Dear Business Partners,
In an effort to continue to communicate with you through COVID-19 social distancing, we are compiling information to help with your business.
We also will continue to provide support to our partners by sharing
your
updates with our community. Please send any business updates like deliveries, closures, online shopping options, or other special announcements to
info@venicemainstreet.org
by noon on Wednesday for inclusion in our newsletter that reaches 12,000 inboxes.
INFORMATION FOR BUSINESSES Monday 3/16
ALL ITEMS LISTED ARE PROVIDED TO THE BEST KNOWLEDGE Of Venice MainStreet AT THE TIME of Notification FOR THE BENEFIT OF BUSINESSES.
How to Help Minimize Business Disruption During Emergencies:
In challenging circumstances, it may be more difficult than usual for your business to support its employees and communicate with customers. Below are some recommendations and resources that can help you minimize disruptions.
Stay connected with your customers and employees
Send emails, update your website, use social media, if possible call clients and customers. In a way your are creating digital storefronts for your business, and will allow you to stay connected with your customers and employees virtually—from nearly anywhere, anytime.
Stay connected with your customers and employees
Whether your business sells goods or provides services, reliable communication channels can help ensure your customers and employees are getting the support they need.
Connect with your customers using Live platforms
Live videos can be a great way to proactively educate your customers during this situation. You can post Live videos and stories on Facebook and Instagram, host virtual events to show your customers how you’re actively keeping your premises and products safe, and answer customer inquiries about how your business will continue to support its customers.
Learn more about going
Live on Facebook and Instagram click
here.
Build out your messaging experience
Be responsive and provide your customers transparency during this time. Ensuring responses are timely. In addition to answering customer inquiries, you can also take orders, provide virtual services and host video chats. You can also automate and templatize your responses, and prepare FAQs with away messages and quick replies.
Stay connected with your employees
It’s also important to stay connected with your employees during this period. You can use Workplace from Facebook as a hub to post important announcements, coordinate responses and provide your employees with any support they may need.
Zoom GoToMeeting is also an excellent resource for virtual meetings.
Use additional channels to showcase your products and services
If your products or services can be bought or used online, consider strengthening your online presence. If you sell goods, you can create an online product catalog to showcase your items, fulfill orders and receive payouts. If your business provides services, you can book appointments and make video calls.
Continue to build your brand
At this time, it can be challenging to conduct business as usual, but it’s important not to neglect your brand. Do what you can to provide consistent messaging and transparent communication during this time and once the situation has passed.
Strengthen your online presence
Make sure you post photos and videos about your business, products or services consistently. Consider creating an announcement about how your business has been affected and pin it to the top of your Page.
Consider creating a content calendar to plan out posts for the next few weeks. Organize your messaging and visuals. Make sure your posts continue to have a consistent look and feel, and
highlight what makes your business unique and special.
Interact with new and existing customers in a personal way. Share authentic content, make announcements, encourage people to visit your website and show behind the scenes moments to continue to engage your community.
We hope that this information is positive and helpful in your businesses' response to the necessary social distancing due to COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Kara Morgan
CEO
Venice MainStreet
INFORMATION FOR BUSINESSES Friday 3/13 PM
FLORIDA BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYERS SHOULD REFER TO THE
CDC
FOR UP-TO-DATE GUIDANCE ON BUSINESS OPERATIONS.
ALL ITEMS LISTED ARE PROVIDED TO THE BEST KNOWLEDGE Of Venice MainStreet AT THE TIME of Notification FOR THE BENEFIT OF BUSINESSES.
Recommended Strategies
- Actively encourage sick employees to stay home
- Emphasize staying home when sick, respiratory etiquette, and hand hygiene for all employees
- Perform routine environmental cleaning.
- Advise employees before traveling to take preventative steps recommended by CDC.
Resources for Businesses and Employers
Business Damage Assessment Survey for COVID-19
On March 12, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the activation of the
Business Damage Assessment survey
to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Florida’s local business operations. The survey, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), will evaluate businesses affected by COVID-19 and the impacts the virus has had on the local economy so actions to implement appropriate relief programs can begin.
The National Small Business Association
also has set up an online portal for small businesses to share how their business are being impacted in order to provide real-time insight to reporters and policymakers on what small business needs. They have been connecting small-business owners with reporters to get the word out about how the virus is impacting them which has resulted in some important coverage.
Potential HR Issues Arising from the Coronavirus
The American Society of Employers (ASE) has put together a very comprehensive
FAQ
regarding coronavirus and how employers can respond to and work with your employees.
Small-business owners should also be aware that there may be some OSHA-related implications when it comes to the virus. Companies in certain industries where workers are at risk of encountering infection may be subject to requirements to protect workers from exposure by using appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, eye, face, and respiratory protection. If a worker becomes sick after exposure on the job, it could be a recordable illness. To read more
click here.
In addition to these resources, it is worth noting that the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship sent a formal letter and request to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to detail its plan to support small business in the case of a broad outbreak. Committee Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.) have also requested a formal briefing from SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza.
The letter can be found
here
.
We hope this information is helpful and we will continue to update you as more becomes available.
Sincerely,
Kara Morgan
(941)-484-6722
kara.morgan@venicemainstreet.com
