Instead of doing a common ‘predictions’ post this year, each of us wrote a little ditty about things we are excited about in 2020. Enjoy!

Sara: Take Time to Know Your Tech

Speaking as a person who works with marketing technology on a daily basis, sometimes even I get behind on the functionality provided by these tools. My 2020 recommendation is to give yourself permission and time to evaluate what you’re using to help you achieve your personal (hello Basecamp for free!) and professional goals. It’s really easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and fall behind on updates or never quite get around to researching what’s new in the area. Although figuring out new things can sometimes take a lot of effort, you might save yourself a lot of time and money in the future. I plan to take my own advice and regularly schedule in time to do so this year. 

Wishing you and your organization all the best for 2020!

Isaac: Grow Through Shared Goals

I was recently inspired by this video from the 2019 CMX Summit. In this discussion, Charlene Li shares the secrets of the most disruptive organizations. Whether your business goal is disruptive growth or not, her message of owning a company-wide culture is important for all. What’s your strategy? Who are your customers? Who are you trying to serve and what are their needs? Who are your future customers? A well-documented and widely-shared strategy document will help you stay focused and provide opportunities for paths you didn’t know were available. Let 2020 be the year of growth through shared goals.

Erin: Focus on People and Relationships

While 2019 was definitely an exciting year personally and professionally for me, 2020 feels like it’s going to be a flagship year. As Four Peas starts to grow and expand our footprint, we’re also learning a lot from working with new clients and new projects. Here are a few things I’m looking forward to this year:

1. While all kinds of shiny objects occupy the news and trends lists about the future of marketing (think: AI, voice, internet-connected homes, streaming service wars, etc.), there is still so much opportunity with small- and medium-sized businesses to really focus on modern marketing basics and make a tangible impact on sales and business growth, even without all of the shiny objects. New things are fun to talk about and good to keep an eye on, but humans change a lot slower than the technology and we still have to focus on connecting, finding our tribes, and relatability in our messaging. Marketing is still about people and relationships.

2. The number of people in our community who are doing awesome, creative work continues to blow my mind. From designers and developers to videographers and writers - there is no shortage of talent available to marketers in the Eau Claire area. As the gig economy grows, there are more creative resources than ever for small businesses to tap into. So how do we harness it? How do we gather a ‘creative collective’ on a regular basis? How do we find trusted partners to help us with our projects? The Peas will be exploring this in 2020 with our Pod Chats and some pretty cool collaborations with our creative friends this year. Stay tuned!

3. In a world where everyone is competing for consumer attention, I think real brand loyalty will be built on the little things in 2020. Now, this is not a new concept, but I’ve heard more and more business owners over the last six months talking about how yelling and screaming to get consumers’ attention (a.k.a. interruption) just isn’t worth it; they want to do better by giving people truly remarkable experiences. (You know, the ones worthy of someone remarking on; worthy of attention: remarkable.) A hand-written note, a personal email, extra time to make sure it’s done right, a gift just for being patient while waiting in line...these things show genuine appreciation and gratitude for our customers, and they rarely go unnoticed. If you want to stand out in 2020, focus on the little things and give your customers a remarkable experience. 

Tyler: Go all-in on Agile

Agile marketing has been around for quite some time. Many marketing teams proclaim they’re agile, but really it’s used more as an excuse than an actual operating framework (i.e. We’re agile, so we don’t have to plan). When implemented properly, agile has the potential to transform marketing teams large and small, helping them prioritize, communicate better, and get better results. They aren’t doing more work, they’re doing better work, smarter. Go all-in on agile in 2020. You’ll be glad you did.