/ Page 3 - Articles by Toby Cox

More than half of the world’s population uses social media, but how can businesses like yours reach those potential customers? Like most things, a social media campaign requires a solid plan to make the greatest impact.

Good businesses make sales, but great businesses figure out how to keep customers coming back. Since the pandemic started, many businesses have needed to adapt to the digital “new normal,” including new competitors, smaller staff, reduced hours, evolving consumer needs and expectations, and new financial restraints on both businesses and consumers.

The van that brought Frankie to the funeral home was now bringing her back home at her family’s request. People stood in the driveway to say their final goodbyes while maintaining a physical distance. Frankie’s grandchildren held signs with love notes scribbled in marker, and the adults raised a final glass to her life. They shouted “We love you, Frankie!” just in case she could somehow still hear through the van windows and purple-shrouded casket.

Brad and Lori Foster were driving to Austin from a business meeting in Houston when they learned about the shutdown. Combined, they have more than 40 years of experience in their industry, but neither could have prepared for the challenges the pandemic would present.

Longhorn Meat Market has been in James Jackson Leach's family since 1892. After 128 years, the business is not only a butcher shop but a longstanding part of the local community in Austin, Texas.

There’s no better way to bring people together than a pandemic, or at least that’s the message many brands are driving home with marketing campaigns that echo similar “together while apart” sentiments.

The exercise instructor welcomed the class and asked them to lift their hands and spread their fingers wide. Then, the class lifted their arms over their heads, took a deep breath in, and shouted the letter “E” as loudly as they could while exhaling. The class sustained the sound for 25 seconds, harmonizing with their neighbors as they lowered their arms.

Perhaps nothing is more personal to someone than their home. It's where they live, share moments with loved ones, and—for many—now work. Catherine Traynor is an architect and director of House Architects, a small practice that specializes in home improvement and extensions. As a residential domestic architect, she recognizes that the decision to modify one’s house is a big one, making it important to establish connections with clients.