Hey champ. How are you holding up? It’s okay to admit it if your pride (and your business account) have been more than a little bruised by 2020 so far. The COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown, reopening and (in many areas) local lockdown has been punishing for both small businesses and their clientele.

If your run your own small business you may have had to make some pretty big changes just to keep your head above water. You may even have had to jettison significant parts of your operations or even let staff go. And as bad as things have been for you, you know it’s been at least as bad for your customers. Many of them will have lost income. Some will have lost jobs. How do you continue to engage customers in such a context? How do you present yourself as an essential (or even viable) prospect when their world seems to have fallen apart around them.

Even if you haven’t seen them for a while, it can be done. Here’s how you’re going to win back the customers who will pave your way to liquidity and, eventually, prosperity so you can end 2020 on a high note…

Use Your Content Marketing to Your Advantage

Content marketing has always been a good idea for businesses. But in these tenuous times, it’s arguably essential, no matter what the nature, size or scope of your business. Your content marketing is your platform. It can showcase your knowledge, skills, talents, experience and expertise. It can remind customers how hard you’re working to understand and cater to their needs in these difficult times, and all the things you’re doing to keep them safe. Whether it’s luring back existing customers or enticing new ones, your content marketing is a great way to build or rebuild that relationship.

Make Yourself Available to Them When They Need You

In these uncertain times, your customers are craving reliability, stability, and someone they can depend on. They need to know that you’re on their side and that you’re there for them when they need you. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to endure the cost of employing a 24/7 workforce. But with some minor investment, you can ensure that your customers always feel heard. An after hours 24/7 answering service, for instance, is a great way to address customers’ questions and comments at any time of the day or night. Likewise chatbots can be used to engage customers so that they feel listened to, even if there’s nobody on-site to handle their query.

Deliver Targeted Offers That Are Too Good to Miss

If your customers are hurting financially at the moment (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), you may need to leverage special offers to get them back on-side. Promo codes are great, but they can be abused and spammed which can put a big dent in your margin. Focus on leveraging unique, single-use promotional codes that deliver targeted offers to lapsed customers. These can be based on previous orders or simply products that they keep coming back to on your website.

Stay in Touch

Never underestimate the importance of email marketing to keep customers engaged with your brand. Use snippets from your content marketing materials delivered straight to their inbox. Deliver new special offers just for them. Make sure you stay in touch and there’s an excellent chance that your relationship with them will remain strong.