The majority of the population all has down time right now, which means one of two things – A. Forced vacation at home or B. A great time to plan for what is next for your business. Or, a combo of both. I was personally of the mindset that PR was dead in the water but depending on the campaign … this is not really the case. While COVID campaigns have viability (I have personally worked on Cyber-Security, education at home and products to battle the Coronavirus), staring at the negative news has been a little on the depressing side. A positive campaign however has been The Quarantine Cookbook, featured in over 50 media outlets in a three-week period. Phew. Plus, each time we do a television spot we get to eat what we prep for the show afterwards. Win-win. This is an example of a great business pivot in uncertain times. Here are a couple business/housekeeping items you might want to consider pursuing during your down time.
New marketing opportunities. We have a fashion designer client on the east coast, who is doing exactly this. First (and she was just doing this for the sole purpose of giving back), in addition to creating and donating masks to our doctors and nurses on the front line, she also decided to donate designer leggings. How cool is that? This was so cool that it gained the attention of Women’s Wear Daily (which is pretty much the bible of the fashion industry). In addition to switching up her line to mesh with our changing times and consumer habits, her next move was scheduling meetings with other brands and even targeting styling the stars on some of today’s hottest shows. My point? Maybe use this time to pursue something new for your business and take the extra time you would not normally have to actually exercise some due diligence. Most business owners get wrapped up in actually doing the work vs. pursuing new opportunities.
Taking time out to write. I have heard the phrase “I have a book in me,” more often than not. If this is truly the case, maybe it is finally time to take the time out to write. While the thought of writing a book may be daunting, it is a little easier than you may think. With proper coaching, this can even be manageable on your own. Take time to 1. Research your competition, 2. Shop different publishing houses and 3. Come up with a plan … i.e. start out with a table of contents and then start writing chapter, by chapter (or if the idea of writing is brain damaging, hire a ghostwriter). While this subject can be a whole blog in and of itself, the point here is to make use of your extra time with a side project that may have been on your back burner for a very, exceptionally long time. And, if you have publishing questions in general, do not hesitate to reach out for a consult at: info@mcompublishing.com.
Business housekeeping time. From a publicist perspective, I personally get so busy doing PR for other clients – PR for the company goes by the wayside. This is also a good time to streamline your business – whether that is automating systems or revenue funnels. And, other housekeeping items that may have been swept under the rug, whether that be website updates (or maybe you need a new one) or actually writing your blog or newsletter again (guilty). Take this extra time to work on your business instead of working for your business.
Instead of wallowing or staring out the window or waving aimlessly at your neighbors that you never have talked to before, use this extra time to be productive business-wise. You will most certainly reap the benefits when this pandemic is over. Stay safe!
