19

 
“Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.” – Warren Buffett  

Certain measures for uncertain times

In other words, uncertain times may present a good value buying opportunity for your business. COVID-19 is taking its toll and spreading fear or at least that’s what it seems. You may not have the virus (as most of us do not), but you’re preparing for your business to stop-gate the madness. So what do you do? How do you put things in place to ensure your business can carry on through this current world crisis? It starts with thinking through what could be. In other words, it’s time to double down.

First, for most of us, working remotely means more time on the internet. During this time of social distancing, consider digital marketing for your business as your first and best option. Why, you ask? Simple, you can sell your products while you sleep! Your store goes from a daytime operation to 24 hours a day, at least doubling your chance to sell the product you have.

your digital storefront

If you haven’t already, the time to move online is now (well actually it was years ago, but with many business owners advised to shut down their brick and mortars, the time for sure is now). Your website is your gateway to a digital storefront. 

Chances are you pay good money for your physical storefront, so your customers feel confident you are a real deal business. The same is true for your website. This is the initial place that many consumers determine if they would like to do business with you or not. 

If you know your website is dated, also slow and difficult to find on Google, it’s time to make a digital presence that works for you. Why not start now, while a web presence is downright mandatory.

Digital advertising strategy

If you already spend money on ads in places like Google and Facebook, then don’t do what your heart says. That’s right, I said don’t do what your heart says. During an economic downturn, the natural tendency is to stop and save. 

Here’s the deal. There are about to be unreal amounts of people online. Those people are inevitably going to get bored working remotely, practicing social distancing for the next several weeks. Oftentimes, people who are bored spend time simply looking for something that interests them. Get in front of the consumer. Set aside a healthy budget for digital advertising that allows your business to be seen online. 

As consumer patterns change during the COVID-19 era and the economy faces an upset, a digital marketing team can help you make sense of online traffic numbers and how best to achieve a conversion. Considering the current climate, the consumer, and adding the ability to digitally market yourself is the best way to see a return on your marketing investment now and for months ahead. 

Social Content that Works

At least for the foreseeable future, businesses won’t be able to post pictures of staff lunches, birthdays, or the winner of our in-person drawing for a pair of gas station sunglasses. 

Instead, let’s use this time to focus on high quality, engaging content. Genuine, intentional content is what we are missing in the business social media world. Buyers want to see what you have to offer and solve the problems they have. After all, that is what business is all about.

GreenFox can Help

It would be silly for me to leave you without some steps in how GreenFox can partner with you on each of these items. We have an in-house team that creates amazing marketing assets for our clients. Start by optimizing your website. It is the foundation for everything else being successful.

Stay Informed

If you have any questions or concerns about your marketing, please feel free to reach out!

5 + 1 =

Excuse Me, I Think You Forgot Your Why.

Time To Read: 2 minutes

Excuse Me, I Think You Forgot Your Why.

Picture this scenario.

You walk into the doctor’s office because they told you they are giving away an iPad to a lucky winner. As you walk through the door, the doctor meets you and says, “Are you ready for your surgery?”

What would you do? I would think I was a bit on a reality tv show. Then, the doctor states, “well, what if I showed you my certifications, would you be ready for surgery then?” UHHHHHH no. “Well, what if I show you how sharp my surgery tools are? Maybe some pictures of clients who are happy with the surgeries I have performed?” Mr. Doctor, sir, you are nuts….

This is exactly what we do for people in our business. We tell them they need our products and services and we show them they need us by telling them how great we are, or how the product works in a perfect way. However, we forget the most important thing. WHY. Why do people need your product or service?

Picture some of the big boys…Let’s take Apple. Their commercials are typically not a shot of their phones that say, “Buy our iPhone, we are the biggest company in the world.” No, they give you a compelling why! Check out this video, and see if you can determine what the why is and how they achieved it.

Did you catch it?

You love a lot of things and if you get this phone, those things that you love will be even more magnified! They helped you get to a conclusion of why you need to justify spending $1,000 on a phone.

Don’t just look at this and say “well yeah, but that’s Apple….” It’s the lazy way out and let’s face it, if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been. (Thanks for the quote, Andy Stanley.)

Let’s say you own an HVAC company. Obviously, we all need heat and air. How could we show the, “why,” on your website?

As I write this, it is freezing cold in the middle of December. So instead of having the static picture of the AC unit with your logo (as most HVAC companies have), why don’t we update your website with an image of a family hanging around the Christmas tree with a text title that says, “No matter the season, we’ve got you covered!” Included with that relevant image, you are presenting a compelling why. You are telling the story of what someone’s family could look and feel like if their house was warm and comfortable by having that company’s HVAC system installed in your house.

Don’t forget your “why”! It’s too important!

Need help? Hit the “Get In Touch” button at the top of our site!

Where to Spend Your Marketing Dollars

Time To Read: 2 minutes

Where to Spend Your Marketing Dollars

There is a big misconception on where marketing and advertising companies should be spending their marketing dollars. Often, to a fault, these ideas typically come from marketing companies that are trying to sell a product and do not have an overall care and strategy for the business in mind.

One of our sales people here at GreenFox had a meeting set up with a large car dealership and asked me (Eric) to come along with her, as I have some pretty in-depth experience working with dealerships. Once we arrived, we sat down with a young, go-getter type salesman and the Internet Director who had been doing car sales since I was in diapers.

We explained to them that we partner with businesses to be a full marketing solution to all of their problems. As we got deeper into the conversation, the young salesmen spoke up and said, “how much would it cost to run my personal car sales business facebook account?” I kind of cocked my head sideways and asked, “why would you want us to do that?” He said, “well, you guys are the experts and I don’t have time.” I told him that was a typical response and a main reason people hire us, but I didn’t think it was a good idea for him. He seemed puzzled, but I explained further…

I told him to put himself in someone else’s shoes, to get his mind off of sales for a second and to picture himself buying a car. I said “okay, so you’ve made the decision to make a vehicle purchase, what do you do?” He replied, “I go to car guru or a dealership’s website.” I responded, “EXACTLY! So, the ONLY way to influence people to buy from you would be PERSONAL relationships OR meeting people where they are already looking.” (the dealership website or some VERY targeted marketing through Facebook ads.) Dealerships spend thousands of dollars marketing to get people through the door. Any online personal marketing would actually be competition to the dealership EVEN THOUGH they are coming in the very location you are trying to market.

He agreed that it would be a waste of time and money and we moved on. As we were walking out the door, the Internet Director kindly pulled me aside and said. “I want to thank you for what you did back there. I know he would have pulled the trigger and paid you to run his facebook page and you could have let him, but you didn’t and that means a lot to me that you wanted to see him succeed.”

I share this story to say it happens EVERY day! People walk in, have a product, and tell people they need that product because everyone else has that product. The issue is, not every business needs the same thing. Below you will find a simple success guide to advertising. It is our goal to PARTNER with businesses like yours to not only fulfill the products that you need, but to partner with you in WHAT, WHEN and HOW you need to use it.