How to Keep Business Revenue Up During COVID-19 

We Know This Is A Tough Time for Business Owners

By now, you already know all the precautions you should be taking to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in your business: reducing person-to-person interactions and strengthening your already rigorous work sanitation standards. Because the information and events are evolving rapidly, many business owners face even more stress: What will I do if my community goes into self-isolation, or if we have to shelter in place?

We understand the uncertainty and anxiety that’s weighing on you right now. We want to help you alleviate some of that stress by showing you how to use your Vagaro tools to maintain a reliable stream of income, even when you’re seeing fewer clients in person. Here’s what you can do to keep money coming in remotely, and how to stay prepared for when business resumes after the crisis has passed.

Stay in Immediate Communication With Clients Using Text Message Marketing

Because the national health crisis has been evolving quickly, text is the fastest, most efficient way to let customers know about changes to your business in real-time. Use text to send a quick message, which you can link back to an email if you’ve got more information to share.

For example, you may need to notify customers last minute about your updated hours. Or you might want to encourage them to purchase a gift card or purchase products online. You could even encourage them to purchase memberships & packages in advance. You just need to send a quick text and you’ll be on your way to sales in no time.

As service professions are most at risk financially during social distancing and shelter in place orders, text marketing can be your lifeline to staying connected with clients and retaining a stream of income

Text Message Templates

Following COVID-19 recommendations by the CDC, Acme Studios is reducing normal business hours until further notice. We will be open to serve clients by singular appointment between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Click here to learn more

During the national health crisis, Acme Studios appreciates your patronage more than ever. We’re here to provide you with your favorite products via online purchase. Bundle any three Redken products together for 10% off and FREE shipping

Stuck indoors? Time for a deep conditioner & some dry shampoo. Bundle any deep conditioning treatment with a dry shampoo product & we’ll include a free product from your preferred product line for free!

Pre-pay for your next appointment (booking not required for purchase) & get a 20% discount! Prepay for any 2 services & get a 20% discount & $10 gift certificate as our thank you for helping us weather the storm. Click link to learn more

Use Email Marketing to Keep Clients Updated

If you’re operating in an area without restrictions, stay in communication with your clients using email marketing. That way, you can be transparent with clients about your business sanitation measures, extra precautions you’re taking to protect their health, changes to business hours, or other timely information. You can also use email to communicate ways your clients can protect the health of your staff when they come in. Special messaging templates are available in the Vagaro gallery, specifically for alerts and updates.

If your community has been advised to self-isolate, exercise social distancing, or to shelter at home, you can use email marketing to communicate any changes to your normal workday procedures. These might include changes to normal business hours or reducing the number of service providers working daily to decrease chance of exposure. Email marketing is also an effective way to communicate a big change you make to prevent health risks, like using staggered scheduling to reduce the number of person-to-person interactions.

Email Template

Use the template below to customize your message to clients. Each bullet point listed below can be modified to suit your business needs. Don’t forget to include your business name and links when you drop text into your template!

Acme Studios always provides a safe, sanitary experience for our clients, but in light of COVID19, we’re taking extra precautions to keep our clients and staff safe. We recommend visiting the CDC or WHO websites for official information and updates.

We’re serious about your safety, so we’re taking action to make sure your health is prioritized without disrupting your service. To protect our staff and clients, here are some extra steps we’re taking:

• We’re reducing our normal business hours until further notice. We will be open to serve clients by appointment only between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  
  

• Until further notice, only 2 service professionals at a time will be working, guaranteeing that there will be no more than 4 people in our storefront at the same time. This ensures that there will be over 6 feet of distance between each professional and their clients. When close contact is not required for the service (such as during processing time) a 6-foot distancing rule will be in effect.
  
  

• Acme will start staggered scheduling, meaning that each service professional will have no more than 1 appointment per day. This ensures that only one client and one service provider will be in our business at a time. When close contact is not required for your service, such as processing time, the 6-foot distancing rule will be in effect.
  
  

• Retail sales will be fulfilled online exclusively until we resume normal business hours. To purchase products, gift certificates, memberships or packages, or to donate to Acme’s employee relief fund, please visit our online store.
  
  

• Acme is temporarily going cash-free. You may pay in advance online or use your card at our disinfected check-out in-store. Disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer are provided at check-out.
  
  

Please subscribe to Acme Studios text message service for timely updates on changes to shop hours, rescheduling, or online sales.

We thank you for your ongoing support in this time, and we hope to see you—safe and healthy—in the near future.

Keep Revenue Coming In 

Service professionals face more stress than other professions during this time, as for most people in a “hands-on” profession, telecommuting isn’t an option. Because your primary source of revenue might be compromised, finding alternate sources of income is more important than ever. This is where your Vagaro online cart and payment processing come in, with numerous ways to help you earn income without servicing clients directly. Setting up your online cart takes just a few minutes and can start earning for you as soon as you stock it.

Using Your Online Store to Generate Income

Below, we’ve listed a few different ways to use your online store to bring in revenue and prepare for when you’re able to resume normal operating hours.

• Fill your empty hours by stocking your online store with retail products, and use email marketing to let customers know about retail sales, product bundles, discounted products, or shipping deals.
  
  

• Your online store isn’t just for retail product sales. You can use it to sell services in advance—with or without booking. For instance, you could offer a 10% discount on any services booked and paid for in advance and use email marketing to let clients know about your pre-paid discounts. To do this, make sure to change your “Deposit” setting in your online cart to 100%.
  
  

• Create a promo code for products or services booked and paid for in advance.
  
  

• Make sure to add memberships and packages to your online store. This will help secure ongoing future revenue and immediate income for packages purchased online.
  
  

• Gift certificates are another way to secure immediate income and bring customers back in when normal business resumes.
  
  

• If your area has a shelter in place order, you can create a service called “Donation,” for customers who want to help support your staff. It’s a quicker way than a fundraising page to get financial help when you need it most.
  
  

• Digital gift certificates can be discounted by either a percentage or a set dollar amount and can be delivered instantly, no person-to-person contact required. For example, you can offer a $50 gift certificate at a 20% discount for $40 or offer a $5 discount on any gift certificate over $25.
  
  

Every Little Bit Helps!

Now consumers visiting Vagaro.com, our online salon, spa and fitness marketplace, can easily support businesses affected by COVID-19 by buying gift certificates, memberships, packages or products online. When your clients visit Vagaro.com, they can simply click on the button pictured above, “Find Businesses to Support,” to search for businesses selling online in your local area. Even if your clients can’t visit their favorite business right now, they can help them survive with a Vagaro.com, Google, or Facebook review during this difficult time. Every little bit helps!

Vagaro Is with You

Your industry has never faced a challenge of this scale before, and we know how much anxiety and uncertainty you’re facing. Vagaro’s foundation is in helping small business owners like you survive and thrive, during good times and bad times, too. We’ll rise to face the challenge with you and provide a reliable anchor for you to weather the storm.

Click here to read a letter from our CEO, detailing how we’re going to help you.