The news of the lockdown and the imposed closures in Lebanon definitely dampened the general mood, but preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 are vital for society. Despite these implications, there could be an upside in all this, especially for companies. Businesses can and should take advantage of this time, to improve, strategize and plan. Here is how:
Websites & online presence
A strong presence online is vital for any company. Assess your current company website, listings and rankings. Run SEO checks and identify key areas for improvement. Perhaps you can enhance the content and integrate more high ranking keywords that are linked to your industry and sector.
Creating quality backlinks is also recommended from an SEO perspective. Find sites that are aligned with your business activity, as well as communities you can join, and ensure you are properly listed on that.
If you have a blog or news sections on the site, go back and review each post, and enhance the posts, to make them more SEO friendly. This will ensure you will rank better online.
Social media
An ongoing crisis is no excuse to stop communicating online. Ensure you adapt your posts to suit the current times and continue to post. If you are an e-commerce / online business, or offer any products or services that can be useful to customers during such times, then you can continue to create value through social media.
Adapt business models
Have you always gone about business the same way? Now is your time to brainstorm and find innovative ways to navigate. You can tailor your product or service offerings, enhance your reach with online / delivery services, or enhance your support functions. Remember, the companies that are most likely to survive any crisis, are those which can successfully adapt to any situation.
Are there any innovative plans that are still on the backburner? Start digging them up and assess what can be implemented now.
Internal documents & processes
With team members working from home, there are a lot of procedures and processes that can be implemented to streamline matters. Do you have proper internal communication tools in place? Are you using them? How about reporting policies to ensure that the work is being done and no business disruptions occur?
It is a good time to communicate with team members and relay their responsibilities, and try and find ways to motivate them, and yourself for businesses to survive.
Also, review if your company documents, profiles and fact sheets are up to date. Enhance your pitch decks or introductory emails. Check key spokespeople biographies and ensure they reflect the company.
