If you’re lucky enough to still be in business during the COVID-19 pandemic, make it known to your customers that you’re ready to serve them safely. Consumers are looking to work with businesses that are taking precautions to keep everyone healthy. Small and local businesses in the United States currently employ over 55 million Americans. Because of this, people are working hard to do what they can to help these businesses through the hard times.

As a business owner, you should communicate proactively with your customers about your new policies and safeguards that have been put in place to protect them. Instead of waiting for potential or loyal customers to ask you questions about these changes, reach out to them to ensure they know that it’s safe to do business with you. One of the most important things businesses can do when engaging with customers is to create an emotional connection with them. What better way to do that than through your common interest in staying healthy while also keeping the economy going?

About 30% of Americans can effectively work from home in their industries, and during the pandemic most of those people are doing just that. Because of the large influx of people working at home, more people are experiencing free time to actually read their emails and respond to text messages, while also spending more time online. So, how should your business be communicating with customers about your new policies and safety procedures?

Keeping a business alive during a global pandemic is no easy task, and small and local business owners know this better than anyone. However, it can be made easier through effective customer communication. Keeping in contact with your customers and showing them they can trust your business now will carry over and bring you more success with people get back to normal life.

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. If any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add, please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!