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For a large number of employers, the exceptional economic pressure placed on them during 2020 has only heightened the annual challenge of managing costs relating to their company’s benefit programs. Although various vaccines and treatments are on the near-term horizon, the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic remain largely unknown. Virtually everyone expects health care premiums to increase in the months ahead, but the severity of increase is less known. Of course, even if health care premiums remained relatively flat, employers may still not be able to comfortably fit them in their budget with revenues mostly down over the past several months.
With so many uncertainties, many business owners are struggling to come up with a way to prepare for the coming year. From our perspective, the following three strategies can prove pivotal for employers when developing effective, long term strategies in the current climate:
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 This year has been a little more difficult to figure out new year’s resolutions. Part of that is because we’re all still reeling from the “lessons” we learned in 2020. Even the best prepared businesses lacked preparation for a global pandemic. Still, the new year is a great time to reexamine what you’ve been doing and how it can get better. Here are a few ideas: Automation Get ready to retake your day. There are so many ways you can use automation to simplify tasks. From drip marketing campaigns to nurture leads into sales to daily briefings your AI can play to help you start your day (or “if, then” sequences) with the necessary information, you can spend less time on the administrative tasks and more time generating revenue. Analysis You know all that hard work you’ve been putting in to engage your audience on those social channels? If you’re not monitoring and analyzing the data behind your efforts, you’re not getting any value out of it. Take a little time to understand your most popular posts and the time of day that garners the most reactions. Look to see which sites are performing and which aren’t. While you’re at it, check Google Analytics to see how your site is performing. If you send out a newsletter, get to know the tools your sender offers. Some allow you to see where people are spending the most time on your newsletter content. All of them will show you open rate and clicks. Take a look at the correlation between subject line and open rate. Security In the past six months alone my debit card has been reissued 3 times because of fraud. We haven’t been able to track down where that compromise has occurred, but this is a common problem. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you have a 2-person operation, no one is interested in your data. If there’s the potential for money and fraud, how many employees you have won’t matter to them. They’re looking for easy ways to get data. If you’re unprotected, you’re an easy mark. Passion Since people buy from those they know, like, and trust, making 2021 the year you discover or reignite your passion is a solid idea to creating a more loyal customer base. Sharing what makes you tick and gets you excited can help people connect with you. It also can help safeguard you against burnout. Take some time to explore your passions, even if you have to schedule it on your calendar. The new year is a great time to start those things you’ve been putting off because it’s a natural reset/fresh start moment. However, you can work toward these goals at any time. And when you do, you’ll feel a whole lot better about your path to recovery or success. Christina R. Metcalf (formerly Green) is a marketer who enjoys using the power of story and refuses to believe meaningful copy can be written by bots. She helps chamber and small business professionals find the right words when they don’t have the time or interest to do so. Christina hates exclamation points and loves road trips. Say hi on Twitter or reach out on Categories |
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