6 Ways To Grow Your Wellbeing Business In 2021 Despite The Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic By Emma Thackray

Most businesses have been forced to adapt their operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has changed consumer habits for the long term. With less hands-on time with products and services and an even more competitive digital environment, it is important to re-evaluate how you are running your wellbeing business to ensure it not only survives but thrives during these unprecedented times. Here, Booch & Brew co-founder, Emma Thackray, outlines her top 6 tips for growing a wellbeing business in 2021 despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Master no/low touch logistics

Safety has never been more important to the consumer than in today’s climate, and it is vital for businesses to comply with Covid-19 regulations by mastering no or low touch logistics. 

When implemented well, low-touch logistics can change your business operations for the better, by rectifying inefficiencies that could be slowing you down. It is also worth bearing in mind that digital-led experiences will continue to grow in popularity post-pandemic. So, by taking the steps now to offer digital, at-home and low-touch options, you can not only offer customers peace of mind that their products and services are being delivered in a Covid secure manner, you can put your business one step ahead. 

Prepare your website for increased traffic

Ongoing restrictions on the retail sector mean more customers are relying on shopping online. Therefore, it goes without saying that your website must be prepared for more activity than usual. 

Often, your website is the first thing a customer will judge you on, and having a user-friendly and professional looking site improves customer experience and will likely result in return visitors and recommendations.

To highlight any obvious shortcomings, such as misspelling or formatting, you can test your website on your own devices, but you may also want to look into software designed to assess website functionality in more depth.   

Invite customers to see how you have adapted operations

In the wellbeing industry, where competition is rife, building trust between you and the consumer is essential for return custom and enticing new customers to shop with you. Being transparent is one of the best ways to foster positive and rewarding customer relationships, and now is a good time to demonstrate how you are prioritising safety when producing and shipping your products. 

Consider sharing some ‘behind the scenes’ imagery or video footage to demonstrate how you have adapted your business operations to put customer and employee safety first. This will make customers feel more reassured about shopping with you and will showcase your brand’s personality, helping set you apart from competition. 

Improve your contact channels

Online traffic has peaked for many businesses during the pandemic and with this often comes an increase in customer queries. Therefore, you need to ensure your contact options are up to date and fully optimised to minimise the time between a customer arriving on your website and placing an ordering with you. 

Many website building platforms offer extensions or plugins to create automatic chat bots which can answer basic questions instantly without the need for customers to contact you directly and, if you aren’t already, you should encourage customers to get in contact through your social media channels, which allows for a more instant and personalised response. To minimise customers queries, consider creating a FAQ page and keeping it up to date with answers to the most common questions you receive. Giving customers easy access to this information saves time for you both and adds another level of professionalism to your website and branding.

Get creative with your marketing on and offline

As more brands fight for attention, you need to ensure your marketing is relevant and will continue to entice new customers. Inviting customers to connect and discuss relevant topics on your social media channels is a great way of maintaining a sense of community, and introducing virtual product demonstrations can help bridge the gap that has appeared between your products and consumers due to physical store closures. This allows your customers to understand your products without having to physically hold or experience them.

Reach out to your community 

The business community has shown great resilience during the pandemic and many people have reached out to their peers for support in growing their business and also keeping them afloat. There are a variety of ways you can involve the business community to yourself and others, such as attending virtual networking events, interacting with other businesses’ social media content to increase engagement and consider raising funds in the form of a crowdfunder. 

We are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to fund the cost of new equipment to keep up with demand. We have received an overwhelming response, showing how supportive consumers and others in the industry can be when times get tough.

Other ways you can reach out to businesses is to attend networking events 

Now, more than ever, it is crucial to reflect on how you are running your business if you want to build [or even simply maintain] market share . Times are tough for businesses of all kinds, but the public’s growing awareness of health and wellbeing because of the pandemic means now is the time to ensure you are leaving no stone unturned. By making sure you have the basics in place, you can generate sustainable growth throughout coronavirus and beyond.