So far 2020 has been a bit of a rollercoaster, to put it gently.

We are currently experiencing a global call for social distancing, self-isolation and even quarantine. While these are necessary steps to slow the spread of Covid-19, there is no doubt that these precautions will have an impact on your business and all businesses for the foreseeable future.

But your business does not have to come to a halt. Thanks to the internet, the twenty-first century is perhaps the best time in history to be stuck indoors. There are countless ways you can use the lonely isolation period to create a better, stronger brand. Not only will your company be better off in the long run, it will also help pass the long hours indoors.

Here are some ideas for creating marketing content at home, and developing your business even in the midst of social distancing.

Start a Blog

Blogging is an essential part of any business’ marketing repertoire. It gives you the opportunity to let your customers see your brand’s personality and inform your client base about any new offerings or promotions.

One of the most challenging parts of having a blog is, well, maintaining it. It’s really easy to start a blog with one post and the best intentions, but the constant pressure to keep producing content can drive a lot of small business owners away from blogging.

This is why, while you’re practicing self-isolation, you should be writing as much blog content as you can. This way, once this Covid-19 crisis is over, you will have a deep backlog of content to choose from, allowing you to publish gradually on your own time, without needing to worry about falling behind.

Start Taking Photos

All you need is your pet and your camera.

Too often we see businesses use and reuse the same old boring stock photos until they lose their appeal entirely. One of the best ways to make your website or social media accounts stand out is to create your own unique content. So if you’re stuck at home all day with your dog and a camera, why not have some fun photo shoots?

Find some good lighting by a window or glass door, and try taking some cute photos of your pet, posing, playing fetch, or looking off at some treat far in the distance.

Up Your Social Media Game

If you find yourself falling behind on your social media posting, now is a great time to re-evaluate your strategy and brainstorm.

Finding a new direction for your brand can sometimes be all you need to increase engagement online. You can also use this time to create a backlog of content that you will be able to use in the months to come. Being proactive and filling your 2020 social media calendar is a great way to use any free time caused by social distancing.

Also, especially in these uncertain times, it’s always important to be an industry thought leader. If Covid-19 has you and your staff trying new and safer ways of doing business while minimizing Covid-19 exposure, share your ideas through social media, your ideas just might be the inspiration another business owner is looking for in their time of need.

Having new and refreshing ideas is one thing but it is also important to learn new ways to create content that presents those ideas clearly. This is an excellent way to breathe new life into your online presence and get the attention of new leads.

Try using Canva, Easil or Adobe Spark to help you create great sleek content for your social media that is both visually appealing and informative. You’ll never have to worry about creating a boring post again, they make it easy to create branded content that is both beautiful and informative.

Update Your Website

Finding time to update your website can be really tough, it’s an essential part of your business but doing an overhaul can often be put on the back burner when things are busy. So, if you’re practicing social distancing and you find that you have some excess time on your hands, it may be the perfect time to dive into a website update.

Updating your website can mean anything from adding new photos, copy, business information etc. It can also mean a complete theme overhaul; changing templates, restructuring click paths, making the experience more user friendly.

Use this idle time to improve your website, you won’t regret it.

Find a Business Software that has Integrated Payment Processing

Having integrated payment processing will make your life 10x easier and it will make your business more efficient.

Having a dependable payment processor that integrates with your pet business software gives you the ability to keep track of your bookings and payments while having them all in one place.

There’s nothing worse than using an external payment processor, accepting your payment, then having to manually input the payment into your pet business software to stay up to date. It might not seem like a lot of work at first, but once you hit peak season and you’re constantly accepting payments it doesn’t take long to get overwhelmed, or worse, make a mistake.

To avoid manual uploads or miss-entries it’s a great idea to integrate an available payment processor with your pet business software, it will reduce your workload and relieve stress.

If you keep your head down and focus on making your business more streamlined during your isolation you will be able to hit the ground running once everything is back to normal.