Keep in Touch
When you can't meet face to face, make sure you can still see eye to eye...
COVID-19: WTF
There's no escaping it: the "2019 novel coronavirus" has rocked everyone's world.
If you're a solopreneur or a Small Business, this may have you shaken and worried. This doesn't have to be the end of the world... or the end of your business.
Getting a Handle on it
How to keep going... while everything stands still
Google Hangouts
Facebook Messenger
Skype
Zoom
eztalks
Video Conferencing
- Ideal cost-effective substitute for meetings and gatherings
- Everyone has a laptop, tablet or smartphone
- There are plenty of FREE video conferencing options
- "Face to face" doesn't have to mean "in person"
- Be proactive: CREATE the solutions and INVOLVE your customers and clients
Account-based
Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger video chat and Skype are all account-based: everyone who participates in your chat must have a GMail, Facebook or Skype account to join in the video conference.
Web-based
Zoom and eztalks are web-based: the organizer of the video conference is the only one required to have an account. Everyone else receives an invitation which includes the information they'll need to participate.
Video conferencing types
Pros
- GMail and Facebook are almost universal; Skype is owned by Microsoft, and many have a hotmail.com or outlook.com account
- Except for Skype, no extra software is required to participate
Cons
- You can't invite outsiders into your conference, unless they create an account just so they can join in
- In addition, Skype users will have to install the app on their computer or mobile device
Account-based conferencing
Pros
- No account required except for the organizer of the conference
- Participants can join via web browser: apps provide enhanced features, but are not required
Cons
- The free versions of web-based conferencing impose time limits on the length of each conference session
Web-based conferencing
Web conference best practices
- Have an agenda, especially for the web-based, time limited options. Distribute it to all participants before the conference
- Do a trial run to get comfortable and familiar with the tech. Don't let your first meeting be your first time
- Test in separate locations and on different devices if possible
- The host/organizer should be clear of distractions, clutter and background noise
- Create a handout document to distribute after the conference and for those who couldn't attend
- Mute everyone except the host; unmute one at a time
Low tech, high touch
Text is not dead, and is not going away anytime soon...
Sometimes, words are enough
Call Me in Writing - Texting
- 5 billion people around the world have the ability to send and receive text messages (SMS/MMS)
- US smartphone users send and receive five times more texts than they make and receive calls
- Over 68% of consumers said they text more than they talk on their smartphones
- Texting provides information that doesn’t disappear
- With texting, there is less pressure to remember or record details
- Most people will not answer calls from unknown numbers; text messages are viewed immediately
- Placing phone calls and sending emails to texted contact info requires just a tap - no copy/paste is needed
Text messaging best practices
- Add all your leads, customers, colleagues, vendors etc. to your phone's contacts. Never miss or ignore an important text
- Greet the recipient by name in the first text of the day - "Good {morning|afternoon} Cornell..." It's polite, and it's just good business. Also, send a final "goodbye" text to end the session.
- Tell them why you're texting them as soon as possible
- Be BRIEF - nobody wants to read 12 screens of text
- DON'T use childish abbreviations like "4 U" or "2 B clear" - this isn't high school or college... be professional
- Type out street addresses in full - most smartphones can recognize a properly formatted address and open it in the maps app with a touch
Email... it's not "OK, boomer"
More than {just} words
More effective than you realize
- ALL webmails can label, categorize and sort your emails, and take many rule-based actions
- The ability to address a group with a single email - "CC:" - helps literally keep everyone on the "same page"
- Sending documents, images and videos as attachments helps store them effortlessly "in the cloud"
- Don't overlook the ability to search emails just like the web - properly utilized, that's a powerful asset
- Append a signature automatically to your outbound email - it's your digital business card
Email: The Internet Swiss Army Knife
- ALL webmail provides document management, slide decks, etc. Microsoft's Outlook.com provides FREE online versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint!
- Mailerlite is a free email campaign tool that not only provides autoresponders, but let's you create logic flows that segment your lists, follow up with unresponsive recipients and more
- Every cell phone provider has an email format that turns emails into text messages - i.e. 2129876543@txt.att.net. You can create a forwarding rule that alerts your phone when important emails arrive
Chat 'em Up
Facebook Messenger
Google Hangouts chat
No - it's not just texting
- Google Hangouts chat integrates with GMail - all chat session are transcribed and searchable within your GMail INBOX
- Facebook Messenger creates thumbnails of embedded videos, and allows integration with chatbots that can extract contact info directly from users' Facebook accounts
- WhatsApp provides end to end encryption, which for privacy issues may be mission-critical
- ALL chats allow voice communication, allowing you to essentially place FREE international phone calls
Chat vs. Texting
- Sometimes you don't have their phone number, or they don't have a cell phone. If they have a GMail account, use Hangouts. If they're on Facebook, use Messenger
- Facebook Messenger, combined with FREE chatbot solutions - e.g. Drift, ChatFuel or MobileMonkey enable you to extract information like full names, email addresses, location, and have one continuous conversation over time
- Text is best for time-sensitive, urgent messages. Chat is much better for ongoing conversations and group messages
- Chat is archived better and more easily reviewed afterward.
- Text is more personal, since you have their cell phone number
Facebook Groups - beyond the page
Group Dynamics
- Facebook Pages are static - people can only "like" and comment. Facebook Groups have members and permissions, allowing greater control over your interaction with your market and customer base.
- Everyone in your Group sees everything you post, moving you past the "20% visibility unless you promote" limit imposed by Facebook's ad structure
- Groups have Units, allowing you to collect and arrange posts in a desired order, making them easier to find and ensuring key items don't get buried in the timeline
- Groups can - and should - be a meeting place for you to constantly interact with current and future clients and customers
Get Your Group Going...
- Give your Facebook Group a name that grabs attention and states its purpose. Mine is called "Do Business BETTER!" - short, sweet and right to the point
- Give your Group a custom URL upon creation. This makes it easy to find and enter into a browser. Mine is https://facebook.com/groups/dobusinessbetter
- Set Group privacy to "Public", but require admin approval to join. This increases visibility AND keeps the riff raff out
- Post relevant content! This is your BUSINESS talking to your CUSTOMERS - post appropriate, engaging content
- Start the Conversation! Talk with your Group, and challenge them to talk with each other
- Invite people to join - don't wait for them to find you. Spread the word - go out and get them, and don't be shy about it
Business is a Relationship
- In closing, remember - you do business with people. Human beings, not companies and corporations
- Remember why your customers choose YOU. Do everything you can to make sure THEY also remember
- Check in often with your current customers, possible future ones (yes - life still goes one) and your colleagues and vendors. Maintain that human connection
- Share good ideas and best practices with your customers - keeping THEM in business helps keep YOU in business
- Make it personal - Keep it professional. This is a fine line to walk... even if we have friends who are customers, remember that business is about making a profit
- Focus on your core brand values. People buy what they want and need - always appeal to desires and requirements
We Will Get Through This
We've been through worse. Stay safe and healthy. Keep your spirits up. Remember to laugh, love, breathe and rest well. Good luck to us all.
Resource List
About the Author
Cornell Green is a Small Business Development Specialist and founder of CommunIT Solutions. For the past ten years he has worked with entrepreneurs and Small Businesses to help them save time, make money and grow their customer base.
Who Am I? https://communitsolutions.com/about-me
My Facebook Group - https://facebook.com/groups/dobusinessbetter
Email me: cornellgreen@communitsolutions.com
Call me: 646-727-0212