Who would have known? A year after Facebook launched in 2005, just 5% of Americans had jumped aboard social media. According to Pew Research, fast forward to 2019, where the percentage of American adults using social media had risen to 72%.

What began as a nice gathering place for people to meet and get to know one another soon drew the attention of marketers who saw the huge potential so that today, social media is the favorite of many brands.

Successful marketers know the marketplace is constantly evolving and that they, too, must adapt to it. The pandemic threw an additional curve because it was neither expected nor anything any CMO had faced before. That was what global marketing services firm MATERIAL+ wanted to discover in a recent poll of experts. Some of the responses may be helpful.

Competition is expected to get tougher, and CMOs may wish to rethink what they believe they know about their customers. Some brands that responded to the pandemic with quick strategies to attract consumers are returning to strategies involving longer-term brand-building.

Apple has been training its target audience to be interested in its events and reveals from the very beginning – these people are always interested in the mysterious new products the company is revealing each year, they hold their breath in anticipation, and then critique both the products or their features, as well as the presentations themselves.

There is a high price to pay when making a bad first impression, and everyone has been in that position. Whether it was a weak handshake that tends to convey a lack of confidence or a wrinkled outfit that demonstrates a lack of care, laziness, or even no attention to details. There are plenty of ways that a meeting can go wrong from the get-go. Fortunately, there are several steps that anyone can take beforehand to ensure a smooth start and smooth sailings later on.

A poll asking how many people wished 2020 was over would likely result in a landslide of nearly 100%, saying “yes.” But the solution for leaders looking ahead into the new normal and managing employees during these times is challenging and would likely be scattered all over the board. Here are some tips on effectively addressing leadership and communications issues.

Believe it or not, but last year, there were more than a half-billion blogs published, and OptinMonster forecasts that the number of bloggers in the U.S. alone will have grown to 31 million by the end of 2020. A study by the digital tech firm also reported that when marketers make blogging a priority, they realize 13 times an ROI.

“Virtual office” are two words that might have sounded strange only a couple of years ago, but this is now our new reality because, as we’ve recently noticed, plenty of companies don’t need to have a fixed address to be able to function as providers of goods or services.

In the past few years, businesses don’t have to operate from traditional brick and mortar locations, mostly due to remote working and telecommuting’s skyrocketing popularity.

With 77% of consumers favoring texting over other messaging tools, marketers need to present their best face possible to remain ahead of their peers. That data comes from a January 2020 survey of 1,000 consumers and 1,6000 businesses in the U.S. by business texting software firm Zipwhip.

Dependency on text is high. When asked how often they check their cell phones, 50% told Zipwhip they did so at least 11 to 20 times in a day, with 16% admitting to more than 50. 21% said they do so immediately after waking up, while another 29% did so within 5 minutes.

The pandemic with many employees either laid off or working remotely and various equity initiatives being called for and initiated by more companies has cast a wide net over the spectrum of leadership and CEOs expected these days. How and what might CEOs do to be better received and heard these days?

Ambiguity is an essential trait today as no one expected a pandemic, and who knows what the future holds? That, plus the current recession and the capacity to adapt to change, are ever so important. In returning to a “new normal,” it’s likely that companies will see several changes over the coming years. Being agile and adaptable will be strong assets.

“Keep on Going” is one of the most memorable Energizer Bunny quotes since the batteries were introduced to consumers 31 years ago. And today, it also seems appropriate for brands seeking a successful passageway out of two major events, COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter. For the latter and some folks in Philadelphia, that path was #BringabroomPHL, a volunteer group formed to clean up the mess from protests and riots over the death of George Floyd.