Is it time to get back to normal? Or is it not?

Certainly, society wants to return to the way it was before COVID. But, the new variants of the COVID virus may interfere with that.

So, it’s hard to say exactly what the next 6-12 months will hold. To help you with that, here’s what some experts think will happen:

1. Incredible Innovation Will Continue

In an interview at Forbes, McKinsey’s Kevin Sneader emphasized a timeless business principle first instilled by Plato: necessity is the mother of invention.

Just like the bubonic plague struck in England in the 1600s and forced students to go home, so COVID has done the same.

But it was that scenario that caused Isacc Newton to observe an apple falling from a tree and discover the theory of gravity.

Today, the number of US patents has actually doubled versus 2019. In the most innovative country in the world, innovation is skyrocketing!

And, according to Snead, “[W]e have seen roughly ten years of innovation in three months.”

2. The Fourth Industrial Revolution Accelerates

In a separate article at McKinsey, they mention that execs found they moved 20-25 times faster on business processes such as supply chain redundancy, data security, and implementation of more advanced technologies.

In 2020, US productivity increased 10.6% in the second quarter and another 4.6% in the third quarter.

That’s the largest 6-month gain since 1965, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How much this will continue to drive productivity through the roof and improve the quality of life for millions remains to be seen.

But it’s clearly a trend you can’t ignore.

3. Social Media Engagement Will Become More of a Priority

If it wasn’t already, social media will become a huge driver of business growth even moreso, says strategic business speaker Bernard Marr in an article at Forbes.

Because of COVID, many companies needed to find new ways to engage with their customers. And social media became one of the obvious ways to do so.

But, the key has been having a more authentic, personal experience than one driven by an expert.

For example, you might give a look behind the scenes at how you minimize the amount of contact your product comes into with employees.

That builds a lot of confidence in your customers. And it helps you sell more.

Consumers want something more like that, rather than what appears to be a staged commercial.

Of course, you have more to watch than this. But these are definitely some of the key trends coming into play.

Which will you focus on?