A featured contribution from Leadership Perspectives, a curated forum for enterprise technology leaders, nominated by our subscribers and vetted by the CIOApplications Editorial Board.
More Support for Local Business
In 2020, with businesses shutting down or operating at limited capacities, many people found themselves stuck at home with little to do. Unemployment surged, and some of our favorite local businesses worried about whether or not they would reopen again. The pandemic made it incredibly apparent that supporting local businesses would be essential in 2021.
Our prediction for 2021 is that there will be a market shift towards supporting these businesses in local economies rather than large enterprises.
Virtual Connectivity and Sharing Best Practices
Another prediction for 2021 is the demand for social networking platforms centered around connecting business owners, creating networking opportunities, and promoting the sharing of best practices will take off.
With so many new businesses being established in the wake of the pandemic, there will be a high demand for platforms where business owners can connect and support each other online. Social networks like Clubhouse, which is still in beta and invite-only, are already experimenting with this concept.
This is another way that we are shifting our services to serve local businesses better. At K2 Analytics, we’re working with local companies to provide them with professional expertise centered on starting a new business, marketing existing businesses, and creating local networks where local business owners can support each other online.
WFH as the New Norm
Despite the emergence of a COVID-19 vaccine, I think that we’ll see work from home continuing for the foreseeable future. The pandemic forced just about every office job to shift towards work from home, and businesses benefit from that. Even companies that didn’t favor home culture work are seeing positive impacts such as higher productivity, better team morale, and lower overhead expenses. Teams will need to invest in quality communication and task management software, but that’s expected.
A Positive Outlook in 2021
It can be challenging to predict anything any 2021, but we’re optimistic that this will be a good year for businesses and teams that can adapt to the changes. For marketing agencies, I think that this means focusing on the local economy and supporting small businesses. For those local businesses, I believe that being able to connect with other business owners will be essential.
