Marketing Tips for Self-employed, Freelance and Small Business Owners in Self-isolation
Katie Batchelor
The coronavirus outbreak has put a strain on many small businesses and self-employed workers.
These unprecedented times are changing how everyone works so we’ve compiled several ideas to help you develop your career in your industry, source work, generate leads, support other small businesses and increase your productivity from home.
1. Write blog posts
During the upcoming weeks, your customers and prospective customers will be spending a lot of time at home and online. Use this time to reach out to them using inspiring, creative and informative original content.
By providing them with free content and advice, in turn when they need a service or product associated with your business, they will remember the information they learnt from you during this time and visit your business again.
For example, owners of nail salons and beauty businesses could be posting content and advice on home nail and beauty care routines which customers and prospective customers can use during self-isolation and share online to help you generate future leads.
2. Publish content and network on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an often underrated but excellent way to engage with other professionals and experts in your industry. It is a great way to share knowledge and share ideas and thoughts with people in your industry globally.
Use any spare time you have to channel your efforts into growing your personal and business LinkedIn profile, engaging and learning from other professional’s content.
3. Livestream, host webinars and use ZOOM for meetings
Livestreams are a great way to bring people together even during social distancing. As the majority of events, gatherings and concerts are cancelled or postponed due to covid-19, why not host a gig from your living room if you’re a musician? This is a fantastic way to give back to your fans and the people who support you.
For athletes and influencers, this is a great opportunity to provide a Q&A for your fans to keep them engaging with your content.
Similar to livestreams, webinars are becoming popular during this period for conferences and educational sessions. Instead of postponing your conference, meeting or tutorial session, why not try to host it instead as a webinar?
Another way to support your clients and have online meetings is through ZOOM.
4. Create products/online services at home where possible
For some professions and industries, it may be possible for you to create your own products at home on a small scale. For example, self-employed carpenters may use time at home to create gifts for family and friends such as bookshelves and ornaments etc.
Equally, self-employed personal trainers and fitness instructors can create workout programmes for their clients to follow during self-isolation.
5. Review your website
When was the last time you sat down to review and update your website? Have your brand values changed in the past couple of years? Have you extended your business to provide other services?
Take this time to review your branding and make sure that you are providing a consistent message from your logo, colour scheme, font use, website and social media content.
Speak to us at Deearo Marketing for your FREE website audit for small businesses in Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire.
6. Create a crowdfunding page
If you’re offering a free service to help people at this time, many people will want to donate a small tip as a thank you. Leave it up to them, create a page and you may be surprised at how many people would like to support your business and/or organisation during this time.
7. Collaborate and support other freelancers/self-employed
If you know other people with small businesses, there are plenty ways you can show your support. This can be anything from sharing one of their posts on social media to paying a deposit for a service they offer that you will need in the future.
