Mediaboss Marketing

The year 2020 presented challenges that few business leaders could have predicted. To quantify how companies are navigating these challenges, Segala leading global HR and management consulting firmand Chief Executive Group conducted a poll of approximately 500 CEOs across 21 industries leading firms with between $5M to $1B in revenue.

Among other things, the poll gleaned key areas that separated the businesses best positioned to successfully navigate the pandemic and other events from those that were met with much more significant challenges. Those five areas include:

Adjusting priorities not only to survive but also seize business opportunities. In some cases, this has led to re-imagining the business model and creating a new vision moving forward.

Accelerating the adoption of technology to enhance employee, customer and supplier interactions, while improving business continuity.

Improving data management practices and the use of analytics to enhance scenario-planning and accelerate smart decision-making.

Reimagining the workforce to effectively support business goals and consider roles, responsibilities, workplace, tools and workflow, while keeping a close eye on culture shifts.

Improving employee communications, engagement, productivity, loyalty and performance.

The poll found that one-third to one-half of the companies had instituted significant changes in response to the events of 2020, and between 15 and 32 percent had changes already in place or ready to implement. Many of these changes related to aspects of employee work processes, standards and systems to support employee productivity, connection and engagement.

While companies have pivoted to adapt to the environment brought about by the events of 2020, many of the changes instituted to support workers and business operations were reactionary and evolving. Answers to open-ended, non-multiple-choice questions revealed frustration with regards to issues such as workforce management and the impact a changingand at the time of polling yet uncertainpolitical landscape was having on CEOs decision-making about their business transformation timing, processes and plans.

Companies with annual revenues of $100 million or more were overall better prepared than their smaller counterparts to deal with the changes required in 2020. In fact, a greater number of these larger companies reported having been making changes even before the event-driven needs arose.

Further analysis of this revenue bracket did not show the expected universally increasing curve of preparedness measures. We would have expected preparedness to continue to increase as company revenue rose. In fact, answers to questions that probed leadership flexibility demonstrated some flattening of the upward trajectory within the $250 million+ cohort. This implies that those CEOs whose companies were in the $100 million to $250 million revenue bracket might have already had an adequate mix of resources to prepare and adapt going into the crisis, as well as the agility and culture organizations need to be flexible and execute on changes when needed.

While the survey did not probe specifically whether CEOs planned to leave flexible work arrangements in place post-Covid, responses across the questions spoke to a permanence for some of the workplace changes instituted in 2020. Where possible, it is likely that where work is performed and hours of operation will remain somewhat flexible.

Companies that had existing flexible work arrangements before 2020 will be in a stronger position to judge how much the events of 2020 affected productivity. Those companies that measured and created a baseline for these programs before changes or expansions were implemented could use that data to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptations and develop improvements.

The survey revealed a marked uptick in training programs that started or expanded in the first months of the crisis, likely in response to adopting or expanding remote-work or hybrid arrangements. Once again, company size contributed to some differences in the data: One third of the respondents overall provided new training due to Covid-19, but 47 percent of those with $100 million+ in revenue confirmed the addition, compared to 28 percent of those earning less than $100 million annually. Our assumption is that greater resources are available for training for the higher revenue group, but this is likely not universal and dependent on the type of business, the work performed and the skill level of the employees. In many cases, companies are redirecting travel expense dollars to training and other infrastructure improvements. As one write-in response said, we are shifting a lot of the T&E savings to digital/social marketing.

A number of CEOs participating in the survey spoke to the need for effective employee communications programs. Every change in workplace processes that affects the nature of work can affect productivity, so it is not surprising that communications would take on an important role as companies digitize and change workflows. Some of the respondents, however, noted the need for incremental communications to parallel incremental changes or process improvements. Following this approach helps employees personalize the changes and understand what they need to start doing and stop doing in their roles better than one major communication tied to one significant role shift.

A number of the answers pointed to a growing recognition by leaders that their employees are stressed, that the stress is cumulative and that support through workplace programs is required. Zoom fatigue is real, and companies need a strategy to deal with it in terms of employee morale and productivity. Have the employers really made changes to improve mental health or only to deal with immediate fallout? This speaks to the definition of wellbeing and whether mental health is a component or a driver of that wellbeing.

A question not probed by the survey but noted in a few of the write-in responses is, How will virtual interactions affect client/customer relationships? More than a third of the respondents (36 percent overall, and 40 percent of those with $100 million or more in revenue) said that they have added or changed their customer satisfaction tools or measures. This helps those organizations judge whether aspects of the virtual interactions such as frequency of Zoom check ins are effective in maintaining customer/client loyalty.

Without question, 2020 was a year of disruption, as confirmed by the data collected. It tested each organization, each leader and each employees tolerance for stress and their efficacy in approach to handling that stress. It also emphasized that adaptations and the solutions that follow must be stress-tested in the context of us: just as employees must work together, business leaders need to consider the actions theyve taken and the plans theyve crafted for the future in the broader context of their peers (including suppliers and customers).

The challenges posed by 2020 are not unique to one organization or one sector, and so the solutions will likely emerge from this common experience, from a collective consideration of best practices. The elements of commonalitysuch as the increase in remote work and hybrid work arrangements or the need to consider expanding employee wellness programstend to cut across employers and industries. The broad-scope solutions then can be adapted to fit the requirements of each companys culture. Some of these are suggested in this survey.

The link between culture, engagement and productivity has become more evident. Companies where the culture could adapt to necessary business continuity changes have weathered the 2020 storm with greater agility and resilience. Based on the survey responses and other observations, culture should be moving toward improving people, process and outcomes, rather than altruistic reasons, but because the events of 2020 have transported the work environment five years or more forward in time, we learned that even the best business continuity and disaster recovery plans were not prepared for the magnitude and number of challenges 2020 brought us. However, we also discovered how quickly people can come together to creatively solve problems. Ideally, this has created lasting changes to culture whereby companies strive toward improving people, process and outcomes continuously.

Leaders also needed to adapt, as evidenced by the survey responses. Covid-19 and other 2020 events were personal for everyone, and the effect continues. No one was or is immune to the effectswhether directly or indirectly affecting health, wellbeing, relationships, financial stability, job and careerand even spirit. Leaders need to be keenly sensitive to this reality and include this in their planning for 2021 and beyond.

Tangible forward-looking steps and questions CEOs and other leaders may consider include:

Planning for more than technology to support remote work environments. For many companies, 2020 proved that working remote can be effective, but now, as we shift focus away from short-term actions and survival, it is time to evaluate carefully the frequency and objectives of online meetings. Better methods, techniques and tools can increase interactions and collaboration among teams, as well as with clients and customers. As many organizations are planning less travel for 2021, technological approaches will become the norm for many customer, partner and supplier interactions, and this change likely will become, at least partially, permanent.

Evaluating not only how employees work but also what they do. As the survey showed, Covid-19 triggered an increase to remote work (55 percent), a focus on employee wellbeing (54 percent) and the establishment of new goals (36 percent). What have we learned from these changes that we should continue doing, adjust moving forward or stop doing once we turn the corner?

Expanding the possibilities through digitalization. Digitalization is more than new virtual meeting technology. It is a fundamental change in how business is conducted, starting with the customer experience. This may require process re-design, better data management methods, new systems and integrations, and the use of advanced technologies like analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA). As CEOs view the changes in the nature of work, the work environment, the work processes and evolving roles of the current workforce, organizations are going to require a much more agile and hi-tech-enabled workforce to compete.

Recognizing the shifts in employee composition and the reasons why. The year 2020 saw accelerated retirements and retirement planning for many employees. Digitalization notwithstanding, many of these employees will need to be replaced. This presents a twofold opportunity: bring in workers with the new skills that are needed for the new environment and address governance issues that have surfaced. DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) and ESG (environmental, social and governance reporting) are not just buzzword acronyms; they represent a 5-10-year advancement in these areas in just one year. Where business governance structure is lagging these advancements, CEOs and their management teams will need to learn what to measure, why measure it, what is considered good and what to do when those measurements fall below good. New reporting standards on human capital metrics will likely be in place soon, and companies that ignore these changes will be in a weaker competitive position relative to the labor and investment markets.

Developing an analytics-based familiarity with the organizations culture. Although most organizations believe their culture has gotten stronger, the question remains, how do they really know? Since culture reveals itself during challenging times, evidence needed to gauge the behaviors and attitudes of employees during this time goes beyond traditional surveys and other measures and well past longstanding gut feelings. A new analysis of organizational culture will give leaders a chance to see what has changed, what employee concerns will need to be addressed and what aspects of the traditional culture remain.

Continuing and improving employee communications channels. For many companies, employee communications increased dramatically in 2020and so did the level of transparency. Will this continue, and if so, what must be shared moving forward now that employees have gotten used to the frequency and transparency? Determining this will take careful consideration because an abrupt change may have a negative impact on engagement and productivity.

Deciding on when, how and how quickly to re-start business initiatives put on hold. CEOs may consider utilizing some form of business scenario-planning that goes beyond pre-Covid levels of sophistication. One example is the scenario-modeling used in some of the emerging M&A toolsets. Similar tools are coming to market for evaluating digitalization, sales, marketing, operational improvement and other potential initiatives.

The year 2020 has provided a unique opportunity for CEOs to consider ways to reset how their companies conduct business and, more importantly, grow and compete in a changed world. Those who seize this opportunity may find themselves in a stronger position to deal with the continuing requirements to be agile and responsive to what lies ahead.

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Hindsight 2020: CEO Poll Reveals Key Lessons For The Future - Chief Executive Group

It seems like uncomfortable timing for this announcement, but Pinterest has today unveiled a new, 'Dynamic Creative' ad process which will enable advertisers to automate the ad creation and targeting process for their campaigns based on individual user behavior.

The process essentially responds to how users interact in the app - if a user is searching for 'decorative lights' for example, and they narrow their search for specific items, the system will then show ads for items from your uploaded catalog which best match the users' stated interest.

As explained by Pinterest:

"Advertisers can now generate multiple versions of new Pins from uploaded assets or a product feed where they can automatically import product data (price, location, availability, etc.). Parts of the Pins will dynamically display creative elements like product images, copy, pricing, etc. which will only be shown to the advertisers assigned audiences."

That'll effectively enable businesses to generate hundreds of ad variants automatically, with unique messaging tailored to each audience segment.

"This not only reduces the time and effort required to make custom ads that are relevant to unique groups of consumers, but helps advertisers test and identify which creative elements drive performance."

Pinterest is partnering with RevJet, StitcherAds, and Smartly.ioto facilitate the new process, with these data-driven platforms providing the in-app tracking and systems to then create the ads based on automated insights.

Which leads to the 'uncomfortable'element.

Definitely, the process makes sense, and will provide more ways to reach users based on their individual behaviors and interests. But it could also be impactedby Apple's upcoming IDFA changes, which is expected to reduce data-tracking capacity within apps. And with some 85% of Pinterest's 442 million users accessing the platform via the app, that could render this option significantly less beneficial - though, of course, not all of those users are on iOS, and we have no idea how many will choose to switch off in-app data tracking.

But the expectation is that many users will opt-out of such - and if they do, that could lessen the data that powers this process. Pinterest would, however, still be able to use data-tracking from your own website, using the Pinterest Tag, then match that with individual user data for this targeting. But that wouldn't be as effective as utilizing the full capacity of IDFA tracking.

Which, as noted, makes the timing of this announcement a little strange. But still, we don't know what will happen with IDFA, and it could still be an effective, beneficial process for automating custom ad delivery on the platform.

And with Pinterest seeing big growth amid the pandemic, with more people turning to eCommerce, more advertisers will indeed be considering their options.

Pinterest's new Dynamic Creative option is being made available via its partners from today.

Continued here:
Pinterest Launches New 'Dynamic Creative' Automated Ad Targeting and Creation Process - Social Media Today

Digital sovereignty is set to become a key theme of 2021, as more nations look at how they can curb the power of the major tech giants, and protect the personal information of their own citizens.

The recent Capitol riots in the US have once again sparked new questions around the influence of digital platforms, which many nations have been grappling with over the past few years. Add to this the concerns around apps sharing data with foreign governments, and it seems likely that a time of reckoning will soon come, and new, regional laws will need to be implemented in order for platforms to maintain their operations.

But is that workable? Can the platforms create region-specific laws, and adhere to them effectively, in order to meet such demand?

Unique requirements like Europe's GDPR certainly add a level of operational complexity, which would be better served by implementing over-arching rules, that meet the varying requirements of each nation.

But that, also, may not be possible - for example, right now, here's a look at just some of the restrictions and rule changes that the major tech platforms are working to align with:

As you can see, there's a range of mixed concerns here, and challenges for the major platforms to meet.

Is it even possible to meet all of these requirements? Will the major platforms be able to continue operating in each nation if they don't?

And this is before we look at the potential for increased regulation of tech platforms in the US under the incoming Biden administration. For the last four years, tech platforms have sought to placate President Trump, which many would argue is what lead to the recent unrest. But now, with the Trump administration gone, will the new US Government impose additional operating restrictions, or mandate new laws in relation to content moderation?

And if so, how would that work -and would they appease other regions as well?

Increasingly, it seems like the major tech platforms will be tasked with meeting tougher regional restrictions, which will effectively change how they operate in each jurisdiction. But maybe, with a more uniform approach, there could be a way to meet these various concerns, which would address such problems from a more global perspective.

Paying local taxes seems like a big one, with most of the tech platforms still funneling their earnings through tax havens in each region. But then again, adhering to varying local laws on content is virtually impossible to approach in any uniform way.

But you can expect these calls to keep coming - the recent events in the US have underlined what we've all seen around the world over the past four years, that online platforms have now become increasingly influential in democracy, truth, information transfer and societal shifts.

That has implications across the entirety of life as we know it - and while that may seem like an overstatement, it's clear that digital platforms are only becoming more influential over time. And they can already fuel an attempt to overthrow the US Government.

Do you think other regions will be willing to wait and see if the same happens to them?

There are many implications here, and you can expect the calls for more localized approaches to digital regulation to continue as the platforms themselves work to meet these evolving requirements.

This will have implications for data collection, advertising, marketing - all operations related to the digital sector. Already, we're seeing changes in how data-tracking will be enabled in an effort to meet evolving demand. That could become more pressing, putting more onus on individual businesses to establish connection with their audiences direct.

Certainly, this will be a key element to monitor over the coming months.

Excerpt from:
More Nations Look to Implement Regional Laws to Manage the Influence of Online Platforms - Social Media Today

LinkedIn has launched a new education platform to help marketers learn more about effective use of LinkedIn ads, and the tactics that they can employ to generate better results.

As explained by LinkedIn:

"With LinkedIn Marketing Labs, you can access a host of curated courses to learn about how to best utilize the LinkedIn marketing tools available to reach and engage with professionals. If you want to learn more about strategies to drive business where business is done,LinkedIn Marketing Labsis the place for you."

The Marketing Labs website includes optional learning pathways, with links to relevant courses and guides to help you as required.

LinkedIn says that the courses are specially curated by in-house experts, who've studied LinkedIn advertising best practices across a variety of industries and customer bases.

The courses, which include text and video elements,range from beginner to intermediate, and cover all aspects of LinkedIn advertising, including:

Each course runs for around 45 minutes, so it'll take some time to go through them all, but each pathway is designed to leave you with a clear understanding of how LinkedIn's ad options work, and how you can use them to boost your marketing results.

There are some helpful notes here, and valuable pointers on the intricacies of LinkedIn's ad systems - and even if you're confident that you have a solid grasp of how it all works, there are always a few tips and tricks that will refine your understanding.

The new LinkedIn Marketing Labs platform is available now, and you can take any of the courses by signing in with your LinkedIn details.

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LinkedIn Launches 'LinkedIn Marketing Labs' to Provide Education on the Platform's Ad Tools - Social Media Today

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To say that 2020 was a year of ups and downs is putting it lightly. It was especially turbulent if you are a business owner. Your company likely had to contend with some major upheavals, stressors and challenges. In fact, 92% of small businesses reported that they had to reinvent themselves in order to weather the Covid-19 crisis.

But its a new year, and as we celebrate the deployment of the first Covid-19 vaccines, were all hoping that we might be seeing the faintest light at the end of the tunnel. 2021 will be another year of reinvention and, we can all hope, a better and brighter one for the growth of our businesses.

A couple weeks ago, I got in touch with social media guru Luke Lintz. At just 21, Lintz has built the incredibly successful HighKey Clout Inc., a social media, marketing, branding and technology group. We had a great conversation about how to grow your business and your customer base.

I thought Id take the chance to share some of the insights he shared so that you can up your social media and sales game in 2021. So, in the spirit that next year will be the best year yet for your business, here are 6 tips to help you grow in the new year.

1. Focus on building lifelong relationships.

One of my favorite takeaways from my conversation with Lintz was the idea that you should treat your customers, potential clients and your team as you would someone with whom you hope to build a lasting, lifelong relationship.

Lintz put it like this: If you have a good product and strong relationships with your customers, they will be your customers for life. And if you are a service-based business, then you will constantly be able to give more value to your clients as you expand your services in the future.

I love this concept, because I truly believe that putting people first is the best way you can invest in your business. Strong relationships are like Miracle-Gro for a small business. To quote the legendary American auto executive Lee Iacocca: Business, after all, is nothing more than a bunch of human relationships.

One reason why its so vital to invest in real, meaningful relationships with customers/clients is that consumer trust is at an all-time low. Data shows that 55% of customers trust the companies they buy from less than they used to, and 69% of customers state that they dont trust advertisements.

Add this to the fact that the cost of customer acquisition has risen more than 50% over the last five years. The bottom line is that there is more competition than ever, and more ads and products competing for our attention.

But you can use this to your advantage. If 81% of customers trust family and friends over advice from a business, then at least try to treat your customers like family. One company that does this brilliantly is Raj Janas JavaPresse coffee brand. His investment in going above and beyond in customer service is responsible for his business growth skyrocketing. Find ways to make your customers feel valued, and demonstrate that you are interested in their experience beyond the order confirmation page.

Sometimes, it can be as simple as making sure a customer feels heard. 2020 was a tough year for everyone; investing in relationships can look like basic listening and empathy. Indeed, studies have highlighted the vital importance of listening as a sales tool.

When it comes to your staff, you should be thinking in the same terms. Studies show that employees who build a meaningful relationship at work have 50% increased job satisfaction, as well as greater commitment to their jobs and a stronger sense of social impact. When an employee feels valued, as if they are worth more to a company than just the revenue they bring, they will feel more invested, and this will translate significantly for your customer relationships.

2. Know and focus on your core customer.

With so much competing for our attention, its more crucial than ever to connect to customers and clients who will have a genuine interest in your products or services. Its absolutely crucial that you identify your core demographic and focus your marketing strategy directly on them.

Yes, in an ideal world, youd be able to appeal both to tween skaters and to seniors who shop on HSN. Sounds nice, but lets get real here, you have to know who your bread-and-butter customers are and appeal directly to themtheir hopes, dreams and pains.

As with many things in business, this begins with data. Start with internal data on past customers, and focus on creating a customer profile. This includes basic demographic information, but its also important to dig a little deeper, and try to map customers psychographics. What are their values? What are their spending attitudes? What makes them excited and what makes them tick?

Luke Lintz also emphasized social media analytics as a critical tool to identify and begin to target your core customer. Facebook and Instagram offer analytics data on your audience, which will show you age ranges, geographic location and gender, as well as giving you data on how marketing content is performing.

All this data will help you put together a comprehensive picture of what your core customer demographic looks like. While the impulse may be to market to as many customers as possible, this type of target marketing will be much more effective, especially for small businesses. It will help you carve your niche within the market. With 76% of marketers failing to use this type of data for targeted advertising, you can give yourself a real leg up by leveraging data to your advantage.

3. Social media is one of the most critical tools in your arsenal

In case you needed reminding, social media is still one of the most important tools that you have at your disposal as a business owner, with 52% of new brand discovery happening on public social media feeds. More and more advertisers are looking to paid social media ads as their bread and butter. Annual spending on social ads is increasing every year and expected to hit over $50 billion in 2021.

Paid social ads are the No. 4 way consumers find out about new products, trailing behind only word-of-mouth, TV ads and search engines. When you consider that 31% of 1624 years olds are finding out about new products through paid social ads, its clear that younger consumers who are gaining buying power will justify even more investment in social media advertising.

Its not just ads that give you exposure on social media. On Instagram, 60% of users report that they have discovered a product on another persons profile. Direct relationships with influencers will help to drive sales and business. Influencer marketing is a sure bet, with 89% of marketing professionals ranking it as a comparable or better return-on-investment than other marketing streams.

The importance of brand visibility on social media illustrates another reason why identifying your core demographic is so important. Getting your product into the hands of people for whom it is a strong lifestyle fit or connecting with clients who will be open to sharing their experiences will create more genuine interest and exposure on social media.

4. Direct connections drive loyalty and interest

Effectively communicating your brand identity and promoting your products and services on social media is no longer just about regular posting and advertising. Engagement and direct communication are very important in social media strategy.

One way to connect meaningfully with customers and potential clients is through direct messaging outreach on Instagram and other platforms.

Lintz from HighKey reminds us that Instagram DMs are as common to look at as peoples text messages.

Data supports this as well, showing that 47% of Millennials use Instagram as a messaging app. This should be a major area of focus for your social marketing strategy.

As an example of how this can be effective, Lintz points to his own company as a strong example of effectively leveraging direct social media communications. Ninety percent of our business revenue has come from either us selling in the Instagram DMs or our affiliates selling in the Instagram DMs.

I have seen the power that this type of personal connection has in driving business. I have connected with many of my clients through Instagram direct messaging. I love having the chance to chat with people who are connecting to my content. Even if they are not prospective customers, I feel that this personal connection is integral to the philosophy of my business.

In addition to direct messaging, engaging in comments and responding to outreach on social media is vital. An example of this is the fact that 77% of Twitter users had a greater appreciation for a brand when their tweet was responded to or acknowledged. If you are using social media to promote your brand, remember that you cannot let your page simply be an electronic billboardusers will expect engagement, not just content.

Build this into your business model and make it a priority. Consistency is key. Failure to follow up on engagement in a timely manner will reflect badly on your brand and could be a killer for potential opportunities.

If you are someone who is engaging with potential clients and customers on social media, Lintz has a good reminder: Its usually not a matter of if someone will open your message and possibly respond, it's a matter of when, so you need to be available to immediately respond and spark up a conversation.

5. Reach out with concise offers.

If you are hoping to leverage social media outreach to your advantage, Lintz emphasized that its important to deliver offers that are short and sweet.

While people may spend almost an hour a day on Instagram, youd be unrealistically optimistic to think that they will give more than a glance at a cold offer in their DMs. But this doesnt mean that its not valuable to reach out. The key is to strike the balance between quality content and brevity. This is important, says Lintz because people don't like being overwhelmed in their Instagram DMs, and if they are being pitched, they would like to see the offer as quickly as possible.

This is a valuable lesson not just in the space of social media, but also in traditional marketing and email lists.

Having an outreach strategy is also crucial here. Rather than mass messages coming direct from the brand pages or a generic no-reply email, consider delegating to team members to focus on outreach. Marketing messages had a 561% better chance of reaching customers when it came from an employee, rather than direct from the brand.

Here are a few steps from Luke Lintz for crafting a killer pitch that will definitely entice buyers and clients:

The important thing to remember is that more than ever, were all being sold on products and offers all day, every day. To stand out here, make your sales pitch concise and personal where possible, and focus on the value that you offer.

6. Reinvest in your brand.

This one is evergreen. But for as often as weve all heard it, this advice hasnt diminished at all in value.

When I connect with my clients who are entrepreneurs, I often echo this sentiment. Sometimes were all so caught up in the next sale, the next quarter or the next hire, that we dont stop to ask how we can meaningfully invest in our ventures.

And Im not just talking about turning Q4s profits into Q1s operating budget. How do we make sure that the money we put back into our companies is helping us grow in a holistic way?

Luke Lintz had some great thoughts on this subject. He reminds us that in todays market, a large part of investing in yourself and your business is with branding.

In todays economy, proper branding is the bedrock of a successful business. But as long as were talking about investing here, how do you even measure the value of a brand?

Experts often consider brand value to be the perceived strength of a company's name, image and reputation, and thus as part of the intangible assets of a business. Based on this framework, its been estimated that the strength of brands can account for up to 20% of the total value of companies trading on the S&P 500.

While that might be hard to wrap your mind around, consider a well-known brand like Starbucks. They innovated by bringing better quality coffee to the world, but there is so much more to the Starbucks brand. Whats good coffee without the red holidays cups, the green mermaid, the annual revival of the pumpkin spice lattes? Starbucks as a brand isnt any one of those things, but all of them, plus the intangible feelings they evoke.

Its clear that investing in your brand has some of the highest potential for return-on-investment, but what does that look like?

Heres some questions to get you started on assessing your brands for areas that need a little extra help:

Once youve explored those questions, look for actionable ways to reinvest in your business by addressing any areas in which your branding might be lacking. This might mean hiring designers or branding consultants for a rebrand, or dedicating resources to training team members on how to effectively curate the brand identity through meaningful social media content. The steps you take are up to you, so long as you recognize the value in reinvesting in the strength of your brand.

Ive helped so many clients launch their business, and it was so tough to see so many small-business owners struggle with the challenges of 2020.

But after connecting with Luke Lintz, I got genuinely excited and fired up about the future for entrepreneurs in 2021, especially when it comes to focusing on the DMs. Social media and new marketing strategies have opened so many doors and provided many new tools and assets for small business owners. If you are savvy and forward-thinking, theres nothing stopping you from making 2021 the best year yet for your business.

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6 Tips To Grow Your Business In 2021 - Forbes