Inbound and
Digital Marketing Insights

As online traffic builds up on the internet highway at unprecedented rates, I’d like to take a moment to thank and celebrate all the digital marketers - creative designers, web and mobile app developers, creative technology specialists, search engine marketers, social media marketers, content writers and inbound marketers - helping move the traffic (myself included) along.  Without them, I am convinced that the online space would be in unimaginable chaos:  many of us will not know how to get to where we need to go.

The year 2020 surprised us all with a series of unprecedented events that tested our capacity to adapt and thrive among the challenges. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, marketers have been under tremendous pressure to guide their marketing teams AND their sales and customer service teams through the unfamiliar territory. They’ve had to help as many teams as possible and as needed in the company go digital and connect with customers and prospects as the world shelters in place. Along the way, we also saw new challenges such as a tighter and more competitive marketplace. In turn, our clients discovered alternative means to market and tell our stories, and have them reach their intended audiences.

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they a re the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
– Charles W. Eliot

In our 3rd HUG gathering last September 2020, Belle de Jour Power Planner Founder Darlyn Ty-Nilo remarked that creating content for their target audience has been akin to creating a virtual safe space. She shared that while her planners used to be yearly sources of encouragement for her customers, the ongoing pandemic left Belle de Jour customers looking at their cancelled plans in dismay. 

In 2019, Deloitte released a report that showed the retail industry is facing an increase in debt and expenses but a decrease in revenue growth and asset turnover. When the pandemic hit, these shaky financial foundations started to crumble. As the months progressed, a lot of small to medium businesses were forced to file for bankruptcy and close down.

People who wish to manage their own schedule, finances, and services often become solopreneurs and run their business independently. Finally, you are your own boss. According to MBO Partners’ 2019 State of Independence, 82% of solopreneurs are happier with their set-up than when they worked in a traditional setting.