The Vocne Post

Photography, like anything else, can get very complicated. It can also get cost-prohibitive to start out. With cameras and equipment that can cost thousands of dollars, it can be a deterrent to getting out there and capturing the beautiful shots we desire.  

In today’s world a smartphone is a way of life. Everyone has one (well…almost everyone!) and, yet, most people don’t realize how powerful the camera is that they carry around in their pocket. Sure, the features are limited in comparison to professional, stand-alone cameras, but the digital quality can almost be as good. With the right tricks up our sleeves we can make our photos look as good to the layperson. 

Whether you want to take photos for your Instagram feed, or you want to blow up and print the perfect landscape that you shot, utilizing some basic fundamentals when you take your smartphone photos will make them stand out! 

But what should you be looking at? There are three areas we’ll be looking at in this article: Phone Settings, Traditional Photography Techniques, and Editing (In-Camera and Traditional). These three aspects, we believe, will help elevate your photography with the tool you already have in your pocket.  

Phone Settings to Look At

Before you get started, it is a good idea think about how you would like your camera to capture the images. Most commonly we will use the default settings. When we do that, most cameras will take the photograph as a JPEG, which is a good file format for a balance of quality and size for storage on the phone.  

When a photo is taken as a JPEG some information gets lost when it gets compressed for size. If you plan to edit the photos later (see later in this blog) then your best bet is to change the setting to shoot the photos as RAW files. When in RAW format, the photos capture as much information as your camera will allow. This will make a tremendous difference when you want to edit them later and really bring out the features that are important to you. 

You might also want to consider setting up a grid on the screen of your smartphone. This grid will help you orient the screen to a landscape, object, or (with some phones) will tell you how many degrees off level you are tipping the phone before snapping the picture. Now, on to the settings… 

1- Set Focus Point Manually 

When taking a photo with your camera you’ll want to tap the screen of where you want the photo to be focused. This is such a simple thing, yet most people overlook it. When you tap your finger on the screen before you take the picture you are manually setting the focus point. This will ensure that the point you clicked will be in focus. In many phones, setting this focus point will also automatically adjust your exposure. Of course, you can always set your exposure manually.  

2- Use “HDR” Mode 

Make sure to toggle HDR “on.” HDR mode, or “High Dynamic Range,” is a setting that widens your exposure range and will add more detail to your photos when you the subject you’re photographing has lots of highs and lows, with regard to exposure. In short, no matter what the scene the phone will help you get the right exposure in tricky situations.  

3- Use Burst Mode 

Want an action shot? Don’t want the blur? Burst mode can help you. By toggling on burst mode your camera will take a series of photos with one click. So, when, for example, a person is jumping your phone would take a series of photos and then you can choose the one that looks best. One of them is bound to be “blur free.”  

4- Use Portrait Mode 

Maybe you’d like to have a professional-looking portrait of yourself for a LinkedIn profile. Many phones come with a portrait option where a photo can be taken either with your front or back cameras, and it will automatically blur the background. This contrast between the in-focus image of you with a blurred background, makes you stand out as if you took it in a studio. 

There are many more features that we aren’t touching on, such as multiple lenses on the newer phones; night mode on phones such as the Google Pixel which makes low-light scenes dramatically lighter; panoramas; time lapse; and much more.  

Traditional Photography Techniques

Photography is more than just the settings on the camera (or the phone, in this case). It is about how you craft the scene. There are some basic principles we all know of: use good lighting since low-lighting situations won’t look good and come out all grainy; use camera stabilization of some sort, like a tripod, to help minimize movement and jitteriness of the photo; and get creative with the angles you are using to create “dramatic scenes,” like using low angles or high angles. But what else can you be doing? 

1- The Rule of Thirds 

This is an age-old photography technique. Look at almost any photo from your favorite website or blog and you’ll probably see it in use. It is subtle yet powerful. 

Imagine a photograph as a rectangle. Now, divide that rectangle into three equal sections across. Number them across 1, 2, and 3. You want the photo “leading.” What this means is this: your object (a person, object, or whatever you are capturing) should, generally speaking, not be in section 2. You want it in section 1 or 3. It is visually pleasing to the eye and more captivating. When an object is directly in the middle of a photo (which does work sometimes, so use proper discretion) something is just “off.” Sometimes it may even feel amateurish. Try the rule of thirds and see how the composition of your piece is elevated.  

2- Use Leading Lines 

Leading lines are any lines in your photograph that go off into the distance. This could be the lines on a street, for example. It could be a pathway or telephone poles. The idea is that leading lines create depth and, therefore, create a more dynamic photo.  

Editing

Why edit your photos? Your photos probably look pretty good when you preview them on your smartphone screen or on the computer. With a few simple adjustments those photos can go from good to great.  

There are two major ways that we will discuss here for editing your photographs: in-camera editing and traditional editing with a third-party program. 

In-Phone Editing

Let’s look at in-camera editing. The “low hanging fruit” of this topic lies with filters. Those of us familiar with Snapchat, Instagram, and other modes of social media are probably already familiar with filters. Photography filters work in much the same way. As opposed to going through every setting of an image edit, filters have presets that we can apply to photography to get a desired feel. For the most part, we don’t recommend using these because they can tend to be a little too generic and might not give you the full potential of your epic shot. But in a situation where time is tight and you have an Instagram post to get out, they work in a pinch.  

The more preferred in-camera editing can be done by looking at the capabilities of your individual phone. Usually when previewing your photos in whatever stock viewer you have, there is typically a place to adjust individual settings. There are many editing options on our phones, but for our purposes we just want you to know that adjustments such as white balance, exposure, contrast, color vibrancy and saturation are available from your phone. Even adjusting these by eye, usually with a slider, can really enhance your photos, and the changes can be seen instantaneously on the screen.  

Traditional Editing

Traditional editing, as we’re referring to it, is the process of taking your photos from the smartphone and loading them onto a laptop or desktop computer for editing. Using apps to edit your photographs gives the greatest amount of precision and detail that you can have. As a reminder, it is best to use photos in RAW format to give the most information from which to adjust. 

We prefer to use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for our edits. However, there are free programs such as Gimp that will give you some very nice results as well. You may find that all you need is something like Lightroom, which is less expansive than Photoshop. 

Whatever editing program you decide to use you’ll find that the editing options seem limitless. A photo can really “come together” in the editing phase. In your editing program you will see places to set your exposure, your color vibrancy, your cropping and straightening of your photo, and more.  

There are tools, such as “clone stamping” and “spot healing,” that remove blemishes and minor annoyances from your image. You can do a lot to manipulate your photographs and make them whatever you want them to be. Most people won’t even notice your edits.  

We recommend paying close attention to the color settings because you can really do a lot with them. You can change the “temperature” of the photo, adjust the white balance, and much more. We had quite a bit of fun with these settings this fall with all the New England foliage we had. Adjusting the color can really transform a photograph from bland to eye-catching.  Remember, editing is half of what photography is all about.

Conclusion

Of course, there are many editing tools located within these programs. These programs would require their own articles to fully describe their capabilities, and even then we would just be scratching the surface. The main takeaway is that traditional editing programs offer you much more precision than your in-camera editing tools.  

Likewise, having a professional DSLR camera will offer you more control than using your built-in camera on your smartphone. However, it all depends on how you use what you have. By taking a look at these settings and simple techniques you can create professional-looking photos with the tools you already have.  

Copywriting and Copyediting are two phrases that get thrown around a lot. They are cornerstones of good advertising and marketing. They are the language that customers see first and internalize.   

Yet, in today’s digital age it is often overlooked. A lot of small businesses focus on the copywriting and the content writing. The digital age says we have to create more and more content, but at what cost do we create all this extra content? Is it more important to have a lot of content regardless of quality? Or is it more important to have content that is well-written and edited? We’d argue the latter.   

It is important, for our purposes, to give a quick definition of what exactly copyediting is. Copyediting is the act of editing the written content (the “copy”) for grammar, punctuation, and readability. Copyediting, in effect, will turn a piece of copy from “okay” to “stellar.” It’ll elevate the message and give it a pristine, easy-to-read quality.   

The Digital Age: Misspellings Abound!

You’ve perused the internet, which means you’ve seen the content that exists there. It is amazing how many blogs, websites, reviews and more contain boundless misspellings and basic grammar mistakes. It’s everywhere. Sometimes it is more than just grammar and misspellings. A lot of times there are difficult-to-read, clunky sentences. Other times there is slang, and unexplained abbreviations. In short: not very professional.   

Here’s a common example: “Their,” “There,” and “They’re.” This is a simple grammatical rule, yet it is abused way too often. It is an easy fix. If you were to use one in place of the other the meaning is completely lost, or at least muddied. The last thing you want is to confuse your reader, even if they know what you meant. At the very least, they will think you aren’t taking the time to proofread or edit anything you are posting. This won’t keep them engaged.   

Why is Copyediting so Important?

So, why is copyediting so important in the digital age? It’ll help you stand out from the unprofessionalism that is abound in the online world. It’ll communicate to the world that you take your business seriously and that you care about how you present yourself.   

You want your grammar and punctuation to “disappear” to the reader. What we mean is that you don’t want them to notice. If they notice it means something is wrong. It means something has caught their attention that wasn’t supposed to catch their attention. You want them to have a fluid reading experience.   

A good way to catch your own grammatical errors is to read your copy in reverse sentence order. By reading your copy like this you won’t be distracted by the content and can focus on the grammar of each sentence.  

Copyediting will distill what you’ve written and make it easy to read. It will clean it up and make it organized; and it will lend a level of professionalism to your online presence.   

How can You Step Up Your “Editing Game”

You can step up your editing game in a few basic ways. It is possible to hire an in-house copy editor, but sometimes this isn’t cost effective. You may also consider a contract copy editor. If you have the funds to do so it is worth the investment.   

How can you yourself take care of the copyediting? During these uncertain times, especially now in 2020, we need to figure out how to make the most out of a little. 

Enable the Editing Software on Your Word Processor

This is an important feature that is usually already turned on. However, a lot of people ignore its suggestions. These programs that are a part of your word processor will give you suggestions for grammar. They will also show you your misspellings.  

Don’t, however, stop here. These programs are very useful, but they aren’t 100% accurate. For instance, sometimes you spell a word correctly, but it is not the word you meant to use. For example: “definitely” and “defiantly.” They look similar but are completely different. The software won’t pick up on this and won’t tell you. (Some programs may offer a grammatical suggestion here, but it is possible they may miss it.)   

It is important to have a foundational understanding of grammar. This foundation allows you to pick up on the things software may miss. It is also possible, and we’ve seen it ourselves, where the program is telling you to insert commas in places where there shouldn’t be a comma. Likewise, it could tell you to insert apostrophes where there shouldn’t be apostrophes. As long as you know proper grammar up to a point you will be able to tell the difference. 

Lend Your Copy to Another Pair of Eyes for Review

Once you’ve edited your content you should give it to someone else to review. A new set of eyes is crucial in the editing process especially when you’re editing your own content.   

If you have a business partner give it to them. You may also give it to a trusted friend or spouse. Whoever you give the content to make sure to ask them for suggestions. If possible, try to get someone who won’t sugarcoat anything. You want someone who’ll tell you “how it is.” This is important because when editing you need to be ruthless.   

Giving your work to another pair of eyes will help you catch things you missed. Often times we get so used to our own copy that our own mistakes become invisible to us.   

Another pair of eyes means another perspective. This new perspective will show you clunky sections where meaning is lost. It’ll show you where to reorganize and where to rewrite.   

Don’t Be Afraid to Rewrite

In today’s world we want to produce as much as possible. We become afraid we’ll become stagnant, that folks will forget about us. But we should never sacrifice quality for quantity.   

Don’t be afraid to rewrite what you’ve written. After you’ve edited it and lent it to someone else: rewrite it.   

The rewrite will further polish your copy and have it be the strongest it can be. It will allow new ideas to shine through while bad ideas will be thrown away.   

Proofread, Proofread, Proofread!

Finally, make one last proofread. We can’t stress this enough. Proofread it slowly. Read every sentence and make sure it reads exactly how you like it. You don’t want to lose any meaning in what you are posting and sharing with the world.   

Conclusion

Copyediting may not seem like much as first, but it is crucial if you want to stand out in the digital age. Make sure you look everything over. You want to communicate exactly what you mean without anything being lost. In a world where a misspelling could mean a customer vs. a person who never does business with you, copyediting is very important.   

This year, 2020, has been a unique year for us. It has brought us a global pandemic, a divisive election year, and an economy that has taken a dive. We also face the coming colder months which will force most of us inside. The last thing we want to be thinking about is the holiday season. However, we need to start planning for it now, if we haven’t already started.   

According to the National Retail Federation, the holiday season amounts to about 20% of annual retail sales. It is a significant part of the year’s revenue. Your business depends on maximizing the potential of the upcoming season. 

Operational Strategy 

We should survey the environment and use analysis to determine our strategy. While this can get complicated, we can see that the holiday season this year will likely be filled with uncertainty due to COVID-19. Many experts are expecting the flu season to cross with the pandemic. This could exasperate an already complicated situation. Consumers may not want to be in public buildings, if they remain open. As a result, we need to maximize the efficacy of remote shopping.  

It is important to make sure that you have the processes in place to meet and exceed consumer demand. It will make the difference between doing well and not doing well this year.   

What We Can Learn From Amazon This Holiday Season

Large competitors like Amazon already do this very well. Most of us already know how easy Amazon makes it to buy almost anything online. Amazon already has a large segment of the market share since customers know to shop there for ease, price, and a wide range of products.  

Maybe you are already partnered with Amazon and sell your products through their site. Whatever your relationship is with them, it doesn’t mean that you can’t try to emulate them. You want to make the purchase process with your business smooth, convenient, and pleasurable.   

You and your business are unique and can offer things that Amazon cannot. Customers want to shop with you! Here are some basic things that you can do to make the remote shopping experience memorable. Some of these you may have already implemented.  

These are a few ideas. What is important is to make it as easy and safe for customers to shop your business this holiday season. Make your business stand out! Customers can shop anywhere. You want them to shop with you and there is no better time of year to do it than the holidays.   

This leads us to another area where you can make a huge impact…  

Customer Service  

I know, I know. Everybody talks about customer service. Well, there are good reasons for talking about it. There are a lot of metrics out there which highlight the importance of customer service when it comes to deciding where to spend money. Salesforce compiled a nice list for us to look at. It doesn’t matter where you look, the statistics say the same anywhere you find them. We will cover a few of the basics here.  

1. Positive customer interactions matter. 80% of customers say that their shopping experience is as important as the products or service. Customers are four times more likely to shop at a competitor if the problem they experience is from customer service.  
2. Bad experiences make an impact. There is a majority of American customers who have decided not to make a purchase because of poor customer service. It can take 12 positive customer experiences to remedy one bad experience. Not to mention that 62% of customers say that they share their bad experiences with others!   
3. It’s cheaper to keep customers than attract new ones. It can cost 6-7 times as much to attract a new customer than keep an existing one. 
4. You may not know that a customer has had a bad experience. It was reported in this survey that 91% of customers who left unhappy from a business did so without complaining! This can be a huge problem because you wouldn’t even know it. Your sales could appear to be slumping without any noticeable reason why.  

We know that these statistics can be scary. But we can all relate in some ways. We are customers ourselves. It is easy to be turned away from a bad experience. The good news is that many of these are very controllable.  

Steps to Take for Improving Your Customer Service

So what can we do? If we want to capitalize on this holiday season we need to look at the details to make us stand out.   

1. Hire the right people. This is easier said that done, but it’s essential for the reasons listed above. Do you have the right processes in place to vet candidates? Make sure you have the right outreach to find them? Do you offer the right pay or benefits/incentives to attract the best talent?   
2. Train them well. Now that you have the right people, do you have the right training programs in place? Do they know how to handle customer interactions? Do they know how to manage and escalate a problem so that they customer does not wind up with a poor experience? As we’ve seen, most of the time customers will leave without complaining. Knowing how to “read a room” is an important trait.  
3. Put them in the right places. Most employees will have strong character traits in some areas but may be a little weaker in others. If you have the flexibility, put the employees in areas that cater to their talents to get the most out of them. This is especially important if they are seasonal help because they won’t be on year-round. 

There are so many things that we can talk about with regards to customer service. Remember: good experiences will help you stand out, bad experiences will hurt you. Providing the right experiences for your customers is never more important than in 2020. One of my favorite sayings is “retail is detail.” This can be applied to areas outside of retail, but the point could not  be any more clear. The businesses that succeed pay close attention to the details. The 2020 holiday season is right around the corner. By planning and executing a sound strategy, it will help you maximize that 20% of your annual revenue potential this season.   

Advertising and Marketing Through Social Media

It is a changing world, and we need to change with it. We need to find new alternatives to how we used to do business. We need to focus on the methods that make the most sense. In today’s world, people are staying home and want shop from the comfort of their living room. So how do you take advantage of this situation? 

The first step is to put yourself into the shoes of your customer. They are at home behind their home computers. Most folks have social media and are likely perusing there. This is a point of entry you can take. You want to reach them where they are. They won’t be in your physical store, but they will be at home.   

With the holiday season comes new challenges. It is the busiest time of the year for shoppers. How do you compensate for this in this “new normal”? You want people to know you’re prepared for the season. Yet you also want to “grab their attention” so they know they can trust in you. There are two major aspects you should pay close attention to.  

The Copy is Important  

Pay attention to the words you are using. Well-written copy is essential to grabbing the attention of your customers, especially on social media. On social media you will have limited space to get your message across. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but count on the mantra “less is more.”   

Try to use positive language. Using positive language will get your customers more engaged in what you have to say. Connect with them on a personal level whenever you can. Let them know you understand how difficult it is right now, and how you want to help them.   

If you use this strategy you can then lead them into whatever promotion or other special update you want to communicate. In fact, the promotion should be tied in with the personal connection.  

Make sure you proofread everything to ensure it says everything you want it to. Gear your message toward your potential customer. Remember: put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself the question: “What would I want to hear from this company?”  

The Visual Components Tell a Story, Too  

You know the old saying (a cliché at this point), “A picture is worth a thousand words.” It is a true enough statement, and one you needn’t forget. Copy is half the puzzle. Using the right graphic design elements can elevate any campaign.   

Using the right visuals will allow you to connect with your customers in a way words cannot. You can “show” them instead of telling them.   

Using images and visuals that compliment your copy. You want these two elements to work in harmony. When they work in harmony is when they are most effective at reaching your primary audience.   

Colors are very important. Dark colors will affect your customers far differently than lighter/brighter colors. Soft edges will affect them differently than hard edges, and so on. The key is striking a balance. Tell a story with your images. It will make all the difference.

Conclusion

These are just three aspects to look at this holiday season. There are many more you can look at. The key is to focus on what you can do this year, and what you’re probably already doing. 2020 is unlike any year we’ve experiences, so making adjustments accordingly is what will keep you afloat.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has created an atmosphere of uncertainty and apprehension. We have all felt the effects. Using creativity in times like these is crucial.

Businesses have had to adjust to consumer demand. The result often leads to unemployment or uncertain employment futures. Unfortunately, this is likely to get even more prevalent as we head into the autumn: the beginning of flu season. It is not out of the realm of possibility to see a resurgence of businesses shutting down or cutting back.   

Life is not as it was pre-COVID, and it is not likely to return any time soon. So, what do we do during this time? We have discussed some of the first steps in previous blogs. Those are logistical steps to turn our businesses in the right direction. So, what are some things that we can do to engage our customers, grow our businesses, improve our mental health, and have some fun too?  

Creativity is paramount to engaging your audience, whomever they may be. In today’s changed world, we are turning to creative outlets more and more to spread word about our business. We use these outlets to reach those who would gain the most by it.   

COVID-19 has given us all a major hit. We must turn to online ventures more to reach our customers, our clients…our audience. We need to reach them in a clear and engaging way, but what exactly does that entail?  

One of the best ways to engage with people online is by using creativity and injecting that creativity into what you are doing. It isn’t enough anymore to only post random updates on social media. People want engaging content. They want something that will entertain them while also informing them.   

Art for Healing and Business Growth

The healing powers of art are well documented. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “creating visual art can reduce stress and promote relaxation in people who are … home bound due to illness.” The article goes on to say that creative activities can improve communication and relieve stress. Moreover, the benefits come from the creative process.  

This is important because many of us do not consider ourselves artists. The process of creating the art is one of the most beneficial aspects. Creative ways we use to remain clear headed will only help our mental capacities and business productivity.  

Now is the time to think outside the box. Now is the time to start incorporating new modes of communication into your marketing strategy. So, let’s take a look at three ways to incorporate creative media into your marketing plan during COVID-19.  

Using Video to Connect with Your Customers

Video is a very important tool to any business. A whole article (several even!) could be written on this subject. We will only scratch the surface here. Video is the perfect way to entertain while also informing. Keep the tone light, the camera moving, and have a story to tell.   

For example, you may want to show what you’ve been up to during these uncertain times. This is a great medium for you to do that. And you can have fun with it! You want your audience to trust you. Talk to them as if they are your friend but be genuine! People will notice right away when you aren’t being genuine. This can only have negative consequences.  

There are several types of video you can choose from. It doesn’t only have to be 30-second advertisements. Consider a “behind-the-scenes” video tour, or “live streamed events.” This last option is a great option during these times because it can also be a product.  

Video is versatile. It’s posted on social media platforms (most platforms have video functionality). It’s used to “liven up” a website page. It’s implemented into blogs. The list goes on. Be sure to keep your videos on the shorter side. Less than two minutes, one minute would be best. This will help you to get the most engagement from your audience. 

Using Your Creativity in Photography

In the same way video works, photography also helps brighten your business to customers.  

If video is used in many places, photography is used in even more places. Think of all the places you use photography. Your website, your graphic designs, advertisements, signs, blogs, social media platforms, business cards, and so on.   

The more visual content you can produce the better. Text is good, too, but you don’t want too much. You want to strike a good balance between the two.   

And why not get even more creative? Consider merging your video and your photography into one? Slideshows are a great way to do this.  

Graphic Art to Wow Your Customers

We live in a digital age. Art can come in many forms. The process of creating art is beneficial to our mental and emotional well-being. By using our creativity, we focus our imagination into the graphic art world we can play two important roles: it keep us engaged, and it keeps our customers engaged.  

How do we increase traffic to our goods/services that result in sales? Let’s take the idea of running a promotion. Let’s say you have some aging inventory in your shop, and you want to move it before your seasonal goods come in. Promotions are great ways to drive traffic, volume, and clear inventory. Sure, we take a hit on margins, but if that is offset with enough volume, then it can be a good measure to take.   

But only putting a sale on Facebook or Instagram will yield less-than-stellar results. Adding a new graphic design that is relevant to your sale and business can add a new level of uniqueness to the promotion. This new design can give a visual identity for a one-time promotion. It can also help a recurring promotion. You can also put a seasonal twist on your current logo (which already has an identity that is yours). There are limitless possibilities to get creative. You can make your promotion stand out from the crowd.   

Always Be Looking Toward the Future

No matter what type of creativity you use, always be looking toward the future. That is key to success. It is easy to get bogged down in the failures of yesterday, but they don’t have to dictate the successes of tomorrow.   

By creating content that is creative, you will engage your customers. During difficult times such as these, this is crucial. Remember: your customers are also at home right now. Reach them in their homes and keep them wanting to click on your name before someone else’s.   

The current COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of stress for business of any size. It has always forced us to make difficult decisions that we weren’t prepared for. In times of uncertainty it is more crucial than ever before. Yet, making tough decisions are a part of the “process” of running a business. They are another cog in the machinery of business. We may not like these decisions, but they are necessary.    

They don’t have to weigh you down. These decisions can be an empowering part of the reconstruction of your business. They are the spark that sets everything else in motion. They will send you toward your reopening and your “new beginning.” 

Taking the First Steps to Move Forward

Grab a cup of coffee and sit in your favorite, comfortable chair. Create an environment where you feel at ease. The workspace in which you do your tasks is important, even if it is at your home. A comfortable atmosphere will yield positive results because you’ll be in a positive frame of mind. A chaotic atmosphere will yield chaotic results.    

Start by doing an audit of your company. Go through all your assets. These assets should include, but is not limited to, the following: revenue, costs, products, online content, and so on. Get a list of everything you have about your company. It is impossible to know what you need if you don’t know what you already have.   

Once you know what you have to work with you’ll be able to create a plan to move forward. You’ll be able to see the whole picture of your business. This is important in your reconstruction phase.  

Creating Goals: What Do You Want to Achieve?

Next, determine what you’d like to achieve. You may have determined (and everyone’s situation is undoubtedly unique) that the business environment right now is not going to generate the revenue levels that it did before. It can be helpful to make some decisions regarding goals or objectives that are realistic, but still ambitious.   

Maybe this means generating enough revenue to cover operating expenses, to ensure all employees remain on payroll, and to provide the necessary needs for you and your family. This may mean that you want to do is adjust your earnings projections by 10%. You get the point.   

Each situation will be unique. Once you have audited your situation and determined what you have and where you want to go, you will be in a clearer position to move forward. You will notice the uncertainty beginning to clear up.   

Identify Obstacles so You May Overcome Them

Identify the obstacles that stand in the way of you and your objectives. What things will present a challenge to achieving your predetermined objectives? Is it the lower consumer confidence as a result of COVID-19?  

If you are in the restaurant business, with the current capacity requirements for social distancing, the revenue would be too restrictive to reach your objectives. The obstacles could be few or they could be many. But knowing what they are with a good degree of certainty will help you tackle each with a strategy.   

Build and implement your strategy to overcome the obstacles. As the heading suggests, now is the time to build a plan to reach your objectives. By breaking down the problems into smaller pieces, it makes the challenge easier to reach. It makes it more specific to each situation.  

Even the Big Companies Have to Make Adjustments

As an example, in early June, Starbucks announced the closing of nearly 400 of its company-owned stores in 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation.

Starbucks is making adjustments based on their projected loss of revenue. They realize that with the uncertainty of the future they needed to make changes. It will be a while before people can feel safe to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee in one of their restaurants.  

One way to adjust to this reality is to convert or open more drive-through and curb-side pickup locations. This allows the company to serve consumers, likely cut overhead with stores with smaller footprints, and use fewer employees. We realize that we all don’t have the flexibility and leverage that Starbucks has. Yet they can serve as a reminder that we all have our unique challenges. We can be creative on how we can overcome them.  

How to Tell if Your Strategy is Working

Measure the efficacy of your results and adjust your strategy if needed. After all this work toward identifying all our challenges, developing a strategy, and implementing that strategy, how do we tell if the strategy is working? Sure, we can see how much money is coming in and how much we are spending on our expense lines, but how do we see if we are making the right moves?   

Monitoring sales coming in is a strong indicator, but there are so many metrics to look at. These metrics will be specific to our situations. The important point is to track these metrics because it is important for us to know if changes to our strategy need to happen.  

This is essential even in “normal” times. It is even more important when navigating through times of uncertainty like we are seeing with COVID-19. We are likely going to need to be creative on how we manage our businesses. We will need to know the health of our businesses in real time, which will allow us to be proactive when possible and reactive when necessary.