The COVID-19 pandemic has created a difficult time for everyone. We are all checking news outlets throughout the day trying to decipher what the future might hold for us as individuals, families and companies. Amid the chaos, we hear the message – “We can get through this together.”
This creates a climate where it may be helpful for your company to try reaching out to your clients where possible. Regular clients may see you as a part of their “normalcy”. Keeping regular communication with you may not just be a connection with their outside world. It will also be a step back toward a world of regular schedules and routine conversations.
Here are a few ideas of how you can make contact with your clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Take consultation services online where possible.
Do you offer nutrition counseling or other regular consultations as a part of your current business model? Consider if any of these services can be moved to a regular phone call or online video chat. Most clients will appreciate the regular contact. They might need the counseling during a time when their eating and exercise habits are probably severely disruptive. This is also a great opportunity to check in on a personal level. You can talk them through potential issues like stress eating and managing melancholy feelings through exercise.
A side benefit of this particular tip – it keeps revenue coming in, even if your brick and mortar services are officially closed.
Send check-in emails with helpful health tips.
Personalized emails can feel extremely meaningful in this time of isolation. If you have a big client base and can’t afford the time to send emails one by one, consider using a service like SurveyMonkey. This will allow you to send a mass email autofilling personalized information like names and locations.
Consider sending personalized health tips to support your clients through the quarantine. If you need resources, KORR has many PDFs in the Client Handouts section of the KORR website. You can forward these health and fitness tips to your clients at any time.
Host a live Q&A webinar with your clients.
Your clients and prospects probably have questions for you. They might need guidance on continuing the lifestyle changes you’ve been coaching them through, or they might want to know how your company is planning to push through the next year. Rather than sending an overly-formal mass email, try hosting a webinar. There, people can pose their questions in a forum setting.
Going face-to-face with your clients will not only strengthen your personal relationship, but also create confidence in your team’s ability to persevere through hardship.
Post motivation on social media.
Motivational social posts are extremely refreshing in our current demotivated world. Update your page and stories regularly with motivational posts to keep your clients going. Be sure to respond quickly to comments and Personal Messages. This keeps your social media relationships personal. If you happen to be connected with your clients directly on social media, consider forwarding posts in a personal message every once in a while.
If you are not in a position to constantly create content, follow other accounts sharing motivational posts that you think would relate well to your business. Sharing posts from other pages is extremely easy to do. You can also try creating posts with apps that can put quotes into eye-catching templates, such as Canva.
Start a waiting list for post-COVID evaluations.
Many people are antsy for real life to start again. Start a wait-list for “Post-COVID-19 evaluations”. This evaluation can include an RMR test, VO2 Max test and Body Composition analysis. It will confirm where their body is at after being stuck indoors the last few months. Invite people to join the waitlist through social media, email, and even snail mail. These evaluations will help kick-start their “new regular” life when quarantine is over.
Inviting people to join you in preparing for normalcy will solidify the idea that you are working together through these abnormal times. It will also demonstrate that you hope together that the current restrictions will be lifted soon. As a business, you will walk away with a visual of the revenue that will be coming in as soon as your business is open again.
Mail a hand-written card.
Finally, a tip that may seem old-fashioned – but is probably the most personal tip on the list. If you have the time, try sitting down and writing a hand-written card for each of your clients. Let them know that someone is thinking about them during this pandemic. This is a powerful personal touch that will strengthen your relationship with your clients during the time that you’re apart.
