Happy Fall, y’all! This is truly my favorite time of year in Nebraska. I love this weather and the changing colors all around. Of course, the Husker football season brings a lot of excitement with it! Whether you’re making the trip to Lincoln or finding a local hangout spot here in Omaha to watch the game, I just love the economic boost football gives our communities. You know how my mind works. I’m always thinking about how local businesses are faring. It’s great seeing people out and about, having fun and supporting the restaurants, bars, retail stores, etc.

I’m a little in denial that this year has flown by so fast. It’s hard to believe that it is already the last quarter of the year and the holidays are at our doorstep. Not to mention that 2022 will be here before we know it! This is the time businesses need to think about end-of-year spending. I’m talking about that “use it or lose it” money. The end of the year is the prime time to take a good look at your goals, strategies, growth patterns, etc. A big part of that is reassessing your marketing efforts. Do you feel that what you are doing is working for you? Is your money being well spent? Are you confident in your advertising decisions?

My biggest advice in this area is to look at the content that you’re currently outputting to your audience. Ask yourself how you are telling your story. Content creation and distribution should not be overlooked—they are key foundational aspects of every powerful marketing strategy. In an article published on Column Five (www.columnfivemedia.com) titled 10 Smart Ways to Spend Your Extra End-of-Year Marketing Budget by Katy French, she notes that “Great content can provide value long after it’s been published. More and more…clients produce evergreen content with long-tail distribution plans to keep leads, traffic, and impressions flowing for months and even years.”

This is exactly what makes Strictly Business such a strong marketing partner for businesses of all sizes. We help them tell their stories through original and compelling content creation with an impressive local distribution, both in print and online. You can see this for yourself when you flip through the magazine. I’d love the opportunity to meet with you if you’re interested in learning about how Strictly Business can help you tell your story. Let’s talk about your 2022 marketing plan and how my team can create content for you that you can use and share long-term.

This time of year is also when I really encourage businesses to consider their holiday party planning! As a business owner myself, I try to always do something special with my team for the holidays. Maybe it’s a white elephant gift exchange and our rule is that we have to buy from a local business (bonus points if it’s a client!), or maybe it’s inviting our friends and families to come with us to a client’s establishment for a fun outing. I hope you and your teams find something enjoyable to do with each other here in Omaha during the holidays. It’s truly a time of cheer and gratitude!

So Go Big Red, Happy Halloween, and good luck to all of you in the final quarter of the year. I am personally looking forward to the weeks and months ahead of goal setting as we creep up on a new year!