Top 5 Reasons Businesses Choose It’s Relevant TV for Their Televisions

In today’s competitive market, businesses are always looking for innovative ways to engage customers and make their brands stand out. One powerful tool many businesses are turning to is It’s Relevant TV (IRTV), a customizable television solution that goes beyond traditional TV programming and digital signage. Here are the top five reasons why businesses choose It’s Relevant TV for their televisions:

1. Customized Content for Enhanced Customer Engagement

It’s Relevant TV offers businesses the ability to display tailored content that captivates and engages their customers. Unlike standard cable or satellite TV, which broadcasts generic programming, It’s Relevant TV allows businesses to choose content that aligns with their brand and audience preferences. This personalization keeps customers entertained and engaged while they wait, leading to a more enjoyable experience.

Benefits:

Relevant Programming: Content is curated to reflect the interests of your visitors. You pick the categories of content you think they will enjoy and IRTV does the rest.
Brand Alignment: Showcases content that complements your business’s values and goals, and frame it all within your logo and brand design.
Customer Satisfaction: Enhances their experience, keeping customers entertained and happy.

Example: A dental clinic can stream educational videos about oral health, mixed with entertaining clips, making the wait time both informative and enjoyable for patients.

2. Advertising and Promotional Opportunities

One of the standout features of It’s Relevant TV is the ability to seamlessly integrate your own advertisements and promotions into the content. This means businesses can promote their services, special offers, or upcoming events directly on their TVs, reaching visitors at the point of decision.

Benefits:

Targeted Advertising: Display ads and promotions specifically for your local audience.
Increased Sales: Promote products and services that can drive immediate purchases.
Repeat Visits: Give people a reason to return to your location.

Example: A restaurant can advertise daily specials or upcoming events during the video playback, encouraging customers to take advantage of promotions while they dine, and come back in the future to enjoy something special you have planned and promoted.

3. Dynamic and Fresh Content

Keeping content fresh is crucial to maintaining viewer interest. It’s Relevant TV provides a continuous stream of dynamic content that updates regularly, ensuring that customers see something new every visit. This variety keeps the programming exciting and prevents the content from becoming stale.

Benefits:

Continuous Updates: Regularly refreshed content keeps viewers engaged.
Diverse Programming: A wide range of topics and genres caters to various interests.
No Loop: Maintains customer interest with ever-changing content that does not suffer from a repetitive loop.

Example: A car dealership can stream automotive news, industry trends, and entertaining videos, keeping customers engaged and informed while they wait. And even if a customer is in front of the TV for hours while they wait for a repair, they are seeing new content constantly.

4. Easy Integration and Management

It’s Relevant TV is designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for businesses to integrate and manage their television content. The platform allows for simple setup and intuitive controls, enabling businesses to update and manage their content without needing technical expertise.

Benefits:

User-Friendly Interface: Easy to set up and operate, minimizing the learning curve.
Flexible Control: Allows for quick updates and changes to the programming and promotions from anywhere.
No Technical Hassle: Streamlined integration with top streaming boxes including Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Example: A retail store can effortlessly update their content to showcase seasonal promotions and new arrivals just by logging in on a storekeeper’s phone. In just a few second they can upload a new promotion to keep their TV displays relevant and engaging.

5. Affordable Solution with High ROI

Investing in It’s Relevant TV provides businesses with a cost-effective solution that delivers a high return on investment (ROI). By enhancing the customer experience and providing a platform for in-house advertising, businesses can maximize the impact of their TV screens without incurring significant costs.

Benefits:

Cost-Effective: Lower costs compared to TV subscriptions + traditional advertising.
High ROI: Boosts customer engagement and in-store sales, providing a strong return on investment.
Value Addition: Adds value to the customer experience, fostering loyalty and repeat visits.

Example: A gym can use It’s Relevant TV to entertain members with fitness tips and motivational content, while promoting membership referral deals and new classes, thereby increasing member retention and sales.

It’s Relevant TV is more than just a TV solution; it’s a strategic tool that enhances customer engagement, promotes products and services, and delivers dynamic, customizable content. Businesses across various industries choose It’s Relevant TV to transform their in-store televisions into powerful communication platforms that drive growth and customer satisfaction.

If the service interests you, it’s easy to schedule a demo of It’s Relevant TV and explore all of the features and benefits over a Zoom call.

Free Waiting Room TV Service | Businesses & Medical Offices

Looking for free waiting room TV service for your business or medical office? Cutting cable in favor of waiting room TV software is a step in the right direction; but settling on one of the self-proclaimed “free” TV services is just as bad, if not worse, than what you just got rid of. If you take anything away from this article, let it be not to fall for “free.” You always get what you pay for. Certain waiting room TV services, like this one, are as close to free as you’ll get; with features that make it worthwhile, and tools to even offset the cost.

If you’re paying $0/month for waiting room television, it shouldn’t be because it’s costing you $0/month. It should be because it’s generating enough revenue to cover the monthly cost.

Why is a Free Waiting Room TV Service a Bad Idea?

When something is advertised as “free,” it generally means that it isn’t costing you any money. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t costing you something else. Free is good when that free thing is complimentary, or a bonus; a thank-you for choosing X, Y or Z, with the hopes of leaving a good first impression. When that free thing is a TV service, or a brand-new television; or both, chances are that provider is taking advantage of you in some way.

How can you tell if you’re being taken advantage of?

If something is too good to be true, more often than not that’s usually the case. A free TV + content that you pay 0$/month for? It might seem like a win-win, but beneath the surface there’s something disingenuous going on. There’s no two ways of looking at it — whether you’re a restaurant, a gym, salon, dentist, or even a hospital, you have something these service providers want; a captivated audience.

Day-in and day-out, you’ve got visitors coming in and waiting — sometimes for 10, 15, or even 30 minutes. That’s a long time, and that’s precisely what these providers are looking for; to turn your TV into an electronic billboard. For who? Themselves, and their happy advertisers. They might throw you a bone and give you the ability to upload your own ads on the side, but not without your messages competing for the spotlight.

If you thought commercials were bad…

Try endless looping commercials for drugs, treatments, or nonsense-conditions that you or your doctors don’t endorse; it’s on your TV, visitors will associate it with your brand, and nothing short of turning it off will stop to it.

Recommended Read: “Top 5 Reasons a Free TV Service is Bad for Medical Offices“

An Alternative to Free Waiting Room TV Software that’s still Free, and 100% Safe

One of the downsides of a free waiting room TV service, as described above, is that fact that someone else is reaping all of the benefits while you’re stuck with their ads playing on your TV. But what if that “someone else” was someone you chose to instead? Someone you trust, or a non-competing brand that your business supports.

It’s Relevant TV, a company that provides custom TV networks to businesses, is unique in that it offers shoppers a $0/month Sponsor-Supported package in which you choose a trusted company, organization, or fellow business owner to cover the cost of your monthly subscription. In exchange, they get to feature their brand and messaging on your TV in a way that is mutual, non-intrusive, and most-importantly; safe for your business.

Check to see if there are any local businesses that you can partner with!

Choosing a brand that pairs well with your business, who has your best interests at heart, is a lot better than letting someone you don’t know; who you’ve never heard of, profit off of your business’ TV. Partnerships are, and always will be, a great marketing strategy.

A Safer Way to Shop for Waiting Room TV Software

The best way make sure that you’re getting a TV system that’s built to serve your brand is to consult with someone in the industry itself. The TV experts at ItsRelevant.com are there answer any questions you might have about what to look for when it comes to waiting room TV technology. Schedule a call with them, or ask to arrange a demo if you’re serious about a custom TV network.

If anyone should be making money off of the TV in your business or medical office, it’s you, or a partnered brand. Your TV, your space, and your visitors are extraordinarily valuble to these advertising companies; so much so that these “free TV services” are able to deal out free TVs and iPads like playing cards. The cost of that technology is nothing compared to what they’re making off of you.

TV Packages For Your Business or Medical Office | It’s Relevant TV

It’s Relevant TV offers businesses and medical offices TV packages that are perfect for lobbies and waiting rooms. More than just TV, It’s Relevant lets you communicate with your visitors in new and effective ways that cable simply can’t hold a candle to. IRTV is the future of waiting area TV, and the technology couldn’t be easier to use. If you’re like a lot of business owners reading this and just want to learn more about TV packages for your business or medical office; visit It’s Relevant TV’s website and schedule a call, or chat with the TV experts there if you have any questions.

What to Look for in the Best TV Packages

Obviously, the best TV package for your business or medical office is going to include TV; but it’s the kind of TV, and the way that it’s packaged, which makes all the difference. Short-form content, not 22-minute shows or channels with hours-long movies, is what you should focus on getting.

Here are some of the reasons why traditional cable and satellite TV don’t work:

1.) Your visitors aren’t there to watch TV. They might be watching it while they wait, but that’s not why they’re there. No one has time for anything that long when they’re eating, waiting in line, or waiting to see the doctor. The time that your visitors are waiting is invaluable; you should be taking advantage of that opportunity by using the TV — which they are watching, to communicate with them. The best TV packages allow you to upload your own personal messages for visitors-in-waiting.

2.) One-single channel doesn’t make everyone happy. Whether it’s sports, a talkshow, or the news, there’s always going to be someone who wants to change the channel because he or she doesn’t like what’s on. Changing the channel isn’t practical, since all you’re doing is turning the hourglass over; your visitors’ interests are diverse, and your TV’s content should reflect that. The best TV packages feature varied content, which is automated, and short enough that anyone who doesn’t like what’s playing doesn’t have long to wait until something better comes on.

3.) Cable & Satellite TV don’t give anything back. You get what you pay for, and that’s basically all you get; access to a few channels that are saturated with competitive ads that you can’t stop from showing up on your TV. The best TV packages come with features designed with your visitors, waiting area, and brand in mind.

A Closer Look at It’s Relevant TV

It’s Relevant TV is the best place to start looking if you’re serious about a custom TV network for your business or medical office. Schedule a call with It’s Relevant for a closer look at the technology, or chat with the TV experts here for more information about the features that make IRTV unique, and the best business TV software on the market.

Mood Media Files For Bankruptcy: What’s Next For Mood TV?

Mood Media, a company that provides TV (Mood TV) and music solutions (Muzak) to businesses, has announced that it is filing for bankruptcy as of early July 2020. This marks the second time that the Texas-based company has gone bankrupt, which begs the question: “What’s next for Mood TV?”

Mood is a reported 680 million dollars in debt, making it fair to anticipate cuts or changes to the service. A reduced support staff in particular isn’t out of the question when it comes to these companies’ responses to an immediate solution. Less updated content, or lower quality content may also be an option for them. Alternatively; users could potentially see an increase in ads on their TVs due to providers lowering the cost of running ads on their network in order to cope. Bankruptcy is rarely good for customers, creating distrust, and certainly showcases poor management and bad planning.

How are other TV providers doing during Covid?

Advertising budgets shrunk drastically during the first 6 months of 2020. Brands just aren’t spending what they used to on ads due to COVID’s impact on the market; which is bad news for Mood Media, Outcome Health, or any other streaming service that relies heavily on selling ad space to stay afloat.

TV technology works, without the ads

Anything can happen to the market; and when something does — like it did with COVID-19, these ad-supported TV companies struggle to find solutions to bridge the gap caused by a sudden decrease in ad spending. A better solution for business owners is a tv platform alternative that doesn’t rely on support from selling ad space to outside companies. You want to find a service provider who can be a strategic thought-partner and wants your business to grow and succeed; not a someone whose goal it is to make money off of selling ads on your television.

Related Article: “Free TV Services: What’s the Real Cost?“

A Better Solution for the Business Owners

Ads shouldn’t be dominating your restaurant, lobby, or waiting room television. In fact, too-many-ads was probably one of the reasons you cut cable in the first place. Factor in a reduced level of service and support, especially now, and you begin to wonder why you’re continuing to use it.

Your TV should work for you and your business.

Whether you’re ready to make a change and switch to a new custom TV network, or have questions about what features are missing from your current TV; you can chat with the TV experts here. You can also go the DIY route and utilize a TV network and their content and overlay your own messaging by using brand new TV technology found at: http://rele.tv

Car Dealerships: How To Compete With Online Car Buying Sites like Carvana

Car buying sites and apps like Carvana, Carmax, and TrueCar are changing the way that people are buying and selling cars. The trend of buying things online has grown tremendously over the past 10 years; a convenience that’s no longer limited to clothes, furniture, or anything small enough to fit in a box. Now because you can make a purchase as big as a car from the comfort of your own home, the automotive industry is experiencing a major shift in the way that cars are bought and sold.

If you own or operate a dealership, you know how frustrating it can be to lose customers to an online retailer. Fortunately, there are certain measures you can take, and new technology to consider that can help strengthen customer retention, and even generate new business.

See: “The Top 6 Dealership TV Systems: Comparing Custom TV Offerings.“

The Rising Threat of Car Buying Sites

At the time this article is being written, many businesses- dealerships included, are closed because of the Coronavirus. Due to the fact that many customers are stuck at home, or practicing social distancing; if someone is in the market for a new vehicle, chances are that they’re going to explore car buying sites in order to limit contact with others. Because of this, services like Carvana are thriving more than ever before. Stocks in Carvana, specifically, went up a whopping 68% since last March.

Additionally, an article published by Forbes labels car buying sites as “The Best Way to Buy a Car in the Age of Coronavirus.”

Virus or not, car buying services didn’t need a worldwide pandemic to get ahead of the game; their success was inevitable. Competing against these alternative means of buying and/or selling cars isn’t impossible, but it’ll take some clever strategizing and forward-thinking.

3 Key Steps to Competing Against Car Buying Sites

Step 1.) Make Your Dealership Shine! If the Coronavirus left any sort of lasting impact on the way that business is conducted, it’s CLEANLINESS. Even after the country gets the ALL-CLEAR, you can count on folks practicing social distancing, or even wearing masks in public. The anxiety isn’t going to go away overnight. In fact, the bar for what constitutes as “a clean establishment” is likely going to be set high. Do what you can to keep surfaces and waiting areas clean. Offer sanitizer; a small, but meaningful gesture. You want your customers to be comfortable and stress-free when they visit your dealership.

See: “Top 5 Ways to Prepare Your Business for Reopening Post-Coronavirus.“

Step 2.) Revisit Your Social Media Pages

If your dealership isn’t on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram; consider getting it on social media- especially Facebook. If you do have a presence, but your pages aren’t up-to-date, blow the dust off and make an effort to craft regularly-scheduled posts. Dedicate a member of your staff to make a daily, or even bi-weekly posts to ping your loyal followers. The more active your are, the more likely your posts are to get shared. The more your posts are shared, the more likely you are to generate more followers on social media. Followers are generally the best folks to market to since they’re already following you; and they’re more likely to make a purchase with you.

Related Article: “Social Media on TV: Businesses Become More Social with their Customers” & “Top 3 Reasons to Get Social Media TV Software for your Business.”

Step 3.) Brush Up on the Latest Waiting Room Technology

Waiting room technology is ever-growing. In the past, if you had a TV in your waiting area, you’d put cable on it and call it a day; whereas today, you have your choice of cable TV alternatives to pick from. Alternatives that not only tend to be more cost-effective than cable or satellite TV, but are a lot safer, and come with all kinds of features made with your business in mind. The elements that make up the best car dealership TV vary based on your dealership’s specific needs; however, the following article should give you a good idea in terms of what to look for: “Car Dealership TV Systems – The Top 5 Most Important Elements.“

Car dealerships are among the best users of custom TV networks; having no shortage of videos, promotions, and marketing messages to entice customers with. Deciding between a cable TV subscription that doesn’t block out ads from “Bob’s Better Automobiles,” vs a custom TV network that promotes your own brand is an easy choice.

Related Article: “Should I Cancel Cable? A Better Cable Alternative for Businesses.“

Interested in a Custom TV Network for your Car Dealership? Start Here

Whether you’re new to waiting room TV technology, or you’re switching from a service like Spectrio, or Automotive Broadcasting Network (ABN); the best TV solution for car dealerships is It’s Relevant TV. Featured in an article published by Automotive News, It’s Relevant stands out from its competitors by having the lowest cost, whilst being the most feature-rich.

It’s Relevant TV for Car Dealerships features the world’s largest library of licensed, short-form content at over half-a-million videos. Additionally, it’s the only service that features live social media integration; displaying your most recent Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts for visitors to enjoy alonside IRTV’s fun and engaging content. See what’s out there, but don’t settle for less than what IRTV delivers.

READ: “What’s the Best Dealership TV Service for Waiting Rooms?“

Top Free TV Service for Medical Waiting Rooms and Lobbies

Browsing the internet for a free TV service for your waiting room? The leader in patient-focused TV has recently announced a new subscription plan that’s available to all medical offices. Whether you’re a hospital, urgent care, doctor, dentist, or medical specialist; the sponsor-supported subscription option allows you to utilize the premium service, but without incurring the cost.

A “Free” TV Service Vs. It’s Relevant TV’s Sponsor-Supported Service

A “free TV service“ is exactly what it sounds like on the surface. It’s a TV service with no cost, which you pay nothing for– at least insofar that you’re not spending any “money” for it; but that doesn’t mean it’s not costing your medical office something else.

Read: Top 5 Reasons a “Free” TV Service for your Waiting Room is Bad for your Medical Office.

TV providers who offer that kind of “free waiting room television” are only able to do so because their services are actually paid for by pharmaceutical ad support. You might be paying $0 for the service, but you get what you pay for in this case– likely generating $0 for your own practice from it. Instead, the revenue generation is completely taken by that provider. What’s worse, you’re left with TV that you have little control over, and may upset your patients.

While you are not paying any money out of pocket for that kind of service, it could be costing you money, and your patients’ trust. It goes against the spirit of creating a good patient experience when you allow your visitors to be subject to ads which might make them feel like they have X symptoms, or need Y drugs.

Best practice: Avoid TV services that put anything medical-related on the TV that you don’t endorse yourself.

Patients don’t need to be bombarded with drug ads, and pharmaceutical companies shouldn’t be invading and monetizing your waiting room. If someone should be generating revenue off of your TV, it’s you!

It’s Relevant TV: A No-Cost Waiting Room TV Service for Medical Offices

Let’s compare the traditional “free TV service” described above to It’s Relevant TV’s sponsor-supported service. Instead of your service provider profiting off of your waiting room TV, you do. It’s Relevant’s unique approach is for a sponsor, of your choosing, to pay the cost of your subscription in exchange for having their brand on the TV.

It’s a great way to strengthen relationships with local businesses.

This way, you’re in control; you control who, and what, shows up on your TV.Sponsor-supported subscribers don’t miss out on any of IRTV’s premium content. Over +1,000,000 minutes of fun and interesting content is available for your visitors to enjoy, coupled with the ability to promote your services in a more meaningful way. This allows you to generate positive feelings among patients, and more revenue on the side to improve your medical office.

Visit: It’s Relevant TV: Medical Custom Networks to learn more.

Should I Close My Business During the Corona (COVID-19) Outbreak?

A number of restaurants, offices, and even large retailers are closing up shop in response to growing concerns about the corona outbreak. Some are even required to depending upon choices made in local jurisdictions. If you’re a business owner, you might be asking yourself the question:

“Do I close my business?”

Many businesses are. The answer really depends on you, your staff, and your industry. Are you noticing an alarming decrease in visitors, or sales? For some business owners, temporarily closing; whether it’s for a week or two, or for a month, is the best option for your business. However if it’s a restaurant that you own, this article for restaurant owners might help you identify some says in which to stay open during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Retailers, on the other hand, may have it much harder as people aren’t as likely to buy non-essentials during a health crisis. Below is something to keep in mind if you ultimately decide to temporarily close shop, and help you bounce back once all of this is over.

Focus on Your Strategy for Reopening Post-Corona

Have a solid game plan to hit the ground running.

More important than the decision to close your business for a time is figuring out how you’re going to reopen in the near future. It can be tough, and extremely stressful to deal with the financial impact of closing. Take advantage of the time you have, and strengthen your strategy for when your doors are open again.

A major part of that strategy should be growing your business from within. Work on your website. Make phone calls, research new vendors/partners you may want to work with. Every brand has loyal customers, yours will be waiting, and even excited for you to reopen. Reward those loyal customers for coming back; give them reasons to be excited about returning, and reasons to refer their friends.

Utilize Your TV’s Full Potential

When you eventually reopen your store, you’re going to have a lot of messaging that you want customers to see, and certain programming you may want to remove. Putting that messaging on your business’ TV gets it noticed. Whether it’s a big sale, a referral bonus, or a reminder to follow the brand on social media for even more deals; utilizing your TV is the least expensive way to get customers informed.

Consider a custom TV network to help kickstart your store’s marketing messaging for when you eventually reopen. It’s an inexpensive way to market to your loyal customers and earn back their repeat business.

Top 5 Ways to Maximize Working From Home During Coronavirus

The coronavirus has a lot of companies and businesses working from home in an effort to combat exposure; however, not everyone was prepared to do so. Business owners without a contingency plan are quickly discovering the challenges of working from a home office regularly. Normally that might not be so difficult, however when your whole staff is forced to do the same, that’s when things get complicated.

Fortunately, there are ways to plan ahead.

During this time, it’s important to remind yourself that things will be back to normal, eventually. But until then, be a step up- by stepping up; plan ahead, and keep the following 5 tips for maximizing work-from-home effectiveness in mind.

Tip#1: Strategize a Way to Communicate with your Customers & Visitors For Reopening

The lights may be off, and your doors closed, but you still have visitors, clients, and/or loyal customers who should be kept up-to-date and informed of news regarding your business.

Communicating with your visitors- and employees, as well, will be more important than ever before.

The coronavirus is not likely to disappear overnight. Even as businesses start to reopen, it won’t be without a number of precautions, and preventative measures in regards to public health safety. Once people start coming back to your business, they will want to know what measures you’re taking in order to keep them safe. Mass emails and social media is an okay place to start; however, your customers are likely to get emails from every business to the point where they’re ignored. Additionally, the folly of social media is that not everyone follows you, and therefore isn’t the most reliable way of getting this sort of message across.

Not when tools like It’s Relevant TV exist to communicate important messaging to your visitors and employees.

Putting your important messages on your business’ TV is the best way to get it noticed by everyone in your business. Investing some time into coming up with a solution for this while you’re working from home should be priority #1. For more information about getting started with a custom TV network, start your search here.

Tip#2: Build a Workspace with Minimal Distractions

If you’re not used to working at home, it doesn’t take much. Whether it’s a desk in the corner, the kitchen table, or even a well-placed tray in front of a comfy couch; if it supports your computer, and your phone is handy, it’s enough if you can get work done. However- home office or makeshift workspace, minimizing distractions is paramount to staying on top of things.

Working at home; the temptation to relax, or procrastinate, can be very real. In order to avoid falling behind on important tasks, you should:

1.) Dress as if you were going to the office.

2.) Reduce auditory distractions: i.e. TV, videos, etc.

3.) Hang a sign on your door if you’re living with others, or communicate that you have to work hard, and focus, between during your normal (or adjusted) business hours.

Tip#3: Communicate with your Team & Employees Regularly

Communicating with your team members and/or employees is essential to staying on top of work during this coronavirus outbreak. Working from home, it’s easy to get distracted; the same goes for your employees. The best way to ensure that work is getting done is through regular scheduled check-ins, or team-updates.

The solution can be as simple as a group chat.

Setting up a group chat on messenger, or requesting daily, weekly, or even bi-weekly status reports is an effective way to keep employees mindful of their pacing, and incentivizes them to create progress goals. Be prepared for bumps in the road, especially for employees who aren’t used to working remotely. Communication is the key to both preventing, and working out problems.

Tip#4: Face-to-Face Video Meetings

“We human beings are social beings.” -Dalai Lama

Naturally, one of the downsides to working from home is the lack of social interaction. We thrive on it; some, more than others. With social-distancing in effect, most-all telecommuniction is being done via phone, email, and text messages. You might be thinking to yourself: “How is this any different than before?” We take for granted how many human faces we see in a day until we’re limiting contact.

Seeing a face is good for soul.

Consider using services such as Apple’s Facetime, or Zoom.US to get a healthy dose of human element. Hosting meetings via video chat is a great way to simulate the feeling that you’re all in the same place together. It’s more meaningful, and has a lot more heart than text, or emails.

Tip#5: Keep Morale Up Working From Home

Worker morale is a vital part to any thriving business. At a time when businesses are closing left and right, and and many Americans are working from home; there’s a million reasons morale could be suffering. It’s a good practice for business owners, or those who are managing teams, to take a few minutes out of the day to chat casually with your fellow workers and team members. Ask how they’re doing, share your own stories, or even share videos with them to lift their spirits.

Everything from a “4:00 Tea/Coffee Casual” where everyone sits down at the end of the day with something hot, and shows off their fun mugs, to designating a color for everyone to wear for the next video meeting can be enough to raise spirits and bring everyone together.

How to Keep Your Restaurant Open During the Coronavirus Outbreak

The coronavirus outbreak is hitting restaurants hard. In the midst of a pandemic where people are being advised to self-quarentine, limit contact with others, and avoid going out in general; a industry that mostly thrives on people sitting down and eating in public is understandably affected. With stories in the news about businesses closing each day, figuring out how to keep your restaurant open during the outbreak might seem like a challenge. First thing’s first:

“Don’t Panic.” -Douglas Adams

The following article will explore some of the ways that restaurants are managing to stay afloat despite the rising panic.

Step 1: Switch Off the News in your Restaurant

If you have the news playing in your restaurant, turn it off. Currently, the news is roughly 90+% coronavirus stories. Choosing to have the news playing is likely doing more harm than good for your restaurant for reasons you can read more about in this article.

Generating business at this time is hard enough without your TV reminding customers that they’re at risk for contracting COVID-19 by going outside. Switching off the news is the first, and easiest step you can take towards making your restaurant more welcoming to customers who are concerned about the virus. Click here for ideas for what to put on your TV instead.

Step 2: Combat Coronavirus Fears With Good Practices

Thoroughly sanitize tables, counters, touchpads, and doors.

Fight fears about the coronavirus outbreak and make sure everything is 100% clean 100% of the time. Each day, more and more people are electing to stay at home; which means less and less people eating out at restaurants. If a customer visits your restaurant and feels comfortable with the cleanliness in spite of recent events; chances are they might come back.

Not everyone is sitting on a stockpile of food.

Because of that, you can count on many Americans relying on the food industry to keep them fed. Those individuals are going to be on the lookout for a place they feel confident getting food from regularly. Show your visitors that you’re making an effort to keep things clean and you’ll be their go-to for food. Bonus points if they tell their friends and family that your restaurant is safe!

Step 3: Promote Mobile Order & Delivery Options

Customers are less likely to be dining in at restaurants in order to minimize exposure and limit contact with others. In some cases local governments will not even allow for sit downs to happen. Because of this, you’re more likely to see customers opting for carry-out, or delivery. Your restaurant can still thrive by providing easy ways for people to order, pick up, or get their food delivered while retaining social distancing.

The trick is communicating with your customers.

Encouraging your customers to order food online is easier said than done. Statistically speaking, the easiest way to get your customer’s attention is through the TV. People notice messaging on the TV like you’re noticing this boldface text now. It draws they eye, and simply allows the message to be received easier. Customers will be grateful for the convenience, and you’ll have a better time keeping your restaurant open during the coronavirus outbreak.

Click here for more information on putting important messaging and promotions on your restaurant’s TV.

Top 5 Risks of Coronavirus News in Your Business

Is coronavirus news impacting your business?

The TV in your business may be doing more harm than good for you, your visitors, and your employees given what’s happening around the world. Because of the fear and panic being caused by coverage, now more than ever businesses should be looking into cable TV replacements, or considering news alternatives for their TV solution. Listed below are 5 reasons why you, as a business owner, should be thinking about what’s on your TV right now.

Learn more about COVID-free TV!

1.) Coronavirus News Scares People

Coverage on the virus, however informative, is unsettling to people who are sitting down to eat at a restaurant, or are in a waiting room. When the whole country is on the edge of their seats watching others are in a panic on the TV, people start to notice every little cough, every sneeze, or anytime someone clears their throat; suddenly, they start to become anxious and uncomfortable.

Your business’ TV shouldn’t contribute to your visitors’ anxiety.

Awareness of COVID-19 is essential to preventing the spread of the virus; but at this point, just about everyone already knows the risk, and knows what to do in order to minimize their exposure. Yet in spite of that, people are still going out and visiting businesses for one reason or another. Whether they’re looking for comfort in food, or they have a scheduled appointment to keep; the last thing you want is your TV making life stressful for your visitors.

What’s the answer?

The best thing you can do for your visitors is to turn off the news; or better yet, find a cable TV replacement for your business.

2.) Corona Coverage Might Highlight A “Lack of Preparedness” in your Business

A friendly reminder to wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing!

The public’s responsibility when it comes to staying safe and healthy is fairly straightforward, but what about businesses? If you’re a business owner, or you manage a business, you’ve no doubt spent time these last few weeks “corona-proofing“ your location to the best of your ability.

But is what you’re doing enough?

In truth, you could be taking every necessary precaution in order to combat the virus from wiping down counters every 2 minutes to offering free hand sanitizer; but out of nowhere, there’s a news story about how local businesses are disinfecting not only counters, but things like touchpads and doorknobs as well and have multiple sanitizer dispensers. Not only that, the story could show the lengths many businesses are going to communicate with visitors about good, healthy practices.

The last thing you want is for your business to seem like it isn’t doing enough because of a story on the news. Allowing your visitors to see these kinds of stories while they’re eating, or waiting, is a surefire way to discourage them.

3.) Coronavirus News Affects Your Employees

“Businesses left and right are closing amidst a growing number of confirmed cases the the local area…”

Visitors aren’t the only ones that are affected by coronavirus news on your TV. News coverage featuring buildings with CLOSED signs, images of dim, vacant restaurants, and interviews with workers expressing their fears about employment in the coming crisis are being shown on the TV; when those stories are being played in your business, it can be very stressful and concerning for your workers.

Seeing businesses closing on TV is harmful to worker morale.

Business, in general, is slow thanks to COVID-19. Couple that with the aforementioned news story, and your employees will wonder whether or not they’re going to be out of a job. As a result, productivity might suffer, workers might become less focused; which opens the doors to number of new problems. Consider putting something better on the TV and get rid of the coverage that’s harming your business.

4.) Bad News = Bad Vibes

Simply put, bad news creates a bad atmosphere. This has always been the case; graphic, or unsettling news stories ruin meals if you’re at a restaurant, and makes waiting uncomfortable if you’re in a medical office. However now, that same news channel is covering stories on a virus that’s spreading across the globe; you don’t want the bad vibes generated by coronavirus news to be associated with your business.

It’s time to do something. COVID-free TV is better for businesses.

The quick-fix is to simply change the channel; or better yet, shut off the TV, especially when the news is as risky for your business as it is right now. However neither option is a longterm solution. Changing the channel only changes the type of problem you have; you’re not in control of what comes on the TV. Shutting the TV off eliminates the risk, but you’re left with a blank screen that makes your business look like something is missing. Replacing cable with a custom TV network gives you control, and blocks out bad news coverage. Click here if you’re interested in learning more about a customized television for your business.

5.) Coronavirus News is Bad for Repeat Business

Visitors watching news coverage on the virus in your business might very well choose to stay home the next time they would have gone out. For many people, what they see on TV can lead them to lean towards “better safe than sorry.” Keeping your business open during the coronavirus outbreak is hard enough without your TV working against you.

Preparing Your Business for the Future

It doesn’t take a pandemic to see why cable TV is unfit for businesses.

Or perhaps it does? The impact of COVID-19’s coverage should be a wake-up call for business owners. Today it’s the coronavirus, tomorrow it’s the next nationwide, or worldwide catastrophe; neither of which is beneficial to your business. Take action against cable, and take control of your TV.