Holly Harper, Blue Bike Communications 

It seems like everybody is kicking off 2020 with tips, tricks, trends, and “best-of” lists from the past and future. We’ve looked through many marketing trend lists and picked out our top 10 marketing trends for 2020 that are most relevant to small business owners and nonprofits (in some specific cases).

By Raegan Bartlo, User1st

Time and time again, consumers prove that they value and frequent those companies that take an active, inclusive approach to their business.
Accessible public spaces now include the burgeoning online marketplace of information, goods, and services. That’s right: websites are the new doorway to your business, and the headlines reflect this change. For instance, in a recent victory for disability rights, Domino’s was denied a chance to appeal a ruling stating that it must make its site and app accessible.

This just underlines that, in the digital age, while an accessible site will enhance your brand and extend your market reach, accessibility also demonstrates your business’s willingness to empower those with different and changing abilities.

By Justin Gooderham, Dalton Digital 

By Ashley Miller, ​Halt, Buzas & Powell

As 2019 ends, business owners should begin formulating their tax strategy for 2020. While giving the IRS a cut of company revenue isn’t optional, the way you approach business finances can make a significant difference in the amount you pay.
​
Some tax savings strategies are no-brainers, but others may be less obvious. To keep more of the income your business generates and contribute less to tax coffers, make these tax planning best practices a priority as you prepare for a new year.

Sarah Peterson, CSI DMC

When you’ve created an incredible event experience, one of the biggest thrills is being able to relive that magic via the photos and videos taken that day.

Capturing the exact images and video that a client wants isn’t always easy, even for a professional. There is a lot of movement throughout the day, and it's important to make sure everyone is on the same page. I know the struggle from both sides, as I’m often the event photographer as well as the media manager for our company’s creative services team.
​
Behind every incredible post on social media or spectacular event photo gracing our website or marketing pieces, there’s a five-step process that can help provide the best results.

By John Laub, MainSpring Inc. 

Developing a custom solution isn’t easy. Sometimes it’s the right choice, and other times it makes more sense to go off-the-shelf. But, when it does make sense, history and industry standards suggest we assume what the industry has termed an “Agile Mindset.”

Using an agile mindset allows us to be flexible in working with clients and deliver innovative solutions that meet business goals. To put it simply, having an agile mindset means uncovering better ways to develop software, and help others do the same. Agile isn’t a process, and it doesn’t have rules. Instead, it has values—four values, which embody the agile mindset. 

By Morgan Mentzer, Arlington Chamber of Commerce 

The holiday season is the perfect time of year to take a break, reflect, and focus on gratitude and giving. Choosing to do good during this time of the year is a wonderful tradition to start for yourself or your family. Spend this holiday season giving back to your community through volunteering, performing random acts of kindness, or by making a donation.
​
Your fellow Chamber members in the nonprofit sector compiled a list of ways you and your business can contribute and give back to the community this holiday season. 

As a benefit of the Chamber membership, we offer all members the opportunity to get more involved by joining a committee. The Chamber’s committees are a great way to broaden your network while learning about issues that impact your business and the community. There are a number of open committees to choose from, allowing you to select the committee that best suits your goals and interests. 

The Chamber has more than 100 nonprofit members who look to the Community Action Committee to connect the Chamber’s business and nonprofit members for the greater good of Arlington. The CAC serves the Chamber and gives back to the community is through coordinating several of the Chamber’s signature events and by hosting nonprofit forums. With the committees’ help, this year the Chamber paired over 260 volunteers with nonprofit sites across Arlington to accomplish various service projects during Volunteer Arlington Day.

To learn more about the Community Action Committee, we present the Chair, Linda Kelleher, Executive Director at Culpepper Garden. 

By Corey Shields, Ntiva 

​Work-life balance has become a hot topic, thanks in part to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) work policies, and the mobile devices that keep us digitally tied to the office 24/7. There are thousands of articles on how to maintain personal sanity in the always-on work culture of today, but what about maintaining your digital dignity?
 
87% of employers rely on employees to use their personal smartphones for work purposes, and estimates show that we do just that roughly six hours per week, so we know that most people carry their work with them wherever they go. Our home and work life are now frequently shared on one device, which is both good and bad.

By Andrea Aiello, Membership Engagement Manager, Arlington Chamber of Commerce 

So how exactly does a girl from Delaware get to the Chamber?  Well, the first stop is in Dallas at the University of Texas for a degree in Computer Science.  Then it’s back to the East Coast to work for a software company in Courthouse Plaza in Arlington, VA.  After quite a few years, the next stop is at a D.C. catering company where things are crazy, exciting, and exhausting.  And then, here I am! 

​Makes perfect sense, right?