If you have a WordPress website, you have the foundation necessary to make quick changes and additions
As much of the country (and world) is temporarily closing the doors of businesses and organizations to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, there are also many people who are staying at home, wishing they could do something to help their communities. This might mean donating to a local organization or purchasing gift certificates for businesses they want to support.
It's always important to keep your website up to date, but even more important now as various governmental closures are forcing us to make new business decisions on a daily basis.
Here's what we recommend:
Clear Communication
Make sure your website has a COVID-19 announcement that is easy to find. We recommend a page or post dedicated to the topic, where you can add new updates as needed. Put a very visible notice on the home page of your website that links to this announcement page.
What you will want to share:
- Are you open? If you're still open, you will want to share what measures you are taking to keep your clients and staff safe; what are the changes in hours or procedures.
- Are you closed? If you've had to close your doors, is there another way that people can support you? Online shopping, gift certificates (see below), online donations, other ways to help?
- Have you adjusted hours? If you've changed your hours to better accommodate the recommendations by the CDC and the local health department, we'd recommend updating your Google hours, Facebook Hours, etc. so your customers have a clear understanding of your temporary hours during this time.
- Can people still give you money? In other words, can they donate or purchase anything? If so, make it very easy for them to find this information and take action.
If you are doing most of your updates on social media, then use your website to share that announcement and a direct link to the account you're using. It's better than nothing. But note that not everyone uses social media. Many people have quit Facebook. Instagram doesn't let you add links to posts. And when people hop on Google to find you, your website is what they are most likely to find.
People can always get to your website, as long as it's up and running and they have an internet connection.
Once they get there, what can they do?
Accept Online Donations
Nonprofits absolutely need a way for people to donate online. If this isn't already part of your website, that needs to added immediately. These days, some businesses are raising funds to give back to employees, or support other organizations, or to purchases essentials for families in need within your area.
It doesn't have to be overly complicated. If you're a Surelutions Care Plan client, we include access to Gravity Forms Plugin, which can easily be integrated into your PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.net account to accept donations. This is a great way for non-profits to raise funds, without depending on people writing and mailing checks.
Another easy way to add a donate option is to use PayPal or Stripe directly.
If you'd like to add the option of accepting online donations to your website, please Email Us and let us know you're interested. Please include details on your preferred payment method, etc. We'll reach out with additional information we may need.
Add a Gift Certificate Option
If you have a WordPress website, the WooCommerce plugin can be added to your website and set up to accept payments for Gift Certificates. This can help with cash flow now, and encourage customers to shop later.
Once you have WooCommerce set up for gift certificates, you are part way there to getting set up for additional types of purchases. Perhaps you put together a special seasonal basket with a few items and allow people to pick up curbside. There are ore complex situations involving shipping, point of sale syncing, etc. But during this crisis, setting up something quick and easy is a way to keep them afloat until a bigger project can be integrated later.
If you have had to entirely shut down, don't disappear entirely. Take this opportunity to use your website and social media for communicating with them. Depending on your business model, you could be sharing tips and resources, reviews, interviews, online instruction, suggested tools or activities. Now is the perfect time to reach out to your people and connect in a meaningful way.
Do you have any questions for me, or ideas you'd like to share with others? Get in touch! I'd love to hear from you.