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Despite botanists' best efforts, researchers have yet to cultivate the elusive money tree. Top scientists have tried various techniques, more water, more sunlight, and gold-based fertilizers, but they can't seem to find the right conditions to get it to grow.

Along the way, they've found the next best thing. Tax credits and incentives. A natural byproduct of legal and financial technicalities, these can be just as lucrative as a money tree.

But to properly cultivate tax credits, it takes teamwork. Oftentimes this sort of nurturing is left solely to the finance department. Still, credits such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) can save money on hiring, and involve hands-on care from the HR department. Other credits pertain to technology and can have great health benefits for a company's bottom line, as well as location-based credits that can help companies grow and expand.

You don't have to have a "green" thumb or a CPA to be good with tax credits; it's something that touches every aspect of the C-suite.

You might not be able to grow a money tree, but there's free money out there if you know how to grow it.

Blog Content:

Zoom calls, grocery deliveries, telehealth... the future is now.

The past year felt like a decade of new trends condensed over a minuscule period of time. However, while technology evolving at a fast pace is nothing new, if the past year is any indication of what the future could be like, consumer behaviors and their relationship with tech will continue to change at an accelerated pace.

Thus, understanding how technology changes consumer behavior and how their needs guide innovations is crucial for marketers.

1. Danger! Information overload.

• The good news: Tech is making everyone better at multitasking.

• The bad news: Switching between devices and tasks is the new norm, but the average attention span has dropped from 12 to eight seconds from 2000 to 2015.

Thus, brands need to adapt to waning attention spans and go all-in with bite-sized content. Combining short content formats with highly-targeted ad and SEO campaigns ensures that the right information reaches prospects at the correct moment.

Because the message might not stick the first time around, engaging and re-engaging users across platforms is key. The Rule of Seven is more relevant than ever, and some marketers can even benefit from aiming for a higher number of impressions.

2. Split-second decisions (and frustrations)

Today’s consumer is faster than lightning when making a value judgment. Their time is precious, and brands only have a few seconds to deliver what users want before they get frustrated and click away.

The solution? A customer-centric approach where brands engage with users on their own time and on their own terms. Brands with a strong omnichannel strategy are staying ahead of the game by letting users decide how and when they want to interact.

It's the customer's world, and marketers are just living in it.

Another winning strategy that focuses on how technology changes consumer behavior is betting on highly customizable experiences in the user’s journey and using analytics to map out this journey. That way, marketers can identify potential friction points.

3. A not-so-simple matter of trust

The hard truth: A frictionless and omnichannel experience isn’t enough.

Because consumers make decisions fast, trust is now a key differentiator. During COVID-19, some major trends emerged, such as a preference for eco-friendly and health-conscious businesses. Transparent messaging about these values can build trust.

4. Automating human Humanizing automated tasks

The frustration consumers experience often stems from barriers that brands unwittingly introduce when adopting tech solutions like automation. While self-service and chatbots are convenient options for simple tasks, automating human tasks can feel alienating.

Intelligent systems can work two to three times faster than a human and are central for delivering the kind of personalized attention customers have come to expect. However, automation shouldn’t be the end goal. This isn't "I, Robot." (After all, everyone knows how that turned out.)

It’s time to look for ways to strike a balance between efficiency and humanizing automated tasks for an optimal customer experience that inspires trust.

For instance, a focus on authentic interactions over scripts can result in a connection that feels more genuine. Workflows that integrate human interactions into self-service tools or chatbots can also reduce frustration. Video calls which were a necessity during the pandemic could become a long-term solution for connecting with customers as well.

Technology changes consumer behavior, so it's time to turn to tech

Technology innovations create new opportunities for brands, but they also mean that the goal post is moving. Over the past few years, keeping up with digital transformation has been the prime directive for businesses. With competition heightening for many industries and technology influencing customers’ expectations, the new marketer’s holy grail is to deliver an experience that feels human.

Understanding how technology changes consumer behavior and how they shape technology results in better decision-making. Check out the CXOsync podcast CXOstories for this and other stories from real CXOs.

Somewhere, There’s a Place for Us (Marketers)

In 1960, being an adman was the height of cool. In 2007 Madmen premiered and viewers discovered that over the course of 40 years that height had dropped substantially.
Suddenly, the glamour and fun of the agency model seemed a lot less like glamor and more like a blend of workaholism and alcoholism (with sexism wedged in there for good measure). Marketing instead happened in the boardroom, with in-house strategists making long-term decisions, instead of contracting out fun and sexy campaigns.
So what changed?

Aside from shifted cultural values, there was a transformation in work values. Over time, the smoke-filled office became disenchanting. Marketers wanted better work-life balance and a stable workplace. And finding stability in an ad agency became more and more difficult. When the dot com bubble hit, marketers found themselves unemployed despite their constant overwork. Inevitably, they asked themselves:
What am I doing at an ad agency?
But in the 2010s, the traditional office fell apart. Limitations on expression (dyed hair, tattoos, and workwear) partnered with stagnating wages meant that staying in-house was a dead end. Decisions were made based on corporate guidelines. Job-hopping became expected. And in the 2020s, the rise of the gig economy and COVID-19 proved that going into a 9-5 was unnecessary to get work done. For marketers, side hustling in sweatpants was every bit as valid as the office slog. Inevitably, they asked themselves:

What am I doing in-house?
Marketers have increasingly discovered that the future of marketing isn’t in an agency, and it isn’t in-house. So where exactly does it take place?

Wherever, really. 

Modern marketing is growth-focused. Built on tangible metrics rather than 1960s sexy (and sexist) ideas.  It’s designed to be flexible, with marketers who work on multiple projects and grab ideas from various experiences, not just from in-house corporate expectations.

In 2021 working in marketing means learning from what’s worked and from what hasn’t. At Divisional, we want the best of agency work, the flexibility, the creativity, the ability to be every bit yourself. But also the best of in-house, long-term projects, focusing on genuinely building something rather than short-term tactics. If we view marketing’s path as going from agencies to big companies, then the next step is onto startups. Divisional is all about turning little startups into something much bigger.

Most startups don’t need a full ad agency but also don’t want to handle their own marketing. That’s why our model supports fractional work. Our team handles marketing part-time for a bunch of baby startups. But while they focus on building their product, we’re focused on helping them grow. With support, including a design team, copywriting team, and playbooks of successful tactics, our marketers grow startups but also grow in their talents along the way. So if you’re fed up with old-school marketing, apply at Divisional. Whether your experience is agency or in-house, our team draws from both to build something new for other startups and for ourselves.

Reach out if you’re a good fit and want to join our team.