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Staying Connected During Covid-19

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According to research found by Gallup’s, 62 percent of employed Americans currently say they are working from home during the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore many of us are learning,  adapting, and adjusting to the way we are working.  Most studies are showing people prefer to be working remotely. So the question is:  why is it important to keep the office culture strong and how can we continue to stay connected to one another? That also brings up the question that many entrepreneurs and small business owners have, which is: how can we continue to support other small businesses during this time?

Why do we need office culture?

Office culture is important for employees, not only does it give you a destination to attend to and start a routine with, but it can also play a role in how you decide your day is going to go. Having a space where people are able to come together ideate, brainstorm, and trust one another adds value to your business. Employees are more likely to enjoy their work when they are somewhere where the culture is a good fit. Staples 2019 Workplace Survey states that 90 percent of employees say allowing for more flexible work arrangements and schedules would increase employee morale, while 77 percent say allowing employees to work remotely may lead to lower operating costs. Now that many of us are working remotely, how can we adjust to making our work environment more comfortable as well as staying intune with our co-workers?

Here are some examples of the differences between positive and negative work environments!

What does a positive work environment have?

  • Communication
  • Connection
  • Team Unity

What does a negative work environment have?

  • Lack of Interest
  • Bad Communication 
  • Cliques, Exclusion + Gossipy Behavior
  • Poor Leadership

If we look at the differences we are able to see how important employee connection truly is for a business.

How can we continue to stay connected even when we are working from home?

While we are all still trying to adjust to the new “normal” we are able to grow and learn and stay connected in different ways than ever before. We have to prioritize and manage our time to connect with coworkers.  Here are a few different ways to stay connected and engaged with others in the workplace. 

These are just some of the many ways you can stay connected with those in the workplace while you’re working remotely! Here at Bankable, we have incorporated social distant picnics, group bingo, and several other virtual contests within our team! It might seem frightening and discouraging for some to know that working remotely is the new “normal”, but for those who are feeling this way we hope to have provided you with some more ways to make your connection with your coworkers still relevant and less disappointing! 

How can we support small businesses while staying home?

Although many of us are learning to work remotely and stay as connected to our co-workers as we can, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are changing the way they work as well.  Here are a few different ways small businesses are learning to adapt and stay connected in this new environment.

Those are just a couple examples of how many small businesses are learning to help eachother out during these challenging times. Check out  PaySimple  to see several more small businesses learning to adapt and adjust during this time.

As entrepreneurs and small business owners we are always looking for different ways we can support one another and continue to help each other’s businesses. Since covid-19 things have become a little more difficult and caused a few setbacks within the small business world. Many of us are learning and adapting to the virtual world and becoming more 

There are several different ways we can all support small businesses during this time. Here is a list of a few different ways to stay connected and supportive towards small businesses while staying home.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to reach out to our Bankable team to discuss ways your business could stay connected while working remotely by emailing us at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

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“My Pleasure” Why Businesses Should Emphasize Customer Service

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Customer service is an essential part of any business. In order to understand what customer service can do for a business, it is easiest to split it up into two categories: brand association and customer satisfaction. 

Brand Association

 What do people say when they think about your business? You must determine what you want people to think of when they hear about your business and align that with your brand strategy.  For example, everyone knows Chick-fil-A is known for going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to customer service.  From saying “my pleasure” after every exchange to chasing a person down the street just because they forgot their sauce.  Chick-fil-A has branded themselves as the pinnacle of customer service and it has paid off tremendously. 

One of the most important ideals that goes unnoticed in great customer service is brand loyalty. If you think we are wrong, ask yourself when was the last time you saw a commercial for Chick-Fil-A. That is because they have been able to use their customer base to get the word out.  They use user-generated-content to their advantage, which is the best content because it acts as both a customer review and brand focused content. 

User-generated content is social media content that is posted by a consumer that highlights a company’s positive or negative behaviors. Whether that be their product or service. It acts as its own unique form of marketing that could be good or bad for a business.  Taking time to incorporate high level customer service can influence your business and can easily be the difference between your business being successful or sub-par. 

Now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “That’s great but I’m not Chick-fil-a.” That’s the beauty of being a smaller business. Small businesses have more of an opportunity to create community and brand loyalty through amazing customer service and experience. Make sure you are taking advantage of the chances that are presented. Be bold and ask your customers the question, “what can we do to keep you coming back?” Some answers will be good and some won’t be, but the information that you gather and implement will not only help your business. It will prove to your customers your listening. That is what keeps them coming back for more!

Customer Satisfaction 

How happy your customers are does not solely depend on customer service. 

It has a lot to do with the: 

  1. Product you offer
  2. Convenience of location 
  3. And, how your prices compare to other competitors.

 Above all else, being educated on what makes your customers keep coming back is important.


Customer satisfaction comes in all different forms. Some customers like that Chick-fil-A has the attitude of, “we will be the nicest people on planet earth as long as we are wearing this uniform attitude and that works for their brand.”  On the other hand, there are establishments like Dicks Last Resort that thrive off of insulting and treating their customers terribly. This unorthodox form of “customer service” works for them and provides a unique dining experience that continues to bring customers back as well.  

How customers receive your brand and product is important. Customer service should not only exist in our restaurant industries. Some effort should be made to keep consumers coming back again and again. 

Bankable always strives to treat their clients and their partners with the utmost respect and customer service. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us via email at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

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Bankable Partners with Old National Bank

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Last month, Bankable made a statement, as a company, that we would stand with the Black Community and Black-owned small businesses in Indiana. We recommitted to listening, learning, changing, and innovating so that we can better amplify and support people of color.

One way we are showing our commitment to the minority-owned small businesses is by partnering with Old National Bank.  Old National Bank has provided a grant of $50,000 that will be used to provide fair and affordable loans and technical assistance to minority-owned businesses who need extra support amidst the COVID-19 crisis. 

This will help support and elevate minority-owned businesses in Indiana who are members of Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council (MSDC). Part of the mission of Mid-States MSDC is to promote successful minority enterprises in Indiana by being an advocate for minority-owned businesses and provide economic assistance. This is done through networking, coaching, training, and more.

While we feel very honored and excited to be a part of this venture, we are still continuing a never-ending commitment to seek and create more opportunities for minority-owned businesses. There are more projects and initiatives in the works behind the scene that we will share when we can. So, expect to hear more from us soon. 

To learn more about this partnership and program, please contact us at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

Kiva Partnership

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Since February, Bankable and Kiva have been working together to help facilitate financial opportunities for small Indiana businesses and entrepreneurs. Kiva loans are crowdfunded by people around the world, who are willing to lend as little as $25, to small businesses gaining access to 0% interest loans of up to $15,000. A Kiva loan gives borrowers the opportunity to continue to grow which in turn allows them to pursue their capital needs. As a borrower starts to repay their loan, the lenders who helped contribute will be paid back for what they lent.

Bankable’s first partnership with Kiva was to help Kenny Kendall’s Gourmet Popcorn find capital. Latarsha Jennings had the dream of serving others and knew that this was the way she wanted to do it. Kenny Kendall’s Gourmet Popcorn was able to reach their total goal of $7,200 within just 42 months thanks to the help of many generous lenders! 

Geoffrey Jones has been a huge help within this partnership with Kiva. Geoffrey is a Relationship Manager and Loan Officer here at Bankable and a Capital Access Manager with Kiva. So we wanted to reach out to him to ask what it has been like working with Kiva from his point of view, and here is what he said, “It’s been a great privilege serving as this region’s Capital Access Manager with Kiva. I have the opportunity to continue meeting small business owners in [Indiana] who could really benefit from Kiva funding. Seeing their loans become fully funded by lenders from all over the world is something else. It’s one thing to receive full funding for their business, but seeing dozens of people you’ve never met before lend and help out just means the world to these business owners.” 

This partnership between Bankable and Kiva works really well because both organizations are able to focus on getting small business owners the exact amount of capital they need. No one is turned away! At Bankable, we always find a way to help get clients funding. We are extremely honored to be partnered with Kiva and are excited to see the many business owners we can help! 

Content, Content, Content

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Sometimes marketers can get stuck in a rut! It can be hard to come up with new ways to market your business especially after you have already created some great pieces of content. We are here today to help you plan your content anew.  Because at Bankable, we want to help you!

What is good content?

First, we should ask the question “what is good content?” Sometimes, we can think a picture we take on our phone is not good enough or we need some high-quality content that was produced by a professional filmmaker/photographer/etc., but that is not the case! Yes, high-quality productions are great and refreshing, but it’s not always appropriate.  Good content is what you can bring to the table for your audience with the resources you have. Here are some examples of good content from some of our clients as well as us:

These examples are very doable! All it requires is a little bit of time.

One Piece of High-Quality Content

Now, let’s say that you did hire someone to produce a great video of one of your business offerings. It’s beautiful. You love it, but you don’t know what to do with it. We have definitely been there before. Here are a few tips that could help you get the most bang for your buck on that one piece of content:

  • Share it on all of your social media platforms: This should be a no-brainer, but if you have more than one platform, publish it everywhere! 
  • Strategize what your demographic would think of this content: You can start brainstorming where this content fits best. If you have a niche demographic on one platform and not the other, focus your content on them. 
    • EX: You own a coffee shop, and you have a cool video showcasing different types of coffee and how they are ethically sourced. On Instagram, you have a young audience that cares deeply about how your coffee is made. So, you want to hype up the video as a behind the scenes moment. On the other hand, your Facebook page is filled with people who care about the environment. On your Facebook page, you would want to discuss how your business also cares about the environment. This can be done using the same video, but just switching up the context that surrounds it ie. the caption of a post.
  • Break up your content: You don’t have to post all of a video or all of a photo session. Break them up! If in a video you talk about multiple things about your business, you can choose which part you want to show now and which part you want to share later. 
  • Reuse, Reuse, Reuse: Don’t let one piece of content die! You work too hard to let that happen. You can always wait a little bit, maybe a few months, and then repost it again. It might seem strange to keep pushing the same content, but the likelihood that someone will notice is not high in the beginning. With the way algorithms are now, it should be pushed in front of a new audience or a new portion of your following each time.

 

These are just a few tips and tricks when working on content. Sometimes it can look like a scary beast, but it is worth it when you start to see the results you want. This can only happen if you continue to push through the social media void. 

 

Let us know if you have any questions or if you want to meet with someone on our Growth Ready team to discuss how we can help you with your social media presence by emailing us at marketingadmin@bankable.org.

 

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2Toms Embraces New Normal

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2Toms Embraces New Normal

2Toms_glass_overlooking_lakeTo say that Tom Carpenter and 2Toms Brewing Company have adapted to the new normal is an understatement. During the pandemic, they have been recreating and redesigning their business model which has been attracting all new customers. 2Toms was recently featured on Mo Head Y’all’s podcast where he explained what effect the pandemic has had on their business and what they are doing in terms of supporting their community during the protests. 

In terms of staying relevant during the pandemic, 2Toms decided to shift their business to a full To-Go model. Although their food sales weren’t up to their standard, their beer sales exceeded their expectations. Some types even sold out in less than 24 hours!Sold_out_beer  They were also able to keep their staff thanks to receiving a PPP loan. Since the start of the pandemic, they have gained a lot of new interest within their community. They are now opening at 50% capacity and they still have a To-Go option. They have even implemented a feature on their app to start a tab when you are within 10 miles of the restaurant! 

Since the protests have started they have also been very active in their support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They are currently collaborating with the Weathered Souls Black Is Beautiful campaign.Black_is_beautiful_post They were challenged to put their personal touch on the Weathered Souls version of the beer to support the movement while giving the proceeds to their community. 2Toms believes that it’s their business’s responsibility to respond when their community is in trouble. They want everyone who picks up their beer to ask the question of  “what can I do more?” or “how can I be involved?” At the end of the day, they want to start a conversation and they want their beer to be a vehicle for that conversation.