2021: A New Dawn

CONGRATULATIONS: We made it through the year…a bit beaten up, but more or less intact.

WHEW!

The new year holds promise for a brighter tomorrow. As we hit the reset button on our respective bottom lines, this is the perfect time to incorporate a more global perspective into your business’ strategic planning. Consider the following:

• The pandemic today is devastating the global economy. Customers of every business type are pulling back due to collapsing governmental support. More layoffs and evictions are probably coming, negatively impacting your bottom line into summer.

• The vaccine is already being distributed. Despite remaining arguments that COVID-19 doesn’t exist, headlines extolling rising casualties have persuaded most people to get vaccinated ASAP. Predictions are the economy starts turning around by July.

• 60-90% of office workers are talking seriously about staying home (full- or part-time) once this all ends. This potentially impacts sales for clothing, gasoline, office furniture, and a host of other categories.

Even as this scenario unfolds, there’s a HUGE pent-up demand for restaurants, travel, and leisure activities.

A new political tone will also guide the nation, hopefully smoothing trade opportunities for the next four years.

Business leaders serious about getting from today to a promised better tomorrow already have in place their strategies, plans, budgets, and milestones.

They recognize the importance of improving and increasing visibility to both past and present customers using direct marketing, drip campaigns, and social media.

These executives know their customer profile and are expanding their digital footprint with advertising and strategic alliances. And, as an item last week on LinkedIn observed, businesses that are prepared and willing to invest in their own success will thrive when this ugly chapter is behind us.

Which culminates with you reviewing and tightening up your own marketing plan, if you haven’t already done so. Remember the adage “It takes money to make money,” and remind people who you are, what you do, and why they should be doing business with you.

Stick to the basics, but be prepared now for the tsunami of coming growth. Because one day the switch will be thrown and the economy will (seemingly overnight) start going lickety-split.

And if you’re primed for that today, you’ll be positioned to be VERY successful when it happens.

With that said, I wish you a happy, safe, and profitable 2021.

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Visit the masked man with the white hat at www.marketbuilding.com.