Who thought the first coronavirus wave would happen? And now, many of the experts are predicting a second spike of coronavirus cases in October.
Some have even gone as far as saying that a third wave will happen too.
These may or may not happen. No one knows the future for certain.
But better to be prepared, right?
Here’s what to do to get started going in the right direction:
1. Continue to Optimize Your Online Presence
Even people who have resisted shopping online have taken their business there in droves. And the data confirms it.
According to Adobe Analytics, US online sales were up 76.2% year-over-year in June.
That even includes an 11.3% fall from May.
Your sales will increase simply by being present online. You don’t even have to master and optimize your online sales.
So do everything in your power to capitalize on that trend.
2. Learn from and Revise Your First Plan
Your first coronavirus response plan wasn’t perfect.
How could it have been?
No one has been through anything like this before.
Revisit your plan. Prepare for the worst…a second wave of coronavirus.
If it doesn’t happen, then you’ll still have put your business in the best position for success this fall.
3. Make Communication Simple
Long lectures, extended meetings, and in-depth presentations should be tossed aside. With coronavirus, there’s too much new information to know to absorb it all at once.
You’ll confuse people, which leads to forgetting and many unnecessary mistakes.
Keep any information you disseminate small…like a few sentences or so. That way, people can absorb it and remember to act on it when it matters most.
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Response recommends this approach to businesses.
4. Respond Appropriately for Your Community
This comes from the CDC’s own guidelines in this regard. They don’t recommend that you go overkill and try to eliminate every potential threat.
Rather, they state specifically on the front page of their website that you “respond in a way that takes into account the level of disease transmission in [your] communit[y].”
The CDC also recommends following the White House’s Guidelines for Opening America Up Again. To help prevent a potential second wave, those guidelines recommend:
- Maintaining your COVID-19 hygiene policies
- Keeping sick workers at home
- Encouraging remote work
- Only return to work in phases, if possible
- Honor special accommodations for those in need
- Avoid non-essential business travel
You can’t know. No one can.
But by keeping these tips in the forefront, you can minimize the potential impact of coronavirus on your business and possibly help prevent a second wave of coronavirus this fall.