I recently celebrated five years at NP Strategy. Since I began as the first full-time employee, we’ve built an incredible group of 25 individuals across two states and five cities. We provide a number of services, but I’ve always felt most ‘at home’ in our stakeholder engagement efforts, where I can combine communication skills developed during my years as a journalist with the engagement strategies I used during my time as a political operative.  I’ve relied on both while assisting corporations and small businesses with some of their most difficult needs.

However, when I think about this service and how it has affected me and the people I work with each day, the most meaningful influence can be traced to my days working with Congressman Jim Clyburn. His skill of being able to combine his notable aptitude to help his constituents with his skilled understanding of how to use his political capital at the precise time it’s needed is one of the most intriguing things I’ve ever witnessed.

Recently, national political reporters Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen released an excerpt of their book, “Lucky,” due out in March. It highlighted February 26, 2020, when Congressman Clyburn’s endorsement of then-candidate Joe Biden changed the landscape of the election, and with it, the course of our country’s future. To appreciate Congressman Clyburn’s instinctive ability to affect substantive change, thus providing an opportunity for his constituents and the country as a whole, you have to appreciate his history.

His younger years, growing up in a parsonage in Sumter, South Carolina, shaped his worldview. He has never forgotten where he came from and his best quality as an elected official has been his ability to truly listen to his constituents. He is currently in his 15th term as a congressman, where he serves as the third-ranking Democrat in the House as Majority Whip.

Congressman Clyburn has been a staunch supporter of many important pieces of legislation. He was critical in the passing of the Affordable Care Act and consistently focuses on the growth and opportunity for HBCU’s across our country. He has also introduced the 10-20-30 formula, which would fundamentally change how persistent poverty communities in our country are funded, thus giving them the opportunity to grow and thrive.

I became Congressman Clyburn’s Communications Director in 2014 and learned so much from him during our state’s most recent difficult moments – the shooting at Mother Emanuel, the removal of the Confederate Flag, and the 1,000-year flood in Columbia. For me, it was a masterclass in compassionate, effective leadership.

I’ve tried to walk a similar path in helping clients navigate their own journeys, both professional and personal while helping build our industrious communications firm. And yes, it is these blessed experiences that have shaped my history and, hopefully, our shared future.

For businesses, success can look like many things: bottom-line revenue; year-over-year growth, etc. Though, not all success is as easily defined as a metric or data point. When it comes to customer or client retention, it’s vital to go the extra mile in your service or work.

Author Napoleon Hill defines going the extra mile as “rendering more and better service than that for which one is paid.” That applies to both client and colleague relationships: remembering birthdays, sending a note, accepting an extra task if it means helping accomplish a goal. A simple “great job” note can make all the difference.

As a leader or teammate, remember to periodically reflect on why you’re here and who you’re serving.

When I recently made a career move, several new teammates took the time to welcome me, answer questions, and send greeting cards. It made me grateful to work alongside them, and we should all strive for a similar reaction from clients: give them a reason to be grateful for your partnership.

As humans, going the extra mile might not always be the easiest or convenient thing to do – we often want to cut corners or just “get by” in the most expedient way possible, but always remember you have a vested interest in your clients’ success; when they succeed, you benefit, and potentially open the doors to earned opportunities. Going the extra mile sets yourself apart. What kind of experience do you want for everyone involved?

Listen to your clients’ needs so you can know how to serve them, and how best to demonstrate your position as a partner in their success. They are giving you their loyalty. Ask: what do you need? How can we accomplish this together? Sometimes, it can be as simple as sending a note to say, “I appreciate your business.”

Providing a first-class product or service means being willing to do follow-up outreach, and welcoming any and all feedback that may follow to ensure that you’re being as supportive a partner as possible, both in client and colleague relationships.  Maximize that effort, then watch the tangible and intangible rewards unfold, like referrals and positive relationships. Give them a way to succeed and a reason to stay, by going the extra mile.

It’s easy to get complacent when planning your social media content calendar, especially when many events have shifted or been canceled due to COVID-19. Though we cannot control what happens in 2021, we can control our approach for fresh, targeted content that keeps your current followers happy and entices new ones.

So, how can you break the social marketing monotony? Use analytics from this past year to gain insights into your audience’s behavior. Analytics are imperative to properly analyze not only who your messages reach but how to best maximize those interactions.

Demographics

Most major platforms offer some level of insight into your audience demographics. For instance, Facebook can show you details such as age, gender, top countries and languages. Knowing more about your primary content consumers can tell you how to meet their needs and know who to target to join the conversation.

Social media should be seen as a means of conversation with every post. Posts with open-ended questions, polls that encourage participation, or shout-outs to a particular location or employee will be more likely to engage or be shared by viewers.

It’s helpful to review a year-end report before starting your calendar for the new year; put those patterns into strategic plans!

Performance Engagement

Part of the analysis is evaluating how well particular posts performed. Beyond the number of likes and comments, take a look at the interactions. What kinds of photos garnered the most engagement? In your videos, what was the average watch time?

Those answers can inform you of what your audience will want to see more or less of in 2021. It also is helpful to keep videos simple and brief. In an instantaneous world, our distractions are limitless and average attention spans are about eight seconds. However, with social media videos, that time is even shorter. A 2020 Nielson Research study found that “38% of brand recall, 23% of brand awareness and 25% of purchase intent result from video impressions that are less than two seconds long.”

You’ll want to keep video messages concise, with the most important and most interesting points coming in the first five seconds. Also try to find ways to break down your messages into multiple visual aides, with an infographic, bullet points or a meme (if appropriate).

Time of Day

The time of day you post is just as important as the post itself. Knowing when the bulk of your audience is online is helpful for day-to-day posts, or when launching a large campaign. On average, people in the United States spend nearly two and a half hours on social media daily, according to global research by Statistica.

Typically, there’s an influx in social usage in the mornings, before 9 a.m., and around noon, while folks are on their lunch break. Predictably, usage declines on Friday evenings, as most people check out for the weekend.

Social media insights can show you hour-by-hour when your current followers are online compared to the global average. Being strategic about these insights in the new year can help drive your messaging or branding to the right person. Be sure to merge your creative content ideas with a statistical strategy in 2021 to ring in the New Year right!

Like most people, I’m looking forward to closing the book on 2020. While this year has been full of challenges, disappoints, and fear, it’s also brought learning moments, growth opportunities, and plenty of successes in their own right. Even if you don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions, I challenge you to reflect on your year – consider what you’ve overcome, or how you have adjusted, and which of these new skills may well stick with you into 2021 and beyond.

Here are some thoughts to get you started:

What goals did I set for myself this time last year?

Personally, this year began the majority of my first year with NP Strategy. I had plans to settle into my new career path, meet with new clients, and even execute several large-scale, in-person events. If nothing else, this year proved that even when you think you are 100% prepared for all options, you never truly are.

When the year started going sideways, how did I adapt?

Like many people, this year forced much of what I do to go virtual. From day-to-day work to my children’s virtual learning, we adjusted to virtual meetings almost from the jump. Add to that the challenge of a political campaign during a pandemic, and it’s safe to say I have never used so much hand sanitizer in my life as I had this year.

Seriously, this year, we helped clients take their events online, reaching new audiences, and building new kinds of relationships with stakeholders. Virtual events and digital stakeholder engagement may not fully substitute for in-person interaction. Still, we can continue to build these skills, whether as ‘the new normal’ or a helpful back-up plan.

Finally, what did I learn or accomplish this year?

Everyone’s definition of success is different but be forgiving with yourself this year. I learned to juggle virtual meetings while ‘mom-ing,’ and, despite the challenges, I won a campaign race during a pandemic. I’ve learned to work with clients in new ways that I would never have imagined before this year.

No matter how your year ends and how different it may look from how it began, I encourage you to reflect and consider setting new goals for 2021; these could be personal or professional, long-term or immediate. Let’s continue to invest in ourselves and the people around us –our clients, our communities, our family, or our friends.

For my communications and marketing friends: anyone else struggling to get excited by content lately? This year has felt like a never-ending slog of content creation, exacerbated by the need for to-the-second COVID-19 updates, blurring the concept of time as we know it.

Yes, days are flying by faster than ever (or, really, just fading from one to the next). And yet, our jobs require us to keep up with what’s relevant, be it trends or timely messaging. Do yourself a favor, and keep up by getting ahead – create structure and fuel inspired content by pulling a list of holidays that are relevant to your brand/company. Ever wonder how everyone online seems to know that it’s ‘National Generic Holiday Day?’ Well, there are websites, like National Today, that can be a resource to help you stay in the loop.

Mark your calendars, and start looking ahead now – what holiday, federal or otherwise, aligns with your brand? Are there any holidays that you could use as an opportunity to promote a member, a sponsor, or a coworker? What about holidays that help reinforce your company’s values, like commitment to workplace safety, or environmental stewardship? (If you’re looking for inspiration, I highly suggest checking out the National Park Service’s accounts.)

Planning your content calendar doesn’t need to be difficult, and holidays (big or small) can be an easy source of evergreen content. Plus, think of the endless themed graphics! Free graphic design programs, like Canva, usually have stickers or stock photos you can use to get the creative juices flowing.

Trust me: a little bit of planning now can spare you the future haunting of the Ghost of Christmas Past.

You may be wondering, “How can I reach and retain my customers outside of traditional norms?” The simple answer, though it can be complex to navigate, is social media.

In all its glory, social media can be the most powerful engine to connect you with your customers. But first, you must choose the appropriate channel to facilitate your message. There are a plethora of options to choose from, including Pinterest, Snapchat and TikTok, but the most dominant platforms are still Facebook and Twitter. These are excellent (and necessary) for growing your reach, especially at a time when networking is all but nonexistent. Consider your social page as your virtual networking hub – use it to share commentary on think pieces, share your recent wins or news, and add photos or personal anecdotes to let your flair shine through.

Once you select a social channel, it’s important to incorporate hashtags. Yes, the “pound” sign has undergone a massive brand refresh over the past quarter-century, but trust us, adding that one little symbol in front of a few keywords (no spaces, please) goes a long way to maximize your audience reach. Hashtags are powerful because they not only help people discover your brand but also act as an archive for your posts. Hashtags are a great way to help your customers find you and your message.

Another way you can use social media to reach customers is by offering discounts, amplifying promotions, and even creating incentivized contests. Who doesn’t love free stuff? The key here is to make sure you’re not just giving away free goodies, but sharing informative content and engaging your friends, colleagues and followers along the way. That way, you don’t come off as selfish or brand-centric, and instead, strive to be relatable. That’s a great way to grow vested interests in your company.

If you’re not running a promotion anytime soon – no certificates for 50 hours of pro bono work? – you can apply this same approach to sharing tips and tricks with clients, like three key takeaways from a recent case. It doesn’t have to be rocket science, but it does need to be well-written for your audience.

Now that you’ve established and grown your audience, keep them around.

Some great ways to create brand loyalty are by showcasing clients through your social media channels or giving them unfiltered access to your company. You can also give them birthday shout outs, or run a feature to showcase who they are. They are the ones supporting your work, and the best way to keep them around is by showing appreciation.

See, social media doesn’t have to be hard! But, if you still have questions, as we all do at times, NP Strategy is here to assist.

Jesica Johnson Mackey of NP Strategy joins other distinguished leaders from across South Carolina to participate in the Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI), an award-winning program of Furman University’s Riley Institute now in its 17th year.

While DLI classes are typically sorted by state geographic region, the fall 2020 class is the first-ever statewide cohort. The intensive four-month program will be held virtually due to COVID-19, a pandemic that underscores the need for such a program, said Dr. Donald Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute.

“The extreme hardship brought on by the pandemic has exacerbated the existing social and economic divisions that we address through our Diversity Leaders Initiative,” Gordon said. “The road ahead will present its share of challenges, but our new group of leaders are uniquely positioned to create real-world solutions within their own enterprises.”

DLI class members are selected through a rigorous application and interview process after being nominated by existing Riley Fellows. Participants are accepted based on their capacity to create impact within their organizations and communities.

Jesica will take part in a highly interactive curriculum consisting of case studies, scenario analyses, and other experiential learning tools that maximize interaction and discussion among classmates and facilitate productive relationships. Working alongside classmates, Jesica will also develop a capstone project that raises awareness of community need.

DLI classes are facilitated by expert Juan Johnson, an independent consultant who was Coca-Cola’s first-ever vice president for diversity strategy.

“DLI is unique among South Carolina’s leadership programs,” Johnson said. “In addition to developing new relationships and affecting positive change in their communities, participants gain deep knowledge of how to effectively manage and lead diverse workers, clients, and constituents,” Johnson said.

Graduates of DLI become Riley Fellows, members of a powerful cross-sector of South Carolinians that includes corporate CEOs, legislators, superintendents, religious and nonprofit heads, and business and community leaders.

“With more than 2,300 Riley Fellows statewide, each new class amplifies the impact of leaders willing to work together to make South Carolina a better place to live and work for all its residents,” Gordon said.

To see a full list of participants and for more information about the Diversity Leaders Initiative, visit riley.furman.edu/diversity.