Corporate Relocations: How to Not Lose Business

In the lifetime of a business or organization, circumstances may call for you to pack up shop and relocate elsewhere for any number of reasons. During that process, however long it may take, it is imperative to have a plan in place to ensure that any potential loss of business during the transition can be prevented or minimized.

Knowing how to maintain the customer or client relationships you’ve already built before the move can have an impact on the foundation you will have to build on at the new location, which can certainly help when it comes to establishing yourself in a new neighborhood. In this guide, we will take you through the different steps you can take both before and after your corporate relocation to ensure that you retain the business you already have and hit the ground running at your new location.

Strategies Before the Relocation
There are several measures that a company about to undergo a move can take to ensure that they don't suffer from a loss of revenue or clientele. A business can create advertisements for local newspapers, develop localized webpages, allow clients to create accounts on the company's website and post instructions that help existing customers make purchases online. During the move, the enterprise can even host multiple events and let visitors try free samples, evaluate testimonials and receive various types of incentives.

Before the corporate relocation, a company may post announcements on multiple social media networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Reddit, and the business can indicate the date of the relocation, the company's new address, major roads that are situated near the location and new products that will be unveiled at the store. The posts should also describe any changes that may take place after the corporate relocation and how these modifications may affect prices, the process of ordering, delivery estimates and access to customer service representatives.

Helping Existing Customers to Place Orders
At least two months before the relocation, the company's posts and emails should provide step-by-step instructions that help buyers make purchases online. The business may indicate payment methods that the company accepts, the types of shipping that the business prefers and policies that are related to returns. These strategies can decrease costs by substantially reducing the number of existing customers who call the company's customer service department while the business is moving. Furthermore, numerous reports have shown that clear instructions may augment the number of existing clients who place orders after a corporate relocation.

Creating Advertisements and Attracting New Patrons
Before posting ads in local newspapers, the business should determine the number of people who receive each newspaper every day, the locations of individuals who read the local newspapers and the amount of advertisements that the publication already contains. Subsequently, the enterprise may create ads that provide promotional codes for local customers who are situated within a certain radius of the new location, promote events at the store and feature a hotline that allows customers to swiftly place orders.

Hosting Various Events
During the events, potential buyers can receive free samples of useful products and view brochures that feature positive testimonials about the business. While the company is relocating, the enterprise can frequently provide demonstrations that indicate the benefits of the company's products and services, and the business may encourage local visitors to try the products by offering discounts and free samples for attendees. The company should also distribute printed advertisements that directly contrast the enterprise's products and services with those that local competitors offer.

Throughout each event, the company can also take photographs and videos that may be posted on numerous social media networks. Furthermore, the enterprise should add some of the pictures to local advertisements and include testimonials from local customers who are featured in the photographs.

Attracting Customers After the Move
Once the new store has opened, the company should distribute promotional flyers, post advertisements in local directories, create webpages that are designed for local residents and provide numerous incentives for new clients. The enterprise can also use apps and platforms that may attract local customers and allow the buyers to easily post testimonials.

Developing and Promoting Localized Webpages
After a corporate relocation, a business can create pages with keyword phrases that contain the names of nearby towns, local attractions and close highways. These webpages should also provide a list of products and extensive testimonials. These pages should also be designed for smartphones as the majority of potential customers will use mobile devices when searching for local businesses.

The webpages will augment the percentage of local residents who view the company's listings in the search engines. After the company's move, the localized webpages may lessen costs by reducing the number of paid advertisements that the business purchases.

In addition, a company may utilize pay-per-click marketing, which will allow the business to place localized advertisements above the search results. The company can bid on specific keyword phrases that feature the names of products, nearby cities and local attractions. After the company's relocation, the business can opt to show advertisements to visitors who are situated within certain geographic regions and potential customers who are utilizing specific types of devices.

Designing Listings and Advertisements for Local Directories
The business should create a listing for Google Places where an advertisement will feature the company's address, phone number and website. The listing will contain a link to a page that contains reviews of the business. [4] The enterprise should also add various photographs to the company's listing on Google Places and include the business hours as well.

Before posting listings in local directories, a business should utilize a service that will indicate the average number of visitors that each directory receives every day and the geographic locations of the website's guests. Generally, standard advertisements in local directories are completely free, and the ads can promote coupon codes for local customers and events that will take place at the new location.

Coupon Codes and Free Items
According to various reports, promotional codes can notably improve overall customer satisfaction, which may substantially increase the number of local buyers who refer friends to a business. In addition to increasing the amount of clients that visit the new location, the coupon codes may also boost the average number of purchases that customers make.

After the move, the company should offer auxiliary products for local clients, and when creating the free products, the business can add a logo, a phone number, an address and the URL of its website. If the business provides service packages, the enterprise should offer free trials and provide free upgrades for local patrons who make a particular number of purchases.

Creating Sponsorships
After the relocation, the enterprise can sponsor local charities and sports teams. These charitable organizations will commonly provide advertisements for the company. The business can also allow customers to easily make donations when they are purchasing products and services at the store. According to several reports, more than 72 percent of Americans have donated to charitable organizations while they were making purchases.

Utilizing Platforms That Serve Local Buyers
Groupon will let a business post exclusive deals for local customers, and each deal typically has a deadline and may only be redeemable at the company's store. Local users can frequently make purchases by utilizing Groupon's online platform. Once the corporate relocation has been completed, Groupon can allow a company to tremendously reduce the costs that are associated with advertisements.

By creating a profile on Yelp's platform, a business will allow local customers to easily post reviews, rate the testimonials of others and analyze a company's overall rating. Furthermore, the business will be able to directly respond to reviews, and the company can post invitations for local events.

With more than 70 million users, LivingSocial allows potential customers to find activities and businesses that meet their needs, and users may evaluate a company's reviews, hours, location and services. When a company opens a new store, the business can provide discounted services for customers who are situated within a specific geographic region. LivingSocial's platform can also help a company provide vouchers for local clients.

Creating Flyers That Can Be Distributed to Residents
After a relocation, a business can design flyers that feature a list of products, descriptions of available discounts, the enterprise's business hours, promotional descriptions of events that the company manages and testimonials that local customers provided. Every brochure should contain a map that indicates the company's location, the positions of local highways and the enterprise's proximity to nearby attractions. Moreover, the flyer should provide various types of contact information.

Offering Incentives
When a local customer refers a friend to the business, the company can provide a gift card or a reward. Once the business has relocated, the enterprise may also offer gift cards for buyers who post positive testimonials about the company, and the business can provide promotional codes for customers who follow the enterprise's profiles on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Several analyses have shown that incentives can increase the number of local customers who regularly patronize a business by approximately 7 percent. Additionally, the strategy may boost the average subtotal of purchases by more than 14 percent.

The company can allow customers to accumulate points by making purchases, and once a patron obtains a set number of points, the local buyer may receive free products, a gift card, cash or a new coupon code. Moreover, the business should only allow the points to be valid until a set date, a strategy that encourages customers to visit the store frequently and to make multiple purchases.