We here at Catdi Printing hope that the following tips will help you make sense of this situation and devise some next steps for your business to take during the quarantine.

Keep Calm and Devise a Plan

First, take a deep breath. Even if the quarantine itself isn’t stressing you out, you’re still likely asking yourself:

• Can I keep my business afloat?
• Do I have to close the shop for a while?
• Can I afford to pay the wages of my employees?

And these questions are stressful. The coronavirus quarantine has to be taken seriously if we want to put a stop to the epidemic. While the world works through it to get over this bump on the road, you can take care of a few things in your business’ marketing efforts.

As you may know, conferences and outdoor marketing are both out of the question due to concerns about spreading the virus. But, it doesn’t mean all your marketing needs to come to a halt. Here are some areas you can address now that you have the time:

1. Focus on Content Marketing

Content marketing is a powerful tool not many businesses leverage. Studies show that those who focus on blogging are as much as 13 times more likely to see a positive ROI than those who don’t.Content marketing takes time and effort. If your department was previously focused on other methods, specifically outdoor methods, maybe you never had the chance to dive into content marketing. Now you can, and it’s not only something to keep you busy in the present. A well-crafted blog will be beneficial in the long term as well.

2. Strengthen Your Email Marketing Game

You are not the only one who’s probably taking cover in the comfort of your home – so is your consumer. If you’ve never had an email marketing campaign, this is the perfect opportunity to start.

Email marketing is the digital version of a tried and tested method of promoting a brand – getting something in the mail. Except now, it’s much easier, and cheaper to send the coupon to thousands of customers at the same time. And thanks to great software like MailChimp, emails can be so personalized that the individual customer reads something that seems written only for them.

Did you know it may also be the preferred means of communication for your customers? Some statistics show that around 91% of shoppers want to hear from their preferred businesses via email. And if you think about what an email is, it makes sense:

• The format allows you to give more information;
• Links can be added to allow a user to easily inform themselves;
• Is less invasive, since the user can choose if they want to click to open an email or not.

3.  Update Your Current Web Design & Leverage Social Media

Rather than doing away with your current website,  an cost effective alternative to is freshen your current website. Simple things like adding a blog or redoing the homepage can help your SEO and strengthen your position in the SERPS. Doing these couple of things can be really cost effective.  In addition If your business does not have any social media accounts, you should consider opening some. Social networks are a great way to keep in touch with consumers in a way that seems less informal than through emails or your official website.

Social media allows customers to interact with you directly by commenting on your post or sending you a private message. And again, your customers want you to interact with them. Around 86% of consumers want a brand to have an honest social media approach.

So, you may also be thinking “what can I possibly post on social media at this time?” Well, here are a few suggestions:

• Business updates – for instance, if you have a restaurant, let your clientele know what your plans are for the near future. Are you closing? Are you only taking delivery orders? Why?
• Safety recommendation – you can share with your consumers, small tips on how they can stay safe at this time, such as washing their hands for at least 20 seconds or practicing social distancing;
• Behind the scenes – consumers love to see what goes on behind the scenes of your business, so if you have a particularly interesting manufacturing process, now’s the time to share some photos or videos!

Non-Business Plan Ideas & Recommendations

We also have to talk about the personal implications of this quarantine because it’s not always about the business:

4. Let Your Employees Work from Home If Possible

It’s really important for as many people to align themselves with national efforts to stop the spread of the virus. For business owners, that means allowing your employers to work from home where possible.

For example, most of the tasks your marketing department has are likely taking place online anyway. There’s no point in forcing them to come into the office while everyone else is worried about the virus. The same goes for the HR department and other employees that don’t have to physically handle things in your business.

It’s also a way to show your employees you care about them and value their safety more than your bottom line. Plus, you really don’t want to be the business that made its employees come to work at a time like this. This kind of news spreads fast.

5. Spend More Time with Your Family

It’s times like these where we realize just how important it is to spend time with family and close ones. Though you may be worried about your business and want to focus on reassuring your employees, you need to do the same with your loved ones.

And yes, you can’t necessarily go out and travel for a while, though there are plenty of activities at home to take part in and bond:

• Watch a movie;
• Cook together;
• Make a DIY project;
• Play a tabletop game, etc.

6. Meet Those Around You, Establish Relationships and Lend a Hand

It’s a busy world we live in. So busy, that most people don’t even know their neighbors, even though you may have been living next to them for years.

And some of your neighbors may even be more scared about this pandemic than you are, and for good reasons. It’s widely known that older people and those with a compromised immune system are more at risk to suffer the worst of the coronavirus symptoms. The vast majority of those who’ve succumbed to the disease come from these categories.

So if you are not that worried or are not highly at risk, you can take this time to help others. Maybe you have a single, old woman living next to you. Why not knock on her door and offer to help her? You can go grocery shopping for her, and buy the things she needs, but can’t get herself because she is worried about the virus. It’s a really small gesture when you think about it, but one that is really vital for some people.

7. Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe

There is a lot of evidence that shows the coronavirus is not as deadly as other diseases out there but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful.

Because it’s often not about you but those around you. If one person is careless, they can infect hundreds of others, some of which may be more at-risk. So it’s important to take care of your own health at this time and protect your family, friends, and other people you come into contact with.

The CDC has a few recommendations on how to make this happen:

• Stay indoors as much as possible – the virus is transmitted from person to person, so the only way to really protect yourself is to avoid close contact with other people. So stay in your home, and only go out if you really need to, such as if you need to go to the pharmacy or grocery shopping;
• Wash your hands often – you can touch an area that’s been compromised, and then take the virus from your hands to your body by touching your face. Washing your hands regularly with soap and water is the next essential step to staying safe. If they aren’t available, you can use hand sanitizer instead;
• Practice social distancing – if you’re a lovey-dovey person, you should refrain from hugging, kissing, shaking hands, or even fist-bumping people for a while. Keep your distance from people, just to stay safe.

Over to You

With around 170,029 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide, it’s easy to panic and want to lock yourself inside your doors. But, it’s important to remain calm at this time and remember a lot of things can’t be put on hold.

Like your business. There are a lot of things you can still do to ensure you are still communicating with your customers.  At Catdi Printing your safety is our # 1 priority. Period.As in business and life sometime you just have to change the medium a little bit, for a while. Please call us if you have any concerns at 713 882 4629

The post Coronavirus Affecting Your Business? Here’s What You Should be Doing Instead of Panicking appeared first on Catdi Printing.

Cadi Printing stands committed to helping our clients maintain business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support the forward motion of business, we have developed a litany of free  COVID-19 materials what any business can use to encourage their customers and employees to follow all recommended safety protocols to contain the spread Coronavirus.

Many of our customers are still operating as essential businesses and need these materials displayed in their storefronts shops and offices. In repose to this need, our design team has spent hundreds of man-hours developing these free resources for a wide range of industries and for multiple work environments.  Visitors to our website can access these materials through the Corona Business Resources section of our website.  

Cadi remains fully operational during this time to support any business that requires any number of print materials that will help sustain business continuity. This is important because organizations need vendors who remain steady no matter what is happening around us. 

Catdi offers Advanced template design for business cards brochures flyers and banners. Perhaps one of our greatest offerings is our EDDM service that allows our customers to Target prospects in their area and to reach out to them with eye-catching informative Direct Mail pieces.

For over a decade, Catdi has served the business community with a full suite of design and print services.  We understand that marketing involves more than logos and slogans.  It requires a strong and clear presentation of your brand, your competitive advantages, and the value you bring to the table.  Marketing expertise sets Catdi apart from the run of the mill print shops that simply turn products on a press and hand them over to you.  We partner with our clients and offer services such as EDDM, SEO, social marketing, and web design that proactively position these materials in front of the right people at the right time.

Catdi maintains a fully staffed, one-stop production house that comprehensively addresses design and printing needs.  Just a few of our offerings include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)– One of the most powerful ways to reach customers in your neighborhood.  This has particularly benefited local doctors and dentists by helping them bring in patients who are literally right around the corner from their office.
• Postcards– A great way to stay in touch with existing customers without looking pushy.  Postcards simply let them know you are still there if you need them.
• Brochures– Better design at competitive rates
• E-Books– Ideas for how to make money during the pandemic
• Flyers– Designed for different environments and forms of distribution
• Business Cards– Unique materials and fonts at affordable prices
• Website Design- Let your customers know that you are moving forward and ready to help them move forward.  
• Search Engine Optimization– There is no better time than now to use the Internet to market your organization.  
• Commercial Printing A new face to the world shows confidence in a new beginning.
• Promotional Calendars– This crisis will not last forever.  Remind your customers of this with a custom made calendar that reminds them daily of your brand.

Catdi helps you increase sales by anticipating market trends and helping you choose the best products and services for your next campaign.  Since the onslaught of COVID-19, we have remained fully operational and open for business.  Not only have we maintained production for our clients, but we have helped many organizations adapt their business models to the changing world around us.  As many companies moved home to a virtual office environment where print materials we not needed as they were in the office, Catdi designers got busy developing electronic media to support these new operational requirements so that organizations could maintain their brand positioning in the face of massive market upheavals.

The experience and knowledge of our design team give our customers more options when it comes to branding and supporting their brand.  Catdi designers stand ready to help you make your ideas concrete and your campaigns profitable.  You can count on us to remain affordable no matter what happens during this crisis, and you can count on Catdi to deliver on time, every time, as promised.  

Contact us now for a complimentary design consultation and a quote on design services and products that will move you forward through the current challenges to a new position of stability, profitability, and power.  

The post Small Businesses Moving Forward in a Covid 19 World appeared first on Catdi Printing.