While winter has never been my favorite time of year, January always seems to hold so much promise. A new year offers the opportunity to start fresh, to learn from the past and forge new, more successful habits and pathways going forward. And this January is not just the start of a new year, it’s also the start of a new decade – one that’s by all accounts rife with possibilities.
The economic forecast is looking bright, with industry sources across the board predicting a strong start to 2020 and continued growth even amidst the challenges of labor shortages, increased material prices due to the tariff situation and the uncertainty that typically comes with an election year (see related Kitchen & Bath Industry Outlook, Page 44).
Of course January is also KBIS time, and the upcoming Kitchen & Bath Industry Show will offer a wealth of new products, technology and educational content to help you take advantage of all those positive economic indicators (see related KBIS coverage, Pages 79-91).
Looking to make the magic of KBIS last a little bit longer? This month’s Digital Media Strategies column offers tips for using photos and videos from KBIS to boost your social media presence and generate some added buzz from the show that will continue to garner benefits long after the memories of Vegas have faded (see story, Page 28).
Of course video isn’t just something you need to save for the big shows; it’s a great way to make connections with your clients and prospects year round, whether through casual Facebook Live posts, video testimonials from clients, streaming video to play in your showroom or how-to videos to share on your website to establish your knowledge and expertise. Video may well be your biggest opportunity for 2020, with 81% of all businesses using video as a marketing tool and 68% of all consumers saying they’d rather learn about a product or service by way of video, according to Hubspot. A study from Cisco predicts that all online traffic will be video based by 2022, and a recent report from Social Media Week showed that viewers claim they retain 95% of a message when obtained via video.
A recent Kitchen & Bath Design News survey confirms the growing importance of video, with more than two-thirds of those polled saying they currently use video in their businesses, though many are still working at wrapping their arms around the best way to maximize video as a marketing tool. Whether you haven’t dipped your foot into that particular pool yet or are simply looking to hone your skills, dealers and designers offer some tips to get started (see related story, Page 56).
A new year is also a good time to look back on what you’ve learned, and consider how those experiences can help to strengthen your business going forward. Of course it’s not always fun to recall past mistakes, but if your personal blooper reel is still a bit too painful to relive, Mary Jo Peterson shares a top 10 list of common design blunders – compiled from designer friends and her own personal experiences – with the idea that mistakes translate into lessons learned, and examining them is a good way to find better approaches and solutions going forward (see Planning & Design, Page 26).
If you prefer to look forward rather than back, and you’re prone to making resolutions, perhaps you want to think about giving back to the industry in 2020 through mentoring. In this month’s issue, mentors and mentees share their experiences about what they’ve learned from working together – and it might surprise you to know that those who mentor others feel they gain as much as those who are fortunate enough to find an experienced design professional to mentor them in the early stages of their career (see related story, Page 60).
Whatever your plans for the new year, take some time to think about the opportunities ahead, and prepare your business to take advantage of them. 
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