FREE Re-opening Checklist for Businesses

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The lockdown is slowly being dropped. A free checklist for all businesses that are about to re-open.

On Google Maps, make sure this information is available and up to date:

• Location
• Opening Hours
• Contact Information
• Information about your precautions against the virus
• Information about client requirements

Add recent pictures and videos if you have them. Follow up on comments about your business.

Search if there are duplicates in Google Maps of your business. Mark them as to be deleted. If anything is bad for business, it is clients driving to where you are not located.

If you have no access to your business in Google, claim it with Google. Follow instructions they give.

Make sure at least the following is up to date:

• Location
• Opening Hours
• Contact Info
• Information about your precautions against the virus
• Information about client requirements
• If provided, Menus, Price Lists, Services List

Check for duplicate pages of your business. Try and merge them, or try and delete them. You will need the password to the account with which these pages were created.

Make a nice posting about when you re-open. Videos attract the most attention.

If neutral, click some likes here and there to remind people you are still alive.

Join Groups and consider buying some advertising on Facebook. See my blog about Social media campaigning.

• If you do not have an Instagram business page yet, create one.
• Follow the same checklist as for Facebook.

Consider:

• Adding new pictures
• Checking business information
• Following up on comments (also to show you are back in business).

Consider:

• A change of style to show you are back in business
• Adding new pictures and videos
• Checking business information
• Checking menus and pricelists
• Checking if it is responsive (if it works well on mobile)

Think about

• Adding online bookings
• Adding online menus
• Adding an online shop
• Adding online payment systems
• Adding “work at home” features

• Install Whatsapp Business (as FREE as Whatsapp is).
• Set up a business profile.
• Consider setting up welcome messages.
• Notify all clients and business contacts about your re-opening.

• Check or setup email signature.
• Notify all clients and business contacts about your re-opening.

Check all running or suspended advertising campaigns.

• Make sure to be seen
• Visit your local cafeterias
• Visit your local hairdresser
• Look like nothing ever changed
• Check out your colleagues and competitors

Think about:

• Discounts
• Happy Hours
• Decide now, one day offers
• Limited sales (only 3 left!)
• Events

• Update your website
• Add stunning features to your website
• Edit videos into professional commercials
• Send out newsletters by email (I have about 500.000 addresses)
• Look after your Social Media campaigns
• Improve your copywriting styles
• Improve your SEO
• Provide graphic design
• Go through this list for you
• Provide more blogs with general tips
• Provide checklist like this one to check my work. Or that of others.

All future is unknown. Yet it is unlikely that times will return exactly as they were. History always repeats, but mutates like the common flu does.

All business in and around Marbella depend on the world around us. Directly or indirectly.

The picture above is a satellite picture of Europe by night. Click it to enlarge. The more light, the more people who happily pay their Endesa bills over there. And thus might happily come to your business here.

As travel will be restricted, pay special attention to Spain on the map. The brighter the spot, the more likely you will soon see more clients from there. Before the tourism market here was dominated by foreigners. Most will not be able to fly for a while. Or will be scared to fly in crowded airplanes. Or will not be able to get cheap Ryan Air tickets anymore. Maybe we will finally see some real Jet Set back here in return. Who knows.

The Spanish will have the same in reverse. Like going to the Cote d’Azure or Thailand will become more complicated or less attractive.

They might come down to here, to claim their own land back. Where at night whole barrios light up, is where they will more likely come from.

Do not forget the local market here. As Andalucía in particular did so well in health terms, it will be a growing market. Both for retired people as for people who do their business on line. The latter market will surely grow because many people simply had to work from home. What better place under the sun to work from home is there besides Marbella?

If travel stays more complicated than before, the local market is an all year market of regular clientele. It is likely to grow.