Bridging the US Small Business Digital Marketing Chasm in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond

Helping Small Businesses Meet What Should Be the New Bare Minimum in Marketing

Image by Annalise Batista from Pixabay

An up-to-date website.

An active social media presence.

A repository of online images and/or videos of goods being sold.

A way to reach to someone at the business.

These are the online tools that customers may expect to see when researching the next restaurant to visit or to consult which mom-and-pop hardware store to pick up supplies from. However, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, these expectations have been pushed to the forefront as patrons are unable to easily visit and be present physically in a store. This isn’t to say that these marketing tools are the be-all/end-all of any small business (the ‘product’ is still the key driver), but still can contribute so much to discoverability and research (Hubspot).

Along with a host of issues that range from a drop in tourism to a lack of financial aid, small businesses that haven’t been able to catch up with these pivots are hitting tough crossroads for their future. Inspired by the wonderful groups of people trying to help small businesses in unique and different ways both online and offline, I’m breaking down what I hope to be a few helpful points during this monumental challenge we face as a society:

• suggestions on where the government can come together in better offering free resources, classes, and barometers to offer small businesses
• a small collection of some of the wonderful work already being done by online/offline communities and resources for small businesses
• my marketing point of view and a compilation of thoughts on what experienced marketers (and really anyone) can contribute to assisting your local small business
• Note: I’ll be focusing a lot on the Los Angeles area since that is the main metropolis center that I’m close to with more data / reporting at the moment. Also note that this isn’t a comprehensive guide by any means but just my experiences / resources I’ve come across. Let me know if I should add anything via my contact info below!

Where Do Small Businesses Currently Stand

Small businesses, especially those that required some sort of in-person interaction, has been highly affected these past few months and exposed many weaknesses that were already slowly showing. Many have had to play catch-up and try to be nimble / evolve with quick rule changes as we as a society continue to try and learn more about the virus as well as xenophobia for Asian-owned restaurants. You can check out the current confirmed list of Los Angeles restaurants that have closed due to COVID-19 here and read about the struggles of Los Angeles from the owners/employees of small businesses/restaurants via the LA Times and KCRW.

Although we’re seeing some slow recovery across the nation, according to Yelp, 132,500 businesses have closed with 72,842 of these businesses signaling their permanent closure as of July 10th, 2020. 26,160 of these are restaurants having to close their doors due to COVID-19 with 15,770 having signaled their permanent closure. The National Restaurant Association noted that they are expecting restaurants to lose $240 billion in sales by the end of the year. (Delish) This statistic falls on top of the 10.2% unemployment rate / 13 million Americans still receiving unemployment benefits (Marketplace).

Amplified in all of this are the technology hardships that small businesses already face including the 1/3 of Americans who do not have access to broadband internet (Techcrunch); where less than 2/3 of small businesses have a website (Clutch); and in which less than 1/3 of small businesses don’t have a social media presence (Agility PR).

Other than the pandemic, a lot of this can be due to a variety of reasons including but not limited to a lack of digital literacy to a lack of manpower. For some, there is a language barrier. Some small business owners are first-generation immigrants with a low English proficiency and relied on repeat, local customers who are not returning due to fear of the pandemic and unable to transition to a takeout/outdoor dining option. For others, there isn’t anyone available to take time to try and learn these tools. Marketing takes time, ideation, and usually a dedicated employee — resources that some small businesses usually can’t commit to. And even worse, some aren’t able to afford access to the needed technology to begin with or training — items that aren’t being offered in any current aid packages

Learning from Crowdsourcing and Local Organization Responses

That isn’t to say that there aren’t people already doing their best to provide assistance. Organizations in government, non-profits, and volunteers all-around have already taken up this challenge in different ways as well. KCRW covered the SoCal food groups on Facebook that popped up shortly after the stay-at-home order, primarily starting with SGV Eats that let restaurant owners and food lovers share information about open restaurants as well as try and convene a sense of community. Instagram user prosciuttogirl69 helped start a wave of Google Doc lists of black-owned businesses to support in California in the wake of the George Floyd Black Lives Matter march and considerable continued interest (CBS). Organizations like the Little Tokyo Service Center have also been hard at work in providing assistance to their small businesses with free consulting, workshops, and check-ins as well as connecting volunteers to local small businesses in need.

The government can piggyback off of these strong community responses and take key learnings in additional tools that can help small businesses such as improving digital literacy as well as a more consistent and comprehensive business kit that can help set the foundation of each business to be prepared for these nimble situations. Other than further financial federal aid to industries, states, and local governments majorly affected, local and state governments can help more by providing a volunteer connection database as well as a directory of small businesses requesting basic help with marketing. Utilizing existing government programs and repositories like #CaliforniaVolunteers is one easy example of amplifying these programs. What would be helpful as well would be linking small business owners to free digital classes and education opportunities such as with Extension or community college programs that are currently being offered.

How Marketers Can Help

Are you an individual with some marketing know-how, experience, and a desire to help? Here is my workflow in how I was able to get started with volunteering my time to several Los Angeles small businesses (this can also easily be applied if you have other skillsets like coding, design, finances, etc.):

• Although trying to discover small businesses that need help isn’t a simple task by any means, start to inquire with your local small business bureau, online small business communities, and marketers. You can also always start by asking some of your go-to favorite small businesses if they need assistance.
• Try to find a theme of business in which you have knowledge about or enjoy frequenting, such as a type of restaurant or fitness center. This will help direct you towards interested businesses.
• Then, set yourself a boundary of what you can provide whether it would be helping design a simple storefront webpage or a free consultation session as well as time commitment. If you can be upfront with whoever you are volunteering with, there will be less confusion as you continue to volunteer.
• And above all else, remember to practice self-care. If you feel overwhelmed or feel like something is too much, be honest with both yourself and whoever you are volunteering with ahead of time.

Resources for Small Businesses

If you’re a small business in California looking for assistance, there are numerous sources for assistance that you are probably well aware of. However, here are a few in case you missed them:

• Opportunity Fund’s COVID-19 Assistance Page: Lots of great resources to loans, digital tools, and more for CA businesses
• Social Media Examiner’s Free Tools: Social Media Examiner is always one of my go to social media marketing sites with great advice and tools. It does take time to go through and read but a great place to start.
• Free/Discounted Tech. Tools for CA Small Businesses: A general list of some helpful free tools.

Why Does It Matter? (Last Minute Thoughts)

After writing out this blog post for the past week, one part of this blog post that is missing on one of my re-reads is exactly why I think this matters personally. I think the reasons can be distilled down to two reasons. One is just my personal passions before the pandemic. I loved frequenting small mom-and-pop restaurants and checking out small shops all over Southern California. I don’t want those experiences to disappear during and after the pandemic both for myself and the Southern California communities as a sense of culture as well as bringing business to fund our communities. The other is what I believe is the importance of helping out those in need during these difficult times using our talents and skills. I believe that we are truly only as strong as our weakest links, and if we are willing and able, we should help uplift those communities in need to the best of our abilities and create a better and more inclusive economy.

If you know of any SoCal small businesses that needs free marketing consulting/assistance during this pandemic, please feel free to contact me at jwie@alumni.usc.edu or through a comment below, and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as I can and try to either help you either on my end or connect you with someone who can. Here is my LinkedIn profile if you want to connect there.