Since fall of 2019, the world has had to deal with Covid-19. The coronavirus has killed nearly 5.5 million people, infected almost 270 million, and remains an evolving and changing threat. However, with the arrival of vaccines and antiviral treatments, hope of a return to regular life is at hand. The possibility of normal has political and business leaders planning for life without lockdowns. But everyone has been forever changed by this experience.
The adjustment period has not been and will not be easy. So, how does a company make the transition easier so they can move forward? What steps can a business take to improve sales or find new clients?
One answer is intentionality. That means building a roadmap to success for all areas of a business. A part of that intentionality can include marketing an IT. For example, one step should focus on employee health and well-being. Another step could consist of revamping data collection through web scraping and a reliable datacenter proxy. This article will cover several areas for improvement and suggestions for building or rebuilding a business post-Covid.
Steps in the Right Direction
As with anything else, it is important to know where you want to be before getting started. That requires a good understanding of how the world has changed since the pandemic began. As just one example, the business world has been upended by considerable changes in supply chains and employee relations.
While no one can account for all the changes, some things stand out more. For instance, employees and customers will be much more aware of health and safety in the workplace and retail space in the foreseeable future. If a business deals directly with the public, the end of Covid may not mean the end of customer expectations regarding health and safety. Services like touchless or no contact delivery may still be desirable by many.
Ultimately, a particular business will have a unique road map based on its customer base and their preferences. Their pressure will dictate a given approach to changes in economic demand. Companies that were strongly impacted by supply shocks will need to diversify and fortify themselves against those problems going forward. That might mean a total revamp of the supply chain.
On the other hand, a company that watched its customer base collapse will have to consider widening the net or improving opportunities for engagement beyond its traditional base. This could mean a change in pricing. It could also mean creating a new cultural consensus around a product via advertising.
What Does the Data Say?
According to McKinsey, one of the world’s leading consulting firms, an important part of post-pandemic planning involves improving data-driven decision making. All that means is for any change to make a difference, there has to be actual data behind it. So where does one find that data? One tactic will be web scraping. This is one of the best ways to stay updated on the competition. Web scraping is essentially a form of automatic data collection. But, more importantly, it can make a huge difference for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
How Does Web Scraping Work?
Crawling across the web to collect data sounds simple. But to collect a lot of data, the process has to be automated. Automating the process requires a little know-how. One piece of the puzzle is the right IT infrastructure. This can include rotating residential proxies and tools to spoof browser attributes. When necessary, this could also include some decent coding skills. Having a good proxy will mean getting to the scale desired for the data needed without being banned from websites. And the best part is public data is public. You can legally gather as much as you want.
Datacenter Proxy for SMBs
Let’s say you want to keep tabs on your competition. How would you go about doing so? Step one, a datacenter proxy is needed to hide your IP address while online. Using a datacenter proxy through a service provider isn’t nefarious but privacy-oriented. Using a proxy stops them from tracking your activity while also blocking cookies. It is a little like Tor, which protects against network surveillance.
Like Tor, proxies will bounce your data around to hide the IP. But once you are out in the wild, you can gather all the data you need using a web scraping tool. This could mean marketing data, traffic stats, and more. It is that simple. A data center proxy lets you do the work of a large marketing firm in-house. So achieving those post-Covid demand dreams just got a lot easier for your SMB.
Post-Covid World
The internet is full of commentary on strategies for moving forward in a post-Covid world. But, in reality, we will never be completely free of Covid. The disease is here to stay and we’ll adapt. The real lesson here is that everyone must learn to be more resilient. Resilience in business, as anywhere else, is all about diversification, information, and a good dose of intuition. In the absence of data, intuition is just guesswork. Leaders without a plan are people with big voices and better titles but little else.