The First Day of School for Business

I don’t know about you, but I used to love the first day of school. The sheer possibility of the year ahead, the fresh start and the focus on the challenges ahead was exhilarating. Plus there is something truly exciting about a fresh notebook, new pencils, clean filler paper and a glue stick (shameless plug for our Elmer’s client).

As a business owner, the Tuesday after Labor Day is like the first day of school. Summer, is sadly over, everyone’s kids are back in school and the focus turns in earnest to finishing the current year and serious planning for the year ahead. I personally couldn’t wait to get to work this morning and connect with all of our team members about the tasks ahead.

This day is also a valuable milestone to take stock of where business is and where it’s headed. Having been in the brand and retail world for my entire career, this was always a point of gear shifting into the holiday season (yes, the decorations are going up, Halloween point-of-sale will be in full force in a week or so).

Over the past three years at Collective Bias, we’ve used this point to evaluate the progress of social media marketing and evaluate where the space is headed. I’ve noticed a marked shift in acceptance on the part of brands and retailers on the validity of the space. Social engagement is now a core part of media budgets and not and afterthought for most marketers. Additionally, diversification beyond Facebook as a default setting for social is really picking up pace, I expect that to increase rapidly as ROI is measured and inefficient investments give way to efforts with a measured return.

So load up your trapper-keeper, sharpen your Ticonderoga #2’s and write that magic first page in your notebook and let’s get after the first day of school for business!

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