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A new decade is about to begin, and I honestly wasn’t thinking about it until two Wall High School students that I mentor through the Wall Business and Finance Academy brought it up a few weeks ago.

They expressed that they were “mildly freaking out” that the 2010s were coming to an end! And later, my 15-year-old agreed with them whole-heartedly, “Mom, it officially marks the end of my childhood and an era of great shows that have molded us like Victorious, iCarly, Drake & Josh, and Zoey 101.

For adults, your list might be a bit different. Admit it, have The Walking Dead, Mad Men, or This is Us derailed you? Or, what if services like Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube got cancelled tomorrow? What would life be without the ability to binge-watch our favorite content, on-demand, all night long! While I never considered that TV content would define a decade, it does allow us to reflect on how technology has changed how we communicate as a whole.

2020 vision

Now, let’s apply this to Rizco and how this decade has defined us. Well, to start, 2/1/20 will mark 20 years in business. Cool date, right? Didn’t plan it, but will definitely celebrate it. We have transformed once again, and it’s rather exciting. In 2010 we launched our brand auditing capabilities to complement our strength in brand development. Because of this, we have watched two businesses get bought out, and many others expand their marketing and product lines based upon data-rich findings that drive the creative process. Naturally, our print-reliant work has shifted toward email, web, and social, and more recently has expanded to include pay-per-click and SEO. It is pretty refreshing that Inc. recently commented, “Marketing continues to evolve at warp speed. It’s imperative to adapt and evolve with new marketing trends to stay competitive and retain high-quality customers.” Oh good, we aren’t the only ones feeling like we are doing the “running man!”

So, how are we keeping up? We have learned that we need to be willing to invest in the right talent and streamline our processes with technology while ensuring that we never lose personal touch with our customers. The journey still includes human connection and education, and there will be many opportunities this year to visit Rizco and accomplish both. More to come on that!

So, how should you be approaching your marketing for 2020? Three top tips. First, is measurability. All marketing efforts should be backed with analytics. Review what was successful in 2019, and what was not. Don’t repeat the same mistakes due to fear of change. Second, content will continue to be king, but it’s not enough to curate and post for the sake of posting. Less is more, as the goal is to attract and engage end-users and keep the conversation going. Last is digital marketing. While it can’t replace humans entirely, it can speed up the sales cycle. According to the U.S. Small Business Association, 7-8% of gross revenue needs to be spent on marketing, with 50% of that budget being dedicated to digital marketing. Empower these methods sooner rather than later as Q1 is around the corner!

We thank you for another wonderful year that has been filled with growth, collaboration, and opportunity. From our family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a new year that is filled with 2020 VISION!