[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/12\/16\/it-was-almost-like-a-dream\/#Article","articleBody":"\u201cGod help and forgive me, I wanna build something that\u2019s gonna outlive me.\u201d\nUsually it\u2019s Star Wars quotes that inspire some of my best content, but 2020 has been a year of drastic change, and this line from Hamilton won me over. I\u2019m not sure how many times I watched the musical, but am keenly aware of why I did so repetitively: it was a coping mechanism to remind me that some things are worth fighting for, that a small but mighty group of people determined to change things can, and that it\u2019s the greater good that matters most.\nIt\u2019s also no coincidence this post is being published today, another day in my life where I\u2019m heading into an another operating room. Not being a believer in the odds has served me well, but as my doctor at the Yale Cancer Center told me earlier this summer, though I\u2019ve survived the average life span for a woman with MEN1 by over a year, there\u2019s also a time to begin to allow space for likelihood to grow \u2013 not the pleasant kind of likelihood or growth \u2013 but rather the sort that\u2019s nearly impossible to sit with, let alone accept.\nIn summary: There are two possible outcomes. One is optimal and allows for options. One isn\u2019t.\nMy heart (which \u2013 in full disclosure \u2013 is mostly an idiot) tells me all will be well.\nMy mind has me doing things that nobody wants to think about, and has me writing things nobody wants to write (like letters to my children, friends, family, spouse for future days when I won\u2019t be there).\nAnd that\u2019s why I\u2019m writing this post today \u2013 it\u2019s my letter of sorts to those who\u2019ve played a role in the success of what we\u2019ve been able to build here on this site, and hopefully an inspiration for anyone who is dreaming a crazy dream that everyone else says is impossible.\nHere\u2019s to the crazy ones: Creating great content requires getting back to our creative roots\nIn 2015 when this site was imported into WordPress, it was garnering 688 views a day. Today we\u2019re averaging over 4,000 views per day, all completely organic \u2013 there\u2019s never been a paid media or promotional effort behind the site. The premise has always been a focus on authentic and engaging content that\u2019s also evergreen and SEO-optimized; that idea within itself is sadly radical within the business world.\nAs any creative in corporate knows, the challenges of bringing to life content that will genuinely resonate are many.\nOften what started off as a lightning bolt idea will end up a jargonized, brand-voiced, and watered down shadow of itself before you can say, \u201cLet\u2019s loop in so-and-so and see what they think.\u201d There are, of course, many good reasons for this, since the more you gain and grow, the more you have to lose.\nThis year has altered our perceived realities \u2013 in some cases pulling away the curtain to reveal Oz, and in others to reveal a galaxy that most of us hadn\u2019t imagined yet.\nWe\u2019ve re-entered an era where we\u2019re not just talking about being the crazy ones \u2013 we\u2019re actually transforming to become the thinkers and doers and dreamers who inspired all our talk of engaging content to begin with.\nI know that if you\u2019re a creator, you\u2019ve already seen the below ad, but when\u2019s the last time you actually listened to it again?\nBefore 2020, there was a lot of talk about trust being crucial to earning business, but concepts are tricky beasts in corporate.\nWe\u2019ve become a people obsessed with instant results, KPIs, and ROI \u2013 as though we\u2019ve focused so much on mimicking the motions that we\u2019ve forgotten the actual ability to move.\nThe world turned upside down: For many, this year was a chance to deliver the holy grail of hard data to the rest of the organization\nThe tremendous growth we\u2019ve experienced this year can be directly correlated to trust. On a hunch, I wanted to create an orphan page for our content around COVID, suspecting it would be relevant for some time to come, but not wanting to disrupt our usual content. Since there was no messaging formed for what was to come, I used links to the John Hopkins tracker and other resources that focused on where to find help as the initial calls to action.\nOur first piece published on March 10, 2020, resulting in a 98.80% increase in page views. In April, that number jumped to 145.17%. But the most fascinating data of all: Pre-2020, 93% of our views came from search engines. Today approximately 70% come from search, and 30% from bookmarks.\nBy providing resources to help, we gained loyalty, and could directly attribute that loyalty within the customer journey. When all eyes were suddenly on us, we didn\u2019t have to change our strategy; instead we doubled-down on content that we knew resonated.\nWe were able to do so because our written content had already inspired other creatives and strategists to explore what was possible \u2013 from podcasts to vlogs to SEO, the growth of the site is connected to each person who saw what we were doing and thought of new ways to leverage our work.\nAn idea transformed into a reality, then inspired others to dream bigger.\nYou can talk about authenticity and emotional connection all you\u2019d like, but if there isn\u2019t genuine passion and sincerity behind it, when it matters most people will either turn to you or from you \u2013 no amount of money can overpower the human instinct, and it\u2019s humans who run businesses.\nWords really can change the world, and those who create them bear a responsibility for how they\u2019re presented\nThe site had already begun to see significant growth after focusing on the importance of diversity, inclusion, and purpose.\nWe could tie engagement to being intentional with our images and range of topics that we covered. Little did we know what else 2020 had in store. As the racial inequities of our existences were lain bare, we could also see new engagement on the topics we\u2019d already been discussing, authentically, for years.\n \nEditor\u2019s picks: The best of what made us think, laugh, and cry in 2021\n   Our editor's picks for 2021 include thought-provoking posts on marketing, e-commerce news, humorous takes on popular culture, and wellness tips.  \n\u201cLegacy, what is a legacy? It\u2019s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see\u201d\n(Yep, going to keep going with the Hamilton theme.)\nWe too often want short, precise answers to problems that make things feel safe and predictable. The hard answer \u2013 and the truth \u2013 is that a lot of time, energy, attention to every single detail, and love goes into what happens here.\nThe work of showing up every day becomes the legacy we build and leave behind.\nAnd to make a difference, we must learn the distinction between listening and deferring; between holding the door open and yielding ground. We must believe in what we do, and live that belief even when nobody is watching.\nI\u2019m in the fortunate position to speak often about our achievements, but it\u2019s the people behind the scenes who make it possible. Because of their innate abilities and creativity, we\u2019ve been able to grow in ways that I\u2019d have never fathomed \u2013 and this should be our hope as creators and messengers. This isn\u2019t \u201cmy\u201d strategy; it belongs to each person who has been inspired to take this idea and make it shine brighter.\nIt\u2019s not one person, and it\u2019s never one person \u2013 behind any success, there\u2019s always someone else, who in some way affected the foundation, formation, and trajectory, and in my case, so many people that I cannot keep count.\nIf I were to dispense the most important lessons of what\u2019s been built here, it would be the following:\nKeep creating.\nKeep pushing boundaries.\nKeep ignoring the naysayers and be a doer.\nRemember what\u2019s at the core of who you were and wanted to be before slowly sacrificing those ideals to conform and fit in.\nDig through the things that inspired you so much that you tore the pages from magazines or painted their words on ceilings.\nRemember these wise words:\n\u201cI would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one\u2026we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together. We are each other\u2019s destiny.\u201d \u2013 Mary Oliver\nAnd these:\n\u201cIt\u2019s moments like this \u2013 you can feel it happening \u2013 that you grow transformed partly into something else strange and unimaginable\u2014 so when death comes it can only take part of you.\u201d \u2013 Charles Bukowski\nAnd, above all, do not throw away your shot.\nPurpose powers the future of business. Learn more HERE.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/12\/16\/it-was-almost-like-a-dream\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/12\/16\/it-was-almost-like-a-dream\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/JennVandeZande_Profile_Pic_2018-1-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Jenn Vande Zande","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/jennvzande","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jennvandezande"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/jenn-vande-zande\/"},"dateModified":"2021-12-23T11:39:28+00:00","datePublished":"2020-12-16T07:51:21+00:00","description":"When it matters most, people will either turn to you or from you. 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