What did you learn in 2020? If you followed some of the trends inspired by life during the COVID-19 pandemic, you might have learned how to bake banana bread or sew fabric face coverings. When it comes to your business, you might have learned how to conduct virtual audiology appointments or use e-commerce.
While you might have learned a lot in 2020, you probably also had to “unlearn” a few things when it came to business. This might apply to how you communicate with your patients, how you sell to your customers, how you attract new patients, and how you keep your patients. If 2020 taught us anything, it was that we cannot predict the future. Keeping that in mind, here are a few guiding principles for your business in 2021:
- Selling does not look like it used to.
Before the pandemic hit, you had a system for how you sold services and products to your customers. You could predict much of your clients’ purchasing behavior. Then everything changed. You might have stopped conducting in-office appointments for time, or at least you limited them. Many clients changed their behavior, preferring to do their appointments and their purchasing online.
In 2021, this will not change. Many people will likely continue to limit how much they go out into public spaces, even as vaccines are administered. For some of them, it is an issue of health risk. For others, they discovered new ways of doing things that they actually like, such as e-commerce purchases and virtual audiology appointments. You will need to cater to these clients in order to obtain and keep their business.
- You will probably need to change your tactics (again).
Now is the time to evaluate all of your tactics and see how well they work in today’s world. Check everything—your marketing emails, your appointment reminders, your website and its offerings, your e-commerce options, your mobile pages, etc. Make sure everything makes sense for the “new normal” we are living in and caters to your clients’ current needs and preferences.
Keep in mind that nothing is set for 2021. Changing your tactics now to accommodate what works today (as opposed to what worked before 2020) does not mean you won’t need to change your practices again.
- Data is shifting.
If you previously had data on your target market, it is now outdated. You will need to continue to gather new data for how patients find your practice, how they interact with you, how they use your website, and much more. Data will continue to be in flux this year, so monitor your data regularly and adjust your business and marketing practices accordingly.
We learned a lot in 2020 about how quickly business practices and consumer behavior can change. 2021 promises to be a year of learning and growth as well. To learn more about how to navigate today’s business world and help your audiology practice grow, please contact us at AudiologyPlus today. We are prepared to help your business succeed, no matter what this year brings.
