Small and medium-sized businesses must do most of the work themselves when it comes to making a move. It can seem overwhelming. However, hiring a professional mover can take care of many of the “stressors” around moving a business. And the following checklist can keep you on the right path when it comes to how to announce a business move.
Notify Your Employees
Never let employees hear about a move through the grapevine or, even worse, from an outside source such as the media. Make the announcement to employees well ahead of time so they can adjust their commute, drop off times for kids and other personal arrangements that are needed to get to the office on time. Also, you will want to assign moving responsibilities to employees and make sure they know all the safety tips for moving an office.
Draft An Office Moving Notice
One of the first steps is to create an Office Moving Notice – there’s a template to create a moving office notice letter here. This letter is what you will send out to vendors, customers and business partners. This straightforward letter offers basic information on when you plan to move, your new address, any changes to contract information and a brief explanation as to why you are moving (to better serve customers and clients is the best reason).
Notifying Customers
Planning is needed to roll out a coordinate campaign to notify customers of your impending move. The first thing to do is to consider all the different communication tools you use with customers. For most businesses, these include:
- Your website
The key here is to post information in a coordinated way. Make sure the messaging is consistent across all platforms.
Re-brand or Update Marketing
A location move offers the perfect time to rebrand your business. Even if that is not in the cards, make sure to update all marketing content to reflect your new location and any changes that make for your business. Again, this applies to everything from printed business cards to social media accounts and information on your Google business page.
Advertise
Another way to announce the move is to take out a local ad in “legacy” media such as radio or print. Only go this route if there is a proven track record for reaching customers through specific media outlets.
Create Content On Your Site
Write a blog entry about your upcoming move well before it happens. Provide all the information in the moving notice letter and in social media posts. Make sure the emphasis is on how the move benefits your clients, not the details of what you are going through to make the move (a common mistake). Customers want the security of knowing you will remain there for them after the move.
Making a move is a smart idea for companies that are growing. By using the checklist above, you won’t forget some of the tasks you must accomplish to make a successful business move.
