How to beat the postal strike…

There’s something to be said for being in the ‘right place at the right time’. With thousands of Royal Mail workers striking over this week, millions of letters and parcels will be in the wrong place at the wrong time – which is pretty bad for both consumers and businesses. Christmas cards we can do without, but when chaos hits those all important deliveries, it’s simply not good enough.

That said, it’s not the end of the world. There are hidden opportunities too for small businesses to rise above it. Here are a few ways you can beat the postal strike by turning to the web.

1. Improve your ranking on Google and other search engines. Make sure when your customers come looking, you’re in the right place at the right time – top of the search rankings! Recent stats show that the Internet has now taken over TV in terms of ad spend plus, 90% of all online journeys begin with search so use this opportunity to drive that traffic by optimising your website and investing in Pay Per Click advertising. If you missed it, our latest offering, BT SearchSmart will give you the expertise you need to get noticed online.
2. Help each other out. If you’re a courier service or delivery company this is a great opportunity for you to step up to the mark and begin marketing yourself online. Make sure retailers who the strike will affect the most, know who you are, how to find you and how to contact you. Have a look below at some of our own BT Tradespace carriers.
3. Be honest with your customers. Remember, blogging via your Tradespace and on your website is another route to communicating with your customers. If you’re a business affected by the Royal Mail strikes, then tell your customers how you’re working around it. The more honest you are, the more forgiving they will be.
4. Improve your customer service online. Make sure you customers have alternative ways of contacting you. If they need to get in touch, they should have routes of contacting you via your website and Tradespace. Link the two together with our badge so that you’re opening the channels of communication.
5. Think innovation. Now’s the time to think innovatively – Christmas gifts don’t need to be physical goods, offer discounts on your services (discounted kitchen make over or discounts on building work, etc). People are looking to save money, so Christmas gifts can be designed to take advantage of this.

Those are our suggestions for beating the postal strike, but we want to hear from you! What are your thoughts on the strike? Are you rising above it? Tell us your experiences by leaving a comment!

Want more tips? Hear them from Dan Wilson, our resident ecommerce expert in the video below! (note: At the time we filmed Dan, the strikes weren’t confirmed)

Some courier and delivery companies from BTTradespace:

• http://arrowlighthaulage.bttradespace.com
• http://rftexpresscouriers.bttradespace.com
• http://asap.bttradespace.com
• http://noble-expresscouriers.bttradespace.com
• http://knightexpo.bttradespace.com
• http://mphcouriers.bttradespace.com
• http://a2b.bttradespace.com
• http://mrshiftermanandvanhire.bttradespace.com
• http://bradfordcouriers.bttradespace.com