Page 47 - Discover Summer 2020
P. 47
to others. Here are some of them: have their meals waiting in a bag at curbside.
This system quadrupled her carryout
• Put your website address on your
business. While it does not make up for
Facebook page, so that people can “shop
the lost revenue from the interruption of
online” from your business
her catering business, it helps to keep her
• Encourage your customers to post business open.
pictures on the group page of what they have
Following that example, Helen at
bought
Gifts Ahoy introduced her new spring and
• Post information on the group page summer lines with a virtual sale online. Three
about your goods and services, as well as weeks of planning and preparation resulted
what you may be in an “online open house”,
doing differently a video stream featuring
in order to models, a spokesperson,
adapt. and a showcase of their
products. They also
Then he
began offering curbside
made a point
pickup for your online
of discussing
purchases. Helen says that
their individual
she appreciates We Shop
challenges, and
Local SML – Virtually,
helping them to
because she believes that
find solutions.
it has helped many local
For example:
businesses, while also
Farmhouse
buoying community spirit.
Catering. Nora, the owner, told Gavin that
90 percent of her business was catering. Realizing that man does not live
With so many local events canceled and/or by bread alone, Gavin also established
prohibited, this put a serious crimp in her Churches of SML – Virtually, as a means for
revenue stream. Gavin local churches to spread their messages on
Facebook as well. The group offers all local
Suggested revising her business hours,
houses of worship the opportunity to list
and switching from an emphasis on catering
announcements and promote live streams of
to meals-to-go instead.
their worship services.
She set up a system in which people
It is this sort of outside-the-box
can text orders to her, giving a name, date,
thinking that he hopes that others will use to
pick up time, and email address. She then
greatly reduce the impact of this lockdown
communicated with her customers entirely
on our little community.
by email, and then they could come by and
www.discoversmithmountainlake.com 45
