Lewis County Together

Resources for Businesses in Lewis County

LewisCountyTogether.com

Lewis County launched a new website on April 13th to help businesses from Packwood to PeEll, and in all of Lewis County. In an effort to promote "Shop Local First" and assist in keeping us together while we’re apart, Lewis County has developed a new interactive website. Lewis County Together is a collaborative community driven effort to keep Lewis County residents connected with local businesses, community resources, jobs and more. Find out what is open and what might be temporarily closed. You will find business names, addresses, phone numbers, Facebook and website links to local dining, services, retail and more.

Find information here about updating website information or adding your business..

Small Business Best Practices

Here are some best practices and notes we thought might be helpful as you communicate with your customers, followers, and community. Do you have reduced hours? Does your business have curbside or take out service? Are you open by appointment only? Have you temporarily closed? If any of these are options that have changed this past month, you should communicate that to your customers.

Here are seven best practices to consider as you modify your businesses in this “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” time period.

Keep your customers informed. Make sure they're aware of any changes in your day-to-day operations or modified business hours by posting on Facebook and updating your phone message or voice mail.

Highlight delivery and takeout options. Sharing your delivery, curbside and takeout options will put customers at ease and help keep revenue coming. Let customers know if you are open by appointment.

Run a gift card promotion. Do you offer gift cards? This will help bring in revenue now, and help to bring traffic through the door in the future when the pandemic concerns calm down. Facebook for Business. shows you how.

Reassure your customers. Let your customers know about all of the precautions you're taking to help reduce the virus spread. Include any additional cleaning measures or staffing adjustments, and reassure them that you're safe to do business with.

Stay engaged with your social following. More people will be staying at home, so your social media channels provide a captive audience opportunity. 70% of businesses on the Byway have a Facebook page, but over half of them haven't posted since last year.

Place an Open/Closed sign in your window. Make it large enough for a customer to see from the road or parking area. Be sure there is lighting so it is visible at night.

Update or create a website. If you have downtime, use it to your advantage. Find a friend, neighbor or student who can help you build or update your website. Ask for help and advice. There are many resources to help.